A lot is asked of the NBN news and speed tests so we want to discover just what is happening
Different speed tests on the NBN
OK, today I thought I would do an experiment on speed tests for the NBN or any internet plan.
I selected an IINet 25 plans and chose from the internet several testing resumes
My favorite is usually Telstra which delivered an upload speed of
Telstra 23.8 Mbps
Ookla 23.9
OZ 23.18
iinet 24.109
So all in a close grouping and any result acceptable. This was mid-afternoon on a Sunday so probably the best case.
Time of day speed tests on the NBN
There is no doubt that the time of day can make a difference. In fact one day recently I was down to about 15Mbps
This is still an acceptable speed but channel stuffing ( as I call it) really has an effect.
This is when a lot of local activity takes place and your bandwidth delivery is compromised.
Can you do anything about this. Yes you can and we will explain more.
Your plans and speed tests on the NBN
Many companies now offer a variety of plans in the selected speed.
Light plan at say $75 Standard plan at $85 and Premium at $95 each per month
This is not a lot extra to maintain a consistent speed within a narrow band if your usage is in that band.
Certainly, the after-school period is probably the most affected. If you are winding down your day then it does not really matter.
The variables in speed are not related to the choice of plan. Everyone should be able to achieve
close to a 12Mbps plan where ever you are on a fixed network. Even 50 Mbps should be available in
most cases. The distance parameter then comes into play and only after connecting your service will they tell you your available speed.
They will not sell you a 100 plan if you have no way of achieving it. Or should I say they will sell you a 100 plan but then if it can not be achieved after you have signed up and connected offer you a consideration to dropping to a level of acceptance.
The number of attachments.
Your in-house/ business connection will be shared by many users. Voice traffic, mobile phones, laptops, computers, smart TV among the more common. You have some control but it takes management to stop some congestion when you are all on the go at one time.
Furthermore, ensure your plan is not shared with your neighbours.
WIFI and speed tests on the NBN
This is an interesting area and the answer depends again on variables.
In my home network, the modem is Upstairs and my Home office downstairs. Because I use a server it did not have an internal modem and I needed to purchase a plugin. This is easy to do, slip it into a port download the DVD and do the setup.
My speed was only around 8MBPS a disaster.
WIFI signals drift upward so Idea number one was moving the modem downstairs which required cabling. Idea two was to cable downstairs and these options were canned due to cost.
Solution. Buy a cable extender and move the dongle away from the computer by a small amount and achieve exactly what I wanted.
The difference in speed by my upstairs wired connection to my downstairs WiFi connection is negligible. Sometimes this just needs a bit of thought.
Conclusion
You can do small things to improve your consistent speed and maintain control of some of your destiny.
Buy a plan to suit.
Maximize your connections
Limit users.
Good security.
Modem placement
Lastly, enjoy speeds we have not seen in the past.
