Internet speed and whatnot

[supermanotorious]

As a start (before I launch off the rails in to the deep end) why does speedtest.net show drastically faster speeds than "internet speed test" by Google's partnership with Measurement Lab (M-Lab) on the exact same PC/router/modem/browser?!

 

[Tpdingo]

As a start (before I launch off the rails in to the deep end) why does speedtest.net show drastically faster speeds than "internet speed test" by Google's partnership with Measurement Lab (M-Lab) on the exact same PC/router/modem/browser?!

Because speedtest shows you the speed you want to know. Its happier to live in a world of lies.

 

[anickode]

Also depends on the server you're connecting to. Speed tests are done by timing data packet bursts back and forth. If the server is pressed for bandwidth, or only allocated a certain amount of bandwidth per connection, it can affect the outcome. Don't know if that's the case here, but it can make a difference.

There's also the Mbps vs MB/s (megabit vs megabyte) deal. Different units = same speed, different number. Again, don't know if that's the case, but it will make a big difference. 1MB/s = 8Mbps