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1. rw
   Member Profile

   Recent service disruptions prompted me to check on my Comcast Internet connection speed. It's a good idea to do this periodically, because a) you want to be sure that you are getting the service from Comcast (or whoever your ISP happens to be) that you paid for, and b) it can also help you identify potential issues with your own wifi configuration.

   For example, I'm paying Comcast for "up to" 20 Mbps (this is mid-day), and am getting about 10.5. I think their service to West Seattle is still not fully back to normal from their recent technical problems, otherwise I would expect to see figures in the 12-16 mbps range during mid-day hours, a bit higher during off-peak hours, and a bit lower during peak early to mid-evening hours.

   A few months ago I noticed that my speeds had slowed to a measly 1-3 mbps range, but determined that the problem was with my wireless router. After a bit of research I reconfigured the router and my throughput improved dramatically.

   You can check your connection speed at http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/ . Follow the instructions and wait for the test to complete.

   Post your results here, along with what you think your connection speed should be and your location.

   And if your results are significantly worse than what Comcast (or any ISP) promised you, remember that the cause may not be with Comcast.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

2. oddreality
   Member Profile

   22.35 mbps download and 3.50 mbps upload

   Yesterday it was 0...we had an outage.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

3. austin
   Member Profile

   

   I don't know what I'm supposed to be getting, it's just the normal comcast internet connection. I'm pretty sure my connection here was suffering yesterday but I wasn't in Seattle to experience it. Speakeasy speed test using the Seattle location returns 21.76 mbps down and 3.62 up. I'm using an 802.11n router that I'm about 25 feet away from with no intervening walls. From the neighborhood I don't know the name of, sort of between luna park and admiral.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

4. richwseattle
   Member Profile

   18.66 mbps download and 3.59 mbps upload. I'm near Alaska junction.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

5. clark5080
   Member Profile

   

   21.95 down 3.56 up Comcast in Arbor Heights

   Posted 9 months ago #         

6. clark5080
   Member Profile

   

   I assume everyone is choosing the same city for the test because the further you go the readings are going to be different

   Posted 9 months ago #         

7. rw
   Member Profile

   Dang. Now I'm feeling some throughput envy. I need to see whether I can bump up my network performance.

   So I just rebooted my router, and my performance dropped to 5-7 mbps download. Not good. Next I rebooted my router AND my modem. Download speed jumped to 15.5 mbps. To really see where I am at some point I will run the same test from my wife's computer, which is connected via a network cable rather than via wireless.

   But remember, Comcast offers different speeds for different prices, so comparing against one another is useful but not the final answer. The important thing is to get the performance -- and reliability (in case anyone from Comcast reads this thread) -- that you paid for.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

8. dhg
   Member Profile

   

   30mbps download / 5 download
   Want better speed? Get a better router. If you router is a few years old it can't keep up with comcast. Also, Comcast will pawn off their slower network devices. You can buy a Motorola Surfboard Extreme at Amazon.com. It'll save you money in the long run and MAY increase your access speed.

   Posted 9 months ago #         

9. rw
   Member Profile

   That's a great point, dhg.

   But we have the Comcast "triple play" service, which pipes both phone and Internet service through their modem. I don't see any mention of a comparable non-Comcast Internet modem that offers both phone and Internet. Does anyone have experience or recommendations on non-Comcast modems that include phone capability?

   Posted 9 months ago #         

10. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    I've seen some people with split cables, one running to the box that serves the phone plus tv and the other is the more capable Comcast box. Typically these are in businesses but also some homes.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

11. JayDee
    Member Profile

    Do I feel so 1999:

    1.33 Mps Download
    0.73 Mps Upload

    Qwest 10,000-feet from the substation speed...

