Difference between revisions of "Speed test"

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=What to expect from a speedtest=
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Speed test websites/servers are the most common way that users are able to test the speed between their device and a server using its Internet connection. Running speed test's are a great way to determine if you happen to have a connectivity issue however there are a number of factors that can dramatically affect the results of your tests. We hope that after reviewing this help page you'll have a good understanding of how they work, what to expect and how to read them.
  
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A speed test is a way of testing your internet connection speed. This is normally done with a single computer connected '''directly''' not by a '''wireless ''' connection. The speedtest will determine the overall download and upload speed of your current connection.  
+
Before we get started, XMission has an App for mobile devices that allows you to troubleshoot your network and to work directly with our support team as needed. This app assists with wireless performance tuning, network congestion, caching and streaming issues, and much more.
  
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===Firewall===
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Please visit: [[XMission_App | XMission App]]
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If you are protected by a local firewall you will
 
  
−
===Latency===
+
= What is a speed test =
−
This is how long it takes for a packet (piece of information) to make a round trip to a selected computer.
 
  
−
For instance if you were to run the command '''ping'''  
+
An Internet speed test will give you a basic idea of how fast your connection is '''right now'''. Running a speed test will often measure your ''ping'', ''download speed'', ''upload speed'' and ''jitter'' between the current device you are testing on and its connection. Speed test results are not the speed of your overall network, just the current device. Speed test service will use your Web-Browser or an App to send data back and forth over a specific amount of time. The data that is sent gets measured and will produce a visual read out letting you know how that specific device registers. It is often recommended to use multiple devices and multiple browsers when diagnosing if you have an issue with your XMission Connection or your in-home network. It is also important to know that most ISP's do not guarantee advertised speeds on Wireless (WiFi) and your tests should be ran from devices that can be connected to your connection with a Ethernet Cable.
−
<code>
+
 
 +
= What does the test do? =
 +
 
 +
=== Ping ===
 +
Most services will run a ping test, this is a method of checking the network response on your device. This helps determine if there is any [[#Latency | latency]] or delay between your device and the network. It will be common to see a high number on wireless (WiFi) connections over wired connections. Wireless connections are more prone to radio interference that can cause dropped packets or slow response time to the host server being pinged.
 +
:* Most ping tests will be reported in "ms" (milliseconds).
 +
:* Results can very depending on the host location:
 +
::* Local and West Coast hosts that return with less than 20ms would be considered to be optimal, however results between 20-60ms is acceptable.
 +
::* East Coast host that return with less than 40ms would be considered optimal, however results between 60-80ms is acceptable.
 +
:* If results to '''US hosts''' are over 120ms this most likely does mean there could be an issue with the host, connection or device.
 +
 
 +
=== Jitter ===
 +
A jitter test will typically test used to test the consistency of line. This is used to measure the rate data is transmitted and if there is any errors during that transmission. Most jitter tests will be reported in "ms" (milliseconds) and results less than 30ms would be considered to be optimal. If results are over 30ms this most likely does mean there could be an issue with the host, connection or device.
 +
 
 +
=== Download Speed ===
 +
 
 +
This is the speed data is typically transmitted between a host server and your device. Most services report this speed in Mbps(Megabits per second) and will do a "multi connection" test. This would be the equivalent to taking multiple devices and running separate tests at one time. Services do this as an attempt to max out your connection and see how much you can do simultaneously to each-other. Results will very from test to test and device to device depending on the usage of the device, network and host.
 +
 
 +
=== Upload Speed ===
 +
 
 +
This is the speed data is typically transmitted between a device and a host server. Upload is typically used when sending E-Mails, posting to a social media site or attaching an image to an order. Upload speeds are heavily affected by antivirus software on devices as they typically scan the test packets before they leave the device. We typically recommend to temporarily disable any security software before completing tests on your upload. Results will very from test to test and device to device depending on the usage of the device, network and host.
 +
 
 +
== Additional tests ==
 +
 
 +
Along with web or App a speed test it is often recommended to do additional testing with a computer on your in-home network. These tests help us determine where an issue might be and how to quickly resolve these issues.
 +
 
