Why does my internet speed test so much higher than real world

[BriscoBones]

So I am monitoring my task manager while surfing the internet and I see peaks of 1-4 mbps, steam reports a peak of 4mbps normally while downloading games.

But when I use speedtest sites, it reports 15, 30, or even 50 mbps; AND my task manager shows those speeds during the test.

The second I go back to downloading a game/web browsing, 4 mbps peak. (and I mean peak, average closer to 250 kbps)

Task manager reports my Link speed at 325mbps, my router is rated at 1 gbps, and is one of those fancy relay extended range ones for like office buildings

I do know there is a difference between bit and byte and as far as I can tell everything is being reported in bits

 

My internet is so slow and crappy, every time I rent a video on prime, amazon refunds me because of how frequently I have data interruption or have to pause and buffer! AND when I try to join a warzone game, COD asks me to connect to the internet, even though I am connected! 

So I was trying to gather data on my terrible internet, to either file a complaint, or to help me decide if I should make the switch to starlink.

[Electronics Wizardy]

What ISP do you have? What speeds do you pay for?]

 

Do other computers have this issue? If yes, ask your isp for assistance.

[Alyxia]

So there is more to the puzzle that is internet than just speed. Consider the following:

 

While you may have say 50mbps showing in the speed test and in your task manager, that's for ideal conditions and a very specific file size. If you have high ping or a lot of jitter it will effect your experience. If you are NOT seeing this same issue across multiple devices on your network, you may be having stability issues especially if you are using WiFi.  Try the same thing wired ethernet, if you are wired try a new cable. If the issue still persists, it could be a DNS issue.

[TetraSky]

Steam doesn't show download speed in bit. It's in bytes. Meaning it is 8 times "smaller" than whatever your ISP advertise in Mbps.

I'm guessing you're on a wireless network here ? Your wireless link speed and your router's speed are mostly irrelevant to this story as far as actual internet speed goes. Though wireless interferences and how far your are from the access point do matter.

 

Who is your ISP and what is the speed you're paying for?
You mention Starlink, so is it also satellite based internet or is it DSL / Cable ?
 

If it's also satellite.... Then yeah, what you are experiencing is "normal". Current satellite based internet is trash and it took Starlink for people to realize how bad it really was. It's not designed to watch movies or play games. It's mostly to get bare minimum internet access where normal cables don't reach. (Take note that a lot of ISPs cheat on speedtests. When they see the traffic comes from there, they magically provide greater bandwidth. You can use Fast.com, powered by Netflix, to see if you're still getting the same speeds)

[BriscoBones]

Good call on steam, Damn dyslexia I missed that. lol

 

I have satellite, viasat, I pay for 50mbps. its there standard def streaming package, what they advertise for streaming and light gaming.

The sad thing is that Im paying $200 a month for this junk and the best ping Ive ever seen was 650ms lol most of the time its about 900ms

 

All devices are slow, game consoles, laptop (before it broke), phone hooked up through wifi.

 

I cant connect ethernet right now, I asked the installed to set up the box/router in the living room ad instead he set it up in the garage. 

To test via ethernet I would need a 60+ foot ethernet cable or a 30 footer and move my entire set up to the kitchen counter lol

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, BriscoBones said:

have satellite, viasat, I pay for 50mbps.

Satellite Internet and gaming shouldn't go in the same sentence. My boss has Hughsnet, he bought a Verizon hotspot that has like 10 Gigs of data attached each month and uses that exclusively for gaming. He takes his Xbox over to a buddies house to update it. 

 

You could try to see if a cellular provider in your area could offer better, because Cellular internet should be a ton better. OR check out Starlink. 

[Falcon1986]

On 7/1/2021 at 10:39 AM, BriscoBones said:

So I was trying to gather data on my terrible internet, to either file a complaint, or to help me decide if I should make the switch to starlink.

Unfortunately, that's the downside to traditional satellite internet. The design doesn't lend itself to low latency or consistent speeds. It's only purpose should be convenience in remote areas where no other connection type is available.

 

Starlink seems to do satellite internet better and you should seriously consider switching if you can get it in your area.

[BriscoBones]

Just and update.

I switched to LTE internet, same "advertised" speed as the satellite internet, but no data cap-throttling and it was $120 cheaper.

Havent tried gaming on it, but testing the speed it showed 87ms ping vs the 600ms I used to have.

 

Even If i cant game, in the past week Ive never had to pause a video to let it buffer and Im saving 120 a month so it was worth it till they bring out fiber to me!

[Donut417]

48 minutes ago, BriscoBones said:

Just and update.

I switched to LTE internet, same "advertised" speed as the satellite internet, but no data cap-throttling and it was $120 cheaper.

Havent tried gaming on it, but testing the speed it showed 87ms ping vs the 600ms I used to have.

 

Even If i cant game, in the past week Ive never had to pause a video to let it buffer and Im saving 120 a month so it was worth it till they bring out fiber to me!

My boss as a Verizon Jump pack with like 6 Gigs of data. He games on that with his Xbox and it sounds like it was good enough.