    Posted 9 months ago #         

12. catlady
    Member Profile

    Qwest - now CenturyLink

    10.28 Download (I should get 12 Mbps)
    0.73 Upload ugh...

    Posted 9 months ago #         

13. S5
    Member Profile

    27.92 Mbps download and 5.33 Mbps upload. I have Comcast (Triple Play) and live in the Hiawatha area.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

14. dr-ghost
    Member Profile

    As of now I'm getting 20 down and 4.25 up (advertised speeds are 20 and 5), and 8ms ping time. So it looks like Comcast has resolved their problems.

    By the way, speedtest.net is an excellent tool, but you really need to run 3 or 4 tests to get a good indication. Speeds vary, and single readings don't tell you much.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

15. todd_
    Member Profile

    FWIW - I seem to be consistently about 18.7 download / 5.5 upload, in Admiral.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

16. amalia
    Member Profile

    I'd be interested to see more Qwest results. Mine's super slow and won't stream anything on Netflix except short shows. Thinking of switching to Concast. Any way to tell whether it's the router and the service?

    Posted 9 months ago #         

17. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    @amalia: the lowest download speed you should be getting with Qwest is 1.5 Mbps, which should be enough to stream both Netflix and Hulu (albeit with some buffering). Probably not HD. Next tier up is 5 Mbps, which is what I have and we stream Netflix daily without issue.

    I would do a speedtest and see what you get, and if it's lower than you should have, contact their tech support. My recommendation would be to call in the early afternoon, as you'll be more likely to get their US based support staff.

    There are other factors that can affect your streaming performance: other internet users in your house using bandwidth, local applications running in the background, even your web browser.

    In fact, as a test, I'd recommend trying to stream Netflix in at least two different browsers to see if they both have performance issues. At one point, I lost the ability to stream Netflix in Chrome and Firefox, but IE worked. There are alot of variables.

    You can also try uninstalling Microsoft Silverlight and then re-installing. That will sometimes fix the issue, according to Netflix support.

    My Qwest (now Century Link) results:
    7.12 Mbps Download
    0.82 Mbps Upload

    Posted 9 months ago #         

18. amalia
    Member Profile

    Thanks, Chrisma. That should greatly help me identify the culprit (although I'm trying to stream on TV, not my computer). Will do the speed test tonight.
    Appreciate it!

    Posted 9 months ago #         

19. JayDee
    Member Profile

    Chrisma:

    Just retested, same result. Qwest didn't offer tiers for me. It'd be nice to go faster -- I have a new iMac so it probably isn't the computer. I will try checking with them tomorrow if CL works on the weekend.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

20. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    JayDee: I'm guessing you live on Alki. DSL speed is crap there. You need to be within 4500 ft for high speed.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

21. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    I had lots of problems when I first got my DSL here in Seattle (I'm about a block from the Morgan Junction, by the way). The main problem was my internet connection would drop every 5 minutes or so, and also speed was an issue. So I just bugged them about it.

    I had to go through several rounds of the obvious first tier troubleshooting, nd was even told that Qwest was upgrading lines in my neighborhood and it would be a few weeks until things were fixed (I don't think that was true). Eventually, I called one early afternoon and got someone in Boise who was a native English speaker and was able to go through all the troubleshooting steps with me and then dispatch a technician to check the house connections. And that seemed to do the trick. The tech did something at the outside service point that made everything work, and I've been good ever since.

    I don't know what the situation down at Alki is, but if it's limited by the available infrastructure, you may have to go with a different provider. I know when I lived in Bremerton in the early 00's there was no DSL available at all. It was Comcast or dialup.

    Can anyone speak to how Clear's service is down at Alki?

    Good luck, JayDee, amalia, and all you other DSL'ers out there.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

22. Kevin
    Member Profile

    Sat 8/27/11 @ 10:15 AM

    Speakeasy speed test from Arbor Heights.

    Sea 27.97 down 5.02 up
    NY 12.3 down 3.73 up
    Dallas 17.97 down 4.82 up

    I must admit that I'm paying a bit extra for the next up from the basic service level.