 +
* Firewall Information: It is often that you may have a firewall, antivirus or parental controls on your in-home network. This can be hardware or software installed on your router or computer. Often speed tests will timeout or fail to produce accurate numbers if these are enabled. We often recommend to connect your device directly to the UTOPIA ONT and bypass your router.
 +
 
 +
=== Latency ===
 +
 
 +
We often will need to test how long it takes for a packet (piece of information) to make a round trip from your selected computer to a host. This test have to be done in a command prompt window. For Windows users press the Windows Key + C and type CMD. For MacOS/Linux open a terminal.
 +
 
 +
Once you open your command prompt you will enter the command '''ping <server> or <ip address>'''  
 +
 
 +
<pre>
 
$ping google.com
 
$ping google.com
 
PING google.com (173.194.33.101) 56(84) bytes of data.
 
PING google.com (173.194.33.101) 56(84) bytes of data.
 
64 bytes from sea09s16-in-f5.1e100.net (173.194.33.101): icmp_req=1 ttl=59 time=17.3 ms
 
64 bytes from sea09s16-in-f5.1e100.net (173.194.33.101): icmp_req=1 ttl=59 time=17.3 ms
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</code>
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</pre>
 +
 
 +
The information we are looking for is the "icmp time= xx.x ms" in our example above you will see that it took 17.3ms for the packet to go out and come back. Results less than 20ms would be considered to be great often results between 20 - 60 is optimal. If results are over 100ms this most likely mean there could be an issue with the host selected or device. High latency is often caused by heavy internet traffic, congested/overloaded routers or network.
 +
 
 +
=== Packet Loss ===
 +
 
 +
Packet Loss is when packets of data get dropped or lost during transmission from your device to the host. This can cause issues with certain online activities like XBOX or Live Streaming Gaming and Video Calls. Often packet loss is caused by out-of-date hardware/software, old or damaged cables, radio interference and network utilization. Depending on the type of internet activity 1-2.5% packet loss is acceptable, however at XMission we strive for 0. Results will very depending on the utilization of your in-home network and internet activities happening in-home.
 +
 
 +
After cancelling the ping test from above you should see something similar to:
 +
 
 +
<pre>
 +
46 packets transmitted, 45 packets received, 2.2% packet loss
 +
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 8.977/10.551/15.969/1.442 ms
 +
</pre>
 +
 
 +
We sent 46 packets and 1 packet was lost giving a 2.2% packet loss. This would be in acceptable range
 +
 
 +
= Why are my download speeds different than what I pay for? =
 +
 
 +
Please be aware that internet speeds are limited on wireless networking, if you are doing test on a wireless connection your results will very and my not be accurate. XMission strives to provide the fastest connection we can over a wired connection and cannot guarantee these speeds over wireless connections. When possible it is suggested to connect your device to your router using a Cat5e Ethernet cable.
 +
 
 +
Supported speeds are also dependent on the router and device hardware. Not all devices support internet over 100Mpbs and most Wireless devices don't support internet over 300Mbps.
 +
 
 +
=== Common Networking Hardware ===
 +
 
 +
Network Interface Cards (NIC) have different speed capabilities and will only negotiate (connect) at specific speeds. Depending on your device you may have an Ethernet NIC and an Wireless NIC that support different speeds. It is important to verify what kind of hardware your device has when determining if you are not getting your advertised speeds. 
 +
 
 +
:Common Ethernet NIC are:
 +
:* 10/100Mbps
 +
:* 10/100/1000Mbps
 +
 
 +
:Common Wireless NIC are:
 +
:* '''10 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11b
 +
:* '''10/100 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11g
 +
:* '''10/100 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11n
 +
:* '''10/100/1000 (5GHz)''' 802.11n
 +
:* '''10/100 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11a
 +
:* '''10/100/1000 (5GHz)''' 802.11a
 +
:* '''10/100 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11ac
 +
:* '''10/100/1000 (5GHz)''' 802.11ac
 +
:* '''10/100 (2.4GHz)''' 802.11ax
 +
:* '''10/100/1000 (5GHz)''' 802.11ax
 +
 
 +
=== Common Networking Cable ===
 +
Networking cables often known as an Ethernet Cable have different categories and support. It is often that if you have hardware that supports high speeds your cabling does not.
  
