cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

CRTC project to evaluate and compare advertised versus actual Internet speeds

BS
I'm a senior advisor

Hi everybody - if you are interested in becoming involved in helping the CRTC develop a database, in cooperation with the service providers - go to this web site - http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/performance.htm

 

Within this site, you can go to http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/proj.htm and volunteer to be part of a project to collect data coming to your modem.

 

It is great that the CRTC has decided to look at this question - you can access your own data, the CRTC has access, as well as the ISP.

 

You could look at your bandwidth use on the MYROGERS usage site, and make a comparison of what comes to your door, versus what do you really use.

 

There may be software add-on tools you can put on your devices to measure usage and performance at the device level - I will have to look.  I am just curious and interested in helping, maybe others are too.

 

You can also see early stats for each company at http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/proj.htm#rpt  This is from 2016 and almost all competitors are providing above their advertised levels, measured only up to 100 down 10 up on Rogers, higher on Bell Aliant at this time.  They are looking to add the smaller ISP's, like distributel, techsavy and so forth on this pass.

 

Take a look, interesting project - never knew about it.  It is part of the CRTC's project to look at future recommendations around broadband provision.

 

Bruce

4 REPLIES 4

Re: CRTC project to evaluate and compare advertised versus actual Internet speeds

Gdkitty
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

Speed is one thing.. and generally should be fairly accurate to test.. wired connection, right to the modem, etc. 
(The SAMKNOWS witeboxes, etc)

And really, it HAS to be done this way.  What/where the potential is, at the modem itself.  Is it getting that speed throughput to it.
Beyond that.. there are just TOO many factors.

Like the people who get the gigabit internet and expect to get that on wireless on their laptop.  Maybe with the BEST router and BEST wireless card in the laptop, you might come close? under perfect conditions.

 

USAGE.. thats the much harder part.

Even most of  your 3rd party routers themselves dont really monitor this throughput.
And that is WHERE is needs to monitor it.

I have probaly up to 25 devices in my house which connect to the internet.
90% of them.. you cant monitor usage off of, on the device itself.

 

 

Accuracy and consistancy is the KEY here.. and needs to be done equally.
Too many times, see the 'keep your ISP honest' etc on these speed test sites.
Well.. if I am testing to you, from far away, and dont have a closer testing site... yeah, my speed will be slower.  That doesnt mean my ISP is not being honest.
And its not taking into account HOW people are connecting.  They are on a single band N wireless card, on the oposite side of the house.. yeah, their speed test may be slower.. but does that prove that the ISP is not providing?
I found similar things very funny, when a year or so ago, Netflix released those ISP speed rankings.
That Rogers was only at 2.6mbps?
Yes.. And?  Do we have any other deatils? No.  That doesnt mean rogers connection is SLOW.

On specific devices and specific quality settings.. a netflix stream will max out at 3mbps.. so thats about on par of where it should be.  If MOST users were streaming at that rate.. it would make the average in that range.
Says nothing that a rogers user COULD get ultra HD at 8+mbps.   And again, doesnt take into effect what they were streaming on.. wired/wireless, etc.

Re: CRTC project to evaluate and compare advertised versus actual Internet speeds

BS
I'm a senior advisor

Yes, definitely a very complex question this issue of speed and ping rate - they measure that too - only gets at what shows up at your modem, not the throughput.

 

I am gradually just going with my gut feeling that I am probably not using anywhere near what I pay for, although the price differences vary, but the opportunity to sit for a week on 10Mps down and 1 up has highlighted that I really don't need the speed or bandwidth usage that I currently access, which is what I always thought.

 

I don't notice any difference in performance from home and I have done updates to apps, downloads of files - bit slower, but life is too fast for me anyway. Smiley Happy  

 

I also like to drive in the slow lane on the highway too and enjoy a backroad and sight seeing.  I now understand the Sunday drive - step back and enjoy life and for me, this project is just a curiousity - what else do you do when you no longer work and are house bound due to disabilities.  My brain still works, just other stuff.

 

Great points as always @Gdkitty

 

Bruce

Re: CRTC project to evaluate and compare advertised versus actual Internet speeds

BS
I'm a senior advisor

Interesting thing about speed and networking.

 

As I mentioned, I am outside Collingwood on Georgian Bay this week at a resort.  Nice chance to escape the city.

 

I was talking to one of the staff about how they had provisioned for Internet and wifi throughout the site.

 

Because they really don't have access to much speed coming in, they have unlimited (business account), and 10 down.  Due to the reality that there isn't much speed coming down the pipe anyway, they were able to provision the whole building extremely cheaply with a couple of switches (cat 6 cabling in case higher speed ever comes), and they picked up used 10/100 switches (I still have a few 3-com one at home, which I don't use and I said I would donate it to them next time we are up as an extra).  Then they have a mixed bag of 3-comm wifi routers set up as access points around the building, providing accessibility throughout the whole building - the walls and floors are poured concrete, so there are obvious dead spots here and there, but not much.

 

A benefit of being able to live with slower speeds - you don't need the newest or best equipment to get by.

 

Interesting real life learning experience.  Can you tell that this is going to be one of the solutions for our home to cut back on costs - that is if Rogers is willing to provide it, otherwise, I will go third party.

 

And nice thing is that I understand all that old technology and know how to support it and provision for best coverage - my home has cat 5e throughout (I did it years ago), and a quality wifi router is easily set up as an access point - to provide extended access.  And from my years of doing home support as a small business, I have lots of that equipment floating around.

 

So for those who need lots of speed, go for it, me, don't need it.  I think I am done beating that point to death - had to convince my self as part of this thinking process.

 

Bruce

 

Bruce

Re: CRTC project to evaluate and compare advertised versus actual Internet speeds

OLDYELLR
I'm a senior advisor

@BS wrote:

I am gradually just going with my gut feeling that I am probably not using anywhere near what I pay for, although the price differences vary, but the opportunity to sit for a week on 10Mps down and 1 up has highlighted that I really don't need the speed or bandwidth usage that I currently access, which is what I always thought.

 



Good point Bruce. That CRTC project talks about 100 down and 10 up being what they're shooting for for everybody. Well, I have DSL with an advertised speed of 15 download and what I actually get is 10-13 download and 1 upload. Nevertheless, with 3 adults and 4 little kids in the household, we manage okay most of the time, using Netflix, Facebook and browsing using over half a dozen devices.  But then I have a friend living way out in the sticks who has to use a Rogers Rocket Hub for Internet access which is relatively slow and costs a fortune for data, so they have to save emails and go to somewhere with free wifi to open links.


Rogers PayGo. Location: S-W Ontario
Topic Stats
  • 4 replies
  • 2798 views
  • 2 Likes
  • 3 in conversation