    Comcast rep told me that some older routers will actually slow your connection WAY down. I replaced my aging router with a new one and was quite pleased.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

23. JayDee
    Member Profile

    dhg: Thanks for confirming my fears. Maybe Century Link will improve things. Or perhaps global warming is imaginary.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

24. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    I loved Speakeasy but now that they are Megapath I am not so sure. The issues of DSL and cell phone service on Alki helped me to understand what it means to be living on the edge of a community. When planners are installing radio towers they look at the maps, they see all that water and they shoot for the center of the land mass and hope the signal will reach the outer areas. It's the price you pay for living on the edge.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

25. mpento
    Member Profile

    Saturday 27 Aug 9.22 1.22Mbps download and 1.14 Mbps upload According to the price I'm paying to comcast "Downloads up to 12 Mbps, uploads up to 2 Mbps with PowerBoost®" That reading was typical for about 3 tests about 5 minutes apart. I wonder how this tiered system works since they are offering multiple different packages with different speeds. Yes I have a router and it is not that old but I still have the original comcast modem (maybe 5-6 years old) Came across this article after a quick google search http://www.lonniewest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=129:comcast-internet-speed-problems&catid=9:technology&Itemid=9 Surprising that politicians seem to be avoiding what should be an easy target that would make them look good. I wonder why?
    http://news.muckety.com/2011/06/21/comcast-spent-57-million-on-lobbying/33051

    Posted 9 months ago #         

26. NativeToSeattle
    Member Profile

    We have 40Mbps service through Qwest/Century Link. On my wireless & upstairs I am getting 19.53 Mbps upload and 16.72 Mbps download. We switched from Comcast a couple of months ago and locked in a decent rate and I've been much happier with the speed and reliability.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

27. amalia
    Member Profile

    Well, turns out we're paying for 20mbps and getting ***1.03*** upload with Century Link, according to my multiple tests all weekend! Explains 4+ year of awful connection. I'm waiting for customer service to open so I can blow a gasket on them. I'll be switching to Comcast ASAP on principle if nothing else.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

28. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    Why switch to Comcast, amalia?

    Get CenturyLink to fix your service and ask for a back credit for all the years your service was well below what you were paying for.

    If they absolutely refuse to credit you, then switch to Comcast, but I'd at least try to wring some compensation out of Qwest/CenturyLink first.

    Why throw away the opportunity to maybe get free internet for a year or so?

    Posted 9 months ago #         

29. amalia
    Member Profile

    You think like me :). Turns out they don't even offer higher than 1.5 where we live! And they did not even try to deny charging us for the higher performance service. Unbelieveable. I told them "this is the kind of thing that class-action lawsuits are made of" and they went silent. I told them I needed some kind of reimbursement for my TEN YEARS of getting ripped off, and they gave me the next year (and back month) at $20. Which of course doesn't cover the amount, so we are looking into further avenues of compensation. And it's too slow either way, so I'll switch as soon as it's comvenient for me to sit home and wait for Comcast to come install.
    .
    Everyone really needs to check their service. I doubt I'm the only one.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

30. hoffanimal
    Member Profile

    My download speed is 16.59 and upload is .83. I pay CenturyLink for 20. Can someone tell me why my upload speed is so much slower than my download speed?

    Posted 9 months ago #         

31. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    Amalia: The upload speed does not typically matter much. It's the download speed you are paying for. If you're only getting 1.03 download then you've got a reason to be angry. Upload speed is only important if you host a website where everyone is downloading from you.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

32. amalia
    Member Profile

    You're right, I typed upload, but I meant download. Yeppers, 1.03 DOWNLOAD. Welcome back to 1989.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

33. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    If I'm not mistaken, 1989 would have been a dial up modem at 9,600 bit per second. Now that's SLOW. Of course, there was no world wide web in 1989. Just a network of BBSs.

    My first modem was probably a 300 bit per second (baud) for my Commodore 64. Anyone remember when 64k was a lot of RAM?