−
You will see it took 17.3ms for the packet to go out and come back.
+
:Cable Categories
 +
:* '''Cat-5''' ''(100Base-T connections)'' will support speeds up-to 100Mbps
 +
:* '''Cat-5e''' ''(100Base-T/1000Base-T+)'' will support speeds up-to 1000Mbps
 +
:* '''Cat-6''' ''(1000Base-EIA)'' Will support speeds up-to 10Gbps
 +
:* '''Cat-6a''' ''(EIA-568)'' Will support speeds up-to 10Gbps (Replaced Cat-6 in 2008)
 +
:* '''Cat-7''' ''(Class F)'' Not recommended for speeds less than 2Gbps, recommended for Outdoor Wiring.
  
−
===Jitter===
+
=== Common Wireless Speeds ===
−
This is the consistency of line
 
  
−
===Packet Loss===
+
Depending on the generation of your Wireless NIC you can see limited internet speeds. This is a limitation to the hardware and radio frequency.
−
This is the percentage of TCP/IP packets that have been resent due to errors. Normally you would want this to be 0
 
  
−
===Download Speed===
+
:Common Wireless Speeds are:
−
This is the speed normally represented in Mbps, that your connection is allowing incoming traffic to travel from a website to your local network.  
+
:* '''2.4GHz''' ''(802.11b - 802.11a)'' typically only supports Wireless speeds of 10-75Mbps.
 +
:* '''2.4GHz''' ''(802.11ac - 802.11ax)'' typically only supports Wireless speeds of 75-125Mbps.
 +
:* '''5GHz'''  ''(802.11n and 802.11a)'' typically supports wireless speeds of 10-300Mbps.
 +
:* '''5GHz''' ''(802.11ac and 802.11ax)'' typically supports wireless speeds of 10-600Mbps.
  
−
===Upload Speed===
+
= What can affect my speeds? =
−
This is the speed normally represented in Mbps, that your connection is allowing outgoing traffic to send from your local network to a website.
 
  
 +
=== Computer Software ===
  
−
=Why are my download speeds different than what I pay for?=
+
* Viruses/spyware/adware – Any form of infection on your PC can seriously slow down your connection. Make sure you are using the latest updates for any virus removal software (Norton, McAfee, AVG) and malware software (Malwarebytes) and run a scan at least once a week.
  
−
*Distance from the central office (CO) – This is the biggest factor in terms of affecting the speed you receive. The closer you are to the telephone exchange, the faster your broadband connection can be.(DSL/Dialup Customers)
+
* Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc…) have different capabilities and may provide different results, particularly on high-speed connections.  
  
−
*Number of connections in your home – You may have a wireless router that supplies a connection to multiple devices. Most people have at least multiple cell phones, laptops, TVs or other portable devices that connect at the same time. If any of those devices are on and streaming music, Netflix, Youtube, or any other multimedia site, this can impact your speeds.  
+
* Browser Extensions such as: Ad Blockers, Honey discount offers and Emoticons (Add-on Toolbars) will often slow and interrupt internet speeds. This is because they scan website traffic before and during the rendering of your webpage.
  
−
*Quality of cables/modem – If you just upgraded your speed from a 10Mb connection to a 250Mb connection there is a chance that your old router or Ethernet cables may not handle the higher speeds. It is recommended that you upgrade the ethernet cables first then upgrade your router to make sure your router can handle the higher speeds.
+
=== In-home Networking ===
  
−
*Weather conditions – Heavy rain and extreme weather conditions can affect your speed and your connection. (DSL/Dialup Customer)
+
* Number of connections in your home – You may have a wireless router that supplies a connection to multiple devices. Most people have at least multiple cell phones, laptops, TVs or Smart Home devices that connect at the same time. If any of those devices are on and streaming music, Netflix, Youtube, or any other multimedia site, this can impact your speeds.
 +
 
 +
* Quality of cables/router – If you just upgraded your speed from a 10Mb connection to a 250Mb connection there is a chance that your old router or Ethernet cables may not handle the higher speeds. It is recommended that you upgrade the ethernet cables first then upgrade your router to make sure your router can handle the higher speeds.
 +
 
