Archive for the ‘Broadband’ Category
Are You Being Served
When one pays for a certain service, one expects that service to be delivered as promised. There are times, however, when it can be difficult to tell whether or not the service provider with whom one has contracted is actually fulfilling their end of the bargain. This can be especially true with broadband service providers. Many of these companies offer several tiers of service. Each ascending tier offers a higher connection speed in exchange for a higher monthly charge. Although, if one is so diligent as to read the fine print in the contract, one will discover that the broadband provider is almost certainly promising connection speeds up to the specified limit. Which means, of course, that the actual connection speed that one experiences will be less than the promised maximum by some undetermined margin.
Still, even with this proviso, which of us does not desire the fastest connection speed available? If we typically avail ourselves of the plentiful audio and video content available on the internet, then connection speed is especially important. If your broadband service provider offers several different levels of service differentiated by connection speed, it behooves you to check up on them or as the former American President Ronald Reagan was wont to say, “trust, but verify.” For those of us without great expertise in computers or information technology, attempting to determine the connection speed of our broadband service can seem like trying to untangle string theory. Fortunately, there is a ready solution available to allow us to quickly verify our connection speed.
Before we do, however, there are certain things we need to understand in order to properly assess the result of that simple test. First, we must realize that connection speeds are not constant. They vary according to the usage on the network at any given moment in time. If there are more people connected and downloading content, then the apparent connection speed for each user may be slower. It is almost certain that during any test of your connection speed, you will discover that you are operating at the maximum level promised by your broadband service provider. Given that information, then, how should the results of broadband connection speed be judged?
The answer is that the results should be compared to other service providers and other tiers of service from your original provider. For example, if you are paying for 6Mb service, but consistently find that your connection speed tops out 2Mb or lower, you might ring up your broadband provider and politely explain the situation and ask whether they might credit your account for the difference between the 6Mb for which you are paying and the 2Mb service which you are receiving. Or you might simply change your service tier to a lower level with a lower price tag. Compare the speed of the lower tier, and if it is not significantly different than the more expensive plan, then you’ll have saved a few pounds each month without sacrificing anything.
So, onward to the test itself. Visit www.broadband.co.uk and select the broadband speed test from the menu on the left of the page. This web-based tool will measure your connection speed for both uploading and downloading and display the results. Furthermore, the website routinely records aggregate results for each broadband provider within the UK and offers on their site a complete list of the average connection speeds of each of the top broadband service companies operating in the UK. By entering your postcode, the site will even offer you a list of the fastest connection speed providers that are available for your address. If your negotiations for a lower rate with your current provider prove fruitless, at least you’ll know all the options should a change be in order.