    

    Posted 9 months ago #         

34. amalia
    Member Profile

    That's no reason not to complain loudly at the slightest inconvenience :) !

    Posted 9 months ago #         

35. chrisma
    Member Profile

    

    @dhg: People who like to put videos on YouTube, etc, might notice slow upload speeds too. Same for the file sharers out there.

    Posted 9 months ago #         

36. mpento
    Member Profile

    Amalia if you are switching to comcast maybe start with their lowest service and test and later upgrade. As you can see from my reading I am in the same boat as you paying for "up to" 12Mbs and getting 1.2Mbs. You are not going to get the maximum. If you go for the higher service first they are just going to give you the same. If you actually upgrade from the base service at least you can tell them it has to be faster than the base package, right?

    Posted 9 months ago #         

37. 365Stairs
    Member Profile

    

    Great validation test! With Q - now Clink...I'm paying for 7mbs and getting 6.61 Wireless...so...good deal and plenty fast for our mimimal web consumption.

    Thanks for posting this!

    Posted 8 months ago #         

38. saroja
    Member Profile

    My speed test results are,

    Downloadspeed:1.779Mbps
    Uploadspeed:0.829Mbps
    I performed my internet speed test here http://www.scanmyspeed.com/ .
    Is this good or not?

    Posted 2 months ago #         

39. cjboffoli
    Member Profile

    

    35Mbps bilaterally

    Alaska Junction
    Comcast Business Class Service

    Posted 2 months ago #         

40. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Just tested our speed here in Arbor Heights is

    Downloadspeed 1.55Mbsp
    Uploadspeed:.37Mbsp

    Posted 2 months ago #         

41. adamk
    Member Profile

    Comcast Business class internet, 22 down 5 up:
    http://www.speedtest.net/result/1853854126.png

    Speedboost makes the first 20MB burst at about 60mbps, throwing off the test. But in actual non-saturated use, you do get that 60mbps speed for small pages and it's noticeable.

    I really don't like Comcast as a company, but I have to say that their business class service, both speed and support, is great.

    Posted 2 months ago #         

42. kayo
    Member Profile

    We have Comcast and live in N. Delridge. Download is 24.93 and Upload is 5.76. We used to have Qwest/Century Link because we were worried about reliability of Comcast and we weren't interested in having cable tv. However, it was just way too slow. We waited and waited for Fios, but it never came to fruition. It was impossible to have my hubby working from home while I or my kids watched a Netflix. We never have a problem with that now. The only issue with Comcast is that they do limit the amount you can download and if you are a heavy netflix/xbox Zune user like we are, you need to watch that. You have to adjust the Netflix/Zune settings so you aren't downloading HD content. My kids don't care so that is fine with us. We have only had one Comcast outage since we signed up so it seems pretty reliable as well.

    Posted 2 months ago #         

43. kayo
    Member Profile

    Also, wanted to add that we upgraded our router when we switched. We got the Linksys E4200. I saw this at Costco recently for a pretty good price. My husband did a lot of research and this router was highly rated. It isn't cheap though ($150).

    Posted 2 months ago #         

44. Ken
    Member Profile

    

    I can't upgrade my service at all without losing my 34 ip addresses. (/27 with a /29 routed down one) All low traffic stuff but since Century link refuses to allow ISP's to supply service to dsl at higher than 1.5mbps this is the forecasted (by me) end of independent isp services.

    I will probably reconfigure the network and pay for dns, hosting and mail instead of rolling my own. Eventually.

    But I despise comcast possibly a bit more than Century link at the moment...

    Posted 2 months ago #         

45. clark5080
    Member Profile

    

    I am very close to being done with Comcast but found something interesting on the speed test. On Comcast test page I get 23.52 Mbps down and up is 3.57 Mbps
    On Speakeasy (testing in (Seattle)I get2.39 Mbps down and 3.12 Up

    Posted 2 months ago #         

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