 +
=== Mother Nature ===
 +
 
 +
* Weather conditions – Heavy rain and extreme weather conditions can affect your speed and your connection. (Arial fiber locations only)
 
      
 
      
−
*Disconnections – If you experiences a power outage. There is a chance your modem did not powercycle properly. If you do not have your modem connected to a UPS - you will need to unplug the power for at least 30 seconds to properly shut down the modem and allow it to correctly come back up.
+
* Disconnections – If you experiences a power outage. There is a chance your router did not powercycle properly. If you do not have your router connected to a UPS - you will need to unplug the power for at least 30-60 seconds to properly shut down and allow it to correctly come back up.
  
−
*Viruses/spyware/adware – Any form of infection on your PC can seriously slow down your connection. Make sure you are using the latest updates for any virus removal software (Norton, McAfee, AVG) and malware software (Malwarebytes) and run a scan at least once a week.  
+
* Time of day – Unsurprisingly, the internet is used by more people during 'peak' hours – 6pm-11pm. Think of it as a highway most anytime of the day you can travel at 65 MPH. However when you get off work at 5pm, and you get on the highway you would be lucky to get a top speed of 45 MPH. This is because everyone just got off work and are now heading home, and although the speed limit is 65 with so many cars it is just impossible to travel that fast.
  
−
*Time of day – Unsurprisingly, the internet is used by more people during 'peak' hours – 6pm-11pm. Think of it as a highway Most anytime of the day you can travel at 65 MPH. However when you get off work at 5pm, and you get on the highway you would be lucky to get a top speed of 45 MPH. This is because everyone just got off work and are now heading home, and although the speed limit is 65 with so many cars it is just impossible to travel that fast.
+
=== Testing Location ===
  
−
*Website capacity – If you are going to a popular website where a lot of people are also visiting there is a chance that the website may perform slow.
+
* Website capacity – If you are going to a popular website where a lot of people are also visiting there is a chance that the website may perform slow.
  
−
*Most speedtest websites use an application to run the speedtest, this being flash or jave for instance. This will cause a potential protocol overhead, buffering due to may layers between the application and the raw data transfer and throughput bursting due primarily to CUP usage. All of this is something called '''overhead''' and will result in your speeds being lower then what you actually pay for. There for you will never see 100Mb speeds if you have a 100Mb connection. However you should see speeds in the range of 75 - 90Mbps if your devices is plugged directly into your router. If you are using wireless you will see speeds much lower.
+
* Most speedtest websites use an application to run the speedtest, this being flash or jave for instance. This will cause a potential protocol overhead, buffering due to may layers between the application and the raw data transfer and throughput bursting due primarily to CPU usage. All of this is something called '''overhead''' and will result in your speeds being lower than what you actually pay for. There for you will never see 100Mb speeds if you have a 100Mb connection. However you should see speeds in the range of 75 - 90Mbps if your devices is plugged directly into your router. If you are using wireless you will see speeds much lower.
 +
 
 +
=== Isn't fiber dedicated? ===
 +
 
 +
Your XMission/UTOPIA connection is a dedicated line from us to you. However that doesn't give you dedicated connection to host that are not with XMission. During peak hours host providers are still seeing the same amount of load causing the response to your home to slow down. An example of this would be getting system updates. Most developers will release a software updates that can be anywhere from 50Mb to 5Gb or larger. The server these updates are posted to can only support bandwidth at 100Mbps. If you have 50 people attempting to download that update all at the same time you'd each share that 100Mbps bandwidth, causing the connection to slow down. If you happened to attempt to download that update when 5 other's are your download will go much faster.
 +
 
 +
= Where can I test =
 +
 
 +
* It is not recommended to use the speed test function built into the router interface. This speed test function does not test a server with-in the northern region of Utah and will often produce slower results.
 +
* For Window 10 and Mac users we strongly suggest installing the [https://www.speedtest.net/apps Ookla App] to get the most accurate results.
  
