Test for Throttling

Potential-Monke

I've done a search but couldn't find anything (or i'm blind).

I'm 100% convinced that Vodafone are throttling me in the evenings/early nights. Didn't have the problem with Eircom and typically i can't get Fibre so i'm stuck.

What i want is something that can prove that i'm being throttled. Every evening, without fail, my speed will not go over 1.6mbps, and (sometimes) slowly goes up until around 1am and i get back to normal 7+mbps. It is for that reason I am convinced that it's throttling, and not just simply congestion, unless everyone on my exchange does the exact same thing every night for the same amount of time.

It's annoying me because i'm a heavy user, don't have channels and rely on Netflix for my TV needs.

So, is there anything? I've tried mlabs NDT but i might as well be staring into a field of thistles as trying to figure out if it's telling my if i'm being throttled or not. And it's not for any specific service, ie: bittorrent, YouTube, etc, everything is effected, so the program specific tests in mlab are not good for me.

White Heart Loon

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I've done a search but couldn't find anything (or i'm blind).

I'm 100% convinced that Vodafone are throttling me in the evenings/early nights. Didn't have the problem with Eircom and typically i can't get Fibre so i'm stuck.

What i want is something that can prove that i'm being throttled. Every evening, without fail, my speed will not go over 1.6mbps, and (sometimes) slowly goes up until around 1am and i get back to normal 7+mbps. It is for that reason I am convinced that it's throttling, and not just simply congestion, unless everyone on my exchange does the exact same thing every night for the same amount of time.

It's annoying me because i'm a heavy user, don't have channels and rely on Netflix for my TV needs.

So, is there anything? I've tried mlabs NDT but i might as well be staring into a field of thistles as trying to figure out if it's telling my if i'm being throttled or not. And it's not for any specific service, ie: bittorrent, YouTube, etc, everything is effected, so the program specific tests in mlab are not good for me.

Sounds exactly like contention.

Potential-Monke

White Heart Loon wrote: »

Sounds exactly like contention.

I thought contention would mean the speed would vary depending on how many people are currently using it? Or does it also limit the maximum?

White Heart Loon

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I thought contention would mean the speed would vary depending on how many people are currently using it? Or does it also limit the maximum?

Think of it like a water supply, if everyone turned on their tap at once it would trickle out. Same for broadband, it's a shared pipe, people come in from work, connect their phones to their Wi-Fi, check their emails, stream music, check social media, watch YouTube videos etc. Peak hours are from 6 to 10 in the evening and all day Sat and Sun

Potential-Monke

I understand that, but the speeds i'm getting are consistent. Speedtests show (90% of the time) 1.6mbps dl. Surely if people were using it, on and off, speeds would vary wildly depending on the amount of people currently using it? Or does the network automatically cap each persons speeds between those hours just in case?

White Heart Loon

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I understand that, but the speeds i'm getting are consistent. Speedtests show (90% of the time) 1.6mbps dl. Surely if people were using it, on and off, speeds would vary wildly depending on the amount of people currently using it? Or does the network automatically cap each persons speeds between those hours just in case?

When lots of people are using it in the evenings everyone slows, it's a shared resource

Potential-Monke

White Heart Loon wrote: »

When lots of people are using it in the evenings everyone slows, it's a shared resource

I get that, but it's the fact that the speed is consistently at 1.6 that's getting to me. Surely if everyone was sharing, it would fluctuate anywhere from nothing to it's full potential? It just feels like i'm deliberately being capped at 1.6 regardless of other people using it, unless that is exactly what contention is (whereas i always thought it was speed dropping due to other people using it, not the network limiting my dl).

Today, for example, i was getting the most i usually get up until 17.05. And it's this time that it always goes down to 1.6. It was the same yesterday, and every day of the week. It's like they have me set up to automatically be capped to 1.6 between 5pm and ~1am.