−
=Where can I test=
 
 
You can test your speeds at:
 
You can test your speeds at:
−
*[http://speedtest.xmission.com http://speedtest.xmission.com]
+
:*[http://speedtest.xmission.com speedtest XMission]
−
*[http://speedtest.net http://speedtest.net]
+
:*[http://speedtest.net Ookla speedtest.net]
−
*[http://speedtest.utopiafiber.net/ http://speedtest.utopiafiber.net/]
+
 
 +
Please be aware that not all speed test servers are high speed ready and may be capped at lower speeds that XMission/UTOPIA provide or test to a specific server not located in Utah. For example if you google speed test you'll be given an option to run a speed test from the search results. This test have a disclaimer advising: "To run the test, you'll be connected to Measurement Lab (M-Lab)" this is advising you will be testing to a server that is located on the West or East Coast. These tests have to travel further away causing its results to be lower than you are actually getting.  
  
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[[Category:Troubleshooting]]
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[[File:GoogleSpeedTest.png|600px]]
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[[Category:Getting Started]]
 

Revision as of 14:07, 23 June 2020

Speed test websites/servers are the most common way that users are able to test the speed between their device and a server using its Internet connection. Running speed test's are a great way to determine if you happen to have a connectivity issue however there are a number of factors that can dramatically affect the results of your tests. We hope that after reviewing this help page you'll have a good understanding of how they work, what to expect and how to read them.

Before we get started, XMission has an App for mobile devices that allows you to troubleshoot your network and to work directly with our support team as needed. This app assists with wireless performance tuning, network congestion, caching and streaming issues, and much more.

Please visit: XMission App

What is a speed test

An Internet speed test will give you a basic idea of how fast your connection is right now. Running a speed test will often measure your ping, download speed, upload speed and jitter between the current device you are testing on and its connection. Speed test results are not the speed of your overall network, just the current device. Speed test service will use your Web-Browser or an App to send data back and forth over a specific amount of time. The data that is sent gets measured and will produce a visual read out letting you know how that specific device registers. It is often recommended to use multiple devices and multiple browsers when diagnosing if you have an issue with your XMission Connection or your in-home network. It is also important to know that most ISP's do not guarantee advertised speeds on Wireless (WiFi) and your tests should be ran from devices that can be connected to your connection with a Ethernet Cable.

What does the test do?

Ping

Most services will run a ping test, this is a method of checking the network response on your device. This helps determine if there is any latency or delay between your device and the network. It will be common to see a high number on wireless (WiFi) connections over wired connections. Wireless connections are more prone to radio interference that can cause dropped packets or slow response time to the host server being pinged.

  • Most ping tests will be reported in "ms" (milliseconds).
  • Results can very depending on the host location:
  • Local and West Coast hosts that return with less than 20ms would be considered to be optimal, however results between 20-60ms is acceptable.
  • East Coast host that return with less than 40ms would be considered optimal, however results between 60-80ms is acceptable.
  • If results to US hosts are over 120ms this most likely does mean there could be an issue with the host, connection or device.

Jitter

A jitter test will typically test used to test the consistency of line. This is used to measure the rate data is transmitted and if there is any errors during that transmission. Most jitter tests will be reported in "ms" (milliseconds) and results less than 30ms would be considered to be optimal. If results are over 30ms this most likely does mean there could be an issue with the host, connection or device.

Download Speed

This is the speed data is typically transmitted between a host server and your device. Most services report this speed in Mbps(Megabits per second) and will do a "multi connection" test. This would be the equivalent to taking multiple devices and running separate tests at one time. Services do this as an attempt to max out your connection and see how much you can do simultaneously to each-other. Results will very from test to test and device to device depending on the usage of the device, network and host.

Upload Speed

This is the speed data is typically transmitted between a device and a host server. Upload is typically used when sending E-Mails, posting to a social media site or attaching an image to an order. Upload speeds are heavily affected by antivirus software on devices as they typically scan the test packets before they leave the device. We typically recommend to temporarily disable any security software before completing tests on your upload. Results will very from test to test and device to device depending on the usage of the device, network and host.

Additional tests

Along with web or App a speed test it is often recommended to do additional testing with a computer on your in-home network. These tests help us determine where an issue might be and how to quickly resolve these issues.

  • Firewall Information: It is often that you may have a firewall, antivirus or parental controls on your in-home network. This can be hardware or software installed on your router or computer. Often speed tests will timeout or fail to produce accurate numbers if these are enabled. We often recommend to connect your device directly to the UTOPIA ONT and bypass your router.

Latency

We often will need to test how long it takes for a packet (piece of information) to make a round trip from your selected computer to a host. This test have to be done in a command prompt window. For Windows users press the Windows Key + C and type CMD. For MacOS/Linux open a terminal.

Once you open your command prompt you will enter the command ping <server> or <ip address> 

$ping google.com
PING google.com (173.194.33.101) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from sea09s16-in-f5.1e100.net (173.194.33.101): icmp_req=1 ttl=59 time=17.3 ms

The information we are looking for is the "icmp time= xx.x ms" in our example above you will see that it took 17.3ms for the packet to go out and come back. Results less than 20ms would be considered to be great often results between 20 - 60 is optimal. If results are over 100ms this most likely mean there could be an issue with the host selected or device. High latency is often caused by heavy internet traffic, congested/overloaded routers or network.

Packet Loss

Packet Loss is when packets of data get dropped or lost during transmission from your device to the host. This can cause issues with certain online activities like XBOX or Live Streaming Gaming and Video Calls. Often packet loss is caused by out-of-date hardware/software, old or damaged cables, radio interference and network utilization. Depending on the type of internet activity 1-2.5% packet loss is acceptable, however at XMission we strive for 0. Results will very depending on the utilization of your in-home network and internet activities happening in-home.

After cancelling the ping test from above you should see something similar to: 

46 packets transmitted, 45 packets received, 2.2% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 8.977/10.551/15.969/1.442 ms

We sent 46 packets and 1 packet was lost giving a 2.2% packet loss. This would be in acceptable range

Why are my download speeds different than what I pay for?

Please be aware that internet speeds are limited on wireless networking, if you are doing test on a wireless connection your results will very and my not be accurate. XMission strives to provide the fastest connection we can over a wired connection and cannot guarantee these speeds over wireless connections. When possible it is suggested to connect your device to your router using a Cat5e Ethernet cable.

Supported speeds are also dependent on the router and device hardware. Not all devices support internet over 100Mpbs and most Wireless devices don't support internet over 300Mbps.

Common Networking Hardware

Network Interface Cards (NIC) have different speed capabilities and will only negotiate (connect) at specific speeds. Depending on your device you may have an Ethernet NIC and an Wireless NIC that support different speeds. It is important to verify what kind of hardware your device has when determining if you are not getting your advertised speeds.

Common Ethernet NIC are:
  • 10/100Mbps
  • 10/100/1000Mbps
Common Wireless NIC are:
  • 10 (2.4GHz) 802.11b
  • 10/100 (2.4GHz) 802.11g
  • 10/100 (2.4GHz) 802.11n
  • 10/100/1000 (5GHz) 802.11n
  • 10/100 (2.4GHz) 802.11a
  • 10/100/1000 (5GHz) 802.11a
  • 10/100 (2.4GHz) 802.11ac
  • 10/100/1000 (5GHz) 802.11ac
  • 10/100 (2.4GHz) 802.11ax
  • 10/100/1000 (5GHz) 802.11ax

Common Networking Cable

Networking cables often known as an Ethernet Cable have different categories and support. It is often that if you have hardware that supports high speeds your cabling does not.

Cable Categories
  • Cat-5 (100Base-T connections) will support speeds up-to 100Mbps
  • Cat-5e (100Base-T/1000Base-T+) will support speeds up-to 1000Mbps
  • Cat-6 (1000Base-EIA) Will support speeds up-to 10Gbps
  • Cat-6a (EIA-568) Will support speeds up-to 10Gbps (Replaced Cat-6 in 2008)
  • Cat-7 (Class F) Not recommended for speeds less than 2Gbps, recommended for Outdoor Wiring.

Common Wireless Speeds

Depending on the generation of your Wireless NIC you can see limited internet speeds. This is a limitation to the hardware and radio frequency.