White Heart Loon

Don't think there has ever been a thread here before claiming throttling by Vodafone. Have you tried another speedtest or better still download something from a fast server and see what speed you get

Potential-Monke

White Heart Loon wrote: »

Don't think there has ever been a thread here before claiming throttling by Vodafone. Have you tried another speedtest or better still download something from a fast server and see what speed you get

Speedtests every evening between 5pm and 1am usually show the same results (very slight differences). Have being doing so for the last couple of months, and i wanted something to prove that they're throttling (if they are) before i ring up and give out.

Steam, downloading a game throughout the day is fast, usually 800kbps+, but once 5pm hits it drops down to <200kbps. Just restarted a download i started around 4pm, Far Cry 3, 8.4GB. The peak it hit before 5pm was 920.2kbps, it dropped to 138kbps when i checked on it at about 5.30pm, and now it's at 220kbps.

I downloaded Shogun 2 (24GB) in 3 hours between 10am and 12md before...

White Heart Loon

That's just contention/congestion at the exchange in the evenings and weekends.

Potential-Monke

Fair enough, i'll take your word for it. It was because the speed seems to be consistent at 1.6 was the reason i believed it was throttling.

dxhound2005

This thread is about congestion being experienced by Eircom and Eircom reseller customers.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057142479

Potential-Monke

Boom. Magic. Can watch Netflix in HD again!

PauloMN

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Boom. Magic. Can watch Netflix in HD again!

Have you rescheduled your sleep time around your maximum broadband speeds? Think I might have to do the same, sleep between 5pm and midnight, surf afterwards!

I noticed you mentioned fibre in your first post - I've seen speedtest results on here from fibre customers with exactly the same evening speed issues (the only difference being the good upload speed), so I don't think having fibre would fix it anyway.

pH

I've got to agree with the OP - it doesn't feel like congestion - it isn't a gradual slowdown in the evening as it get used by others - it's abrupt. It's also fairly consistent in terms of times and for me (as the OP) always leaves just enough bandwidth (1M ish) that browsing/email etc seem fine an unaffected.

511

Download JD's Auto Speed Tester and let it test your line throughout the day. You can set it so it will run speed tests every 10, 20, 30 minutes or so. It will show you whether the speed abruptly drops or whether it gradually decreases.

http://www.gmwsoftware.co.uk/

dxhound2005

PauloMN wrote: »

Have you rescheduled your sleep time around your maximum broadband speeds? Think I might have to do the same, sleep between 5pm and midnight, surf afterwards!

I noticed you mentioned fibre in your first post - I've seen speedtest results on here from fibre customers with exactly the same evening speed issues (the only difference being the good upload speed), so I don't think having fibre would fix it anyway.

I think that Fibre issue has gone away, it has for me anyway, fingers crossed.

Potential-Monke

PauloMN wrote: »

Have you rescheduled your sleep time around your maximum broadband speeds? Think I might have to do the same, sleep between 5pm and midnight, surf afterwards!

I noticed you mentioned fibre in your first post - I've seen speedtest results on here from fibre customers with exactly the same evening speed issues (the only difference being the good upload speed), so I don't think having fibre would fix it anyway.

I wish i could, i work a 10 week recurring rota which includes 7am starts and 7am finishes... So my usage time is all over the place!

According to VF, there's no date for Fibre in my area, and Eircom reckon it'll be April. I stupidly bought this house without ensuring i could get UPC. The houses across from me (ie: 10 feet across) can get UPC, but apparently my row is the start of Phase 2 and was never piped for it.

511 wrote: »

Download JD's Auto Speed Tester and let it test your line throughout the day. You can set it so it will run speed tests every 10, 20, 30 minutes or so. It will show you whether the speed abruptly drops or whether it gradually decreases.

http://www.gmwsoftware.co.uk/

This, i most certainly will do. I'll start it when i'm heading to bed tonight and leave it run until tomorrow evening at the same time. Cheers!

511