Common Wireless Speeds are:
  • 2.4GHz (802.11b - 802.11a) typically only supports Wireless speeds of 10-75Mbps.
  • 2.4GHz (802.11ac - 802.11ax) typically only supports Wireless speeds of 75-125Mbps.
  • 5GHz (802.11n and 802.11a) typically supports wireless speeds of 10-300Mbps.
  • 5GHz (802.11ac and 802.11ax) typically supports wireless speeds of 10-600Mbps.

What can affect my speeds?

Computer Software

  • Viruses/spyware/adware – Any form of infection on your PC can seriously slow down your connection. Make sure you are using the latest updates for any virus removal software (Norton, McAfee, AVG) and malware software (Malwarebytes) and run a scan at least once a week.
  • Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc…) have different capabilities and may provide different results, particularly on high-speed connections.
  • Browser Extensions such as: Ad Blockers, Honey discount offers and Emoticons (Add-on Toolbars) will often slow and interrupt internet speeds. This is because they scan website traffic before and during the rendering of your webpage.

In-home Networking

  • Number of connections in your home – You may have a wireless router that supplies a connection to multiple devices. Most people have at least multiple cell phones, laptops, TVs or Smart Home devices that connect at the same time. If any of those devices are on and streaming music, Netflix, Youtube, or any other multimedia site, this can impact your speeds.
  • Quality of cables/router – If you just upgraded your speed from a 10Mb connection to a 250Mb connection there is a chance that your old router or Ethernet cables may not handle the higher speeds. It is recommended that you upgrade the ethernet cables first then upgrade your router to make sure your router can handle the higher speeds.

Mother Nature

  • Weather conditions – Heavy rain and extreme weather conditions can affect your speed and your connection. (Arial fiber locations only)
  • Disconnections – If you experiences a power outage. There is a chance your router did not powercycle properly. If you do not have your router connected to a UPS - you will need to unplug the power for at least 30-60 seconds to properly shut down and allow it to correctly come back up.
  • Time of day – Unsurprisingly, the internet is used by more people during 'peak' hours – 6pm-11pm. Think of it as a highway most anytime of the day you can travel at 65 MPH. However when you get off work at 5pm, and you get on the highway you would be lucky to get a top speed of 45 MPH. This is because everyone just got off work and are now heading home, and although the speed limit is 65 with so many cars it is just impossible to travel that fast.

Testing Location

  • Website capacity – If you are going to a popular website where a lot of people are also visiting there is a chance that the website may perform slow.
  • Most speedtest websites use an application to run the speedtest, this being flash or jave for instance. This will cause a potential protocol overhead, buffering due to may layers between the application and the raw data transfer and throughput bursting due primarily to CPU usage. All of this is something called overhead and will result in your speeds being lower than what you actually pay for. There for you will never see 100Mb speeds if you have a 100Mb connection. However you should see speeds in the range of 75 - 90Mbps if your devices is plugged directly into your router. If you are using wireless you will see speeds much lower.

Isn't fiber dedicated?

Your XMission/UTOPIA connection is a dedicated line from us to you. However that doesn't give you dedicated connection to host that are not with XMission. During peak hours host providers are still seeing the same amount of load causing the response to your home to slow down. An example of this would be getting system updates. Most developers will release a software updates that can be anywhere from 50Mb to 5Gb or larger. The server these updates are posted to can only support bandwidth at 100Mbps. If you have 50 people attempting to download that update all at the same time you'd each share that 100Mbps bandwidth, causing the connection to slow down. If you happened to attempt to download that update when 5 other's are your download will go much faster.

Where can I test

  • It is not recommended to use the speed test function built into the router interface. This speed test function does not test a server with-in the northern region of Utah and will often produce slower results.
  • For Window 10 and Mac users we strongly suggest installing the Ookla App to get the most accurate results.

You can test your speeds at:

Please be aware that not all speed test servers are high speed ready and may be capped at lower speeds that XMission/UTOPIA provide or test to a specific server not located in Utah. For example if you google speed test you'll be given an option to run a speed test from the search results. This test have a disclaimer advising: "To run the test, you'll be connected to Measurement Lab (M-Lab)" this is advising you will be testing to a server that is located on the West or East Coast. These tests have to travel further away causing its results to be lower than you are actually getting.

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