I think we need to get past the constant "it works for me" attitude. Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone, or that it isn't fundamentally flawed.
It has too many variable factors - for one, how your browser average download speeds, how fast a user clicks "Save", etc. to be considered on any level a scientific test. Other factors will skew it even more.
I just did the test in Firefox, 43mbps with one file, 52mbps with 4 in Firefox. With Internet Explorer, it gave me 64mbps, that's before adding on the 10% they tell you to - do that and it's 70mbps, a result that's clearly impossible on my 50mb connection, while following the same instructions, and while actually transferring data at the same speed. Why? IE8 shows average speeds for the whole download, Firefox (4b11) only shows the average of the last few seconds. This alone makes results incomparable, that's without incorporating factors such as how fast a user clicks or computer performance. IE6/7 behaves differently again, with precaching and stuff going on that wildly skews numbers even further. I could probably get it to say 100mbps if I clicked as slowly as some of my colleagues do in the office...
Like I said, ballpark figure to figure out if the connection's working? Sure. Any sort of accurate result even close to commercial speed tests? Not a chance in hell.
---------- Post added at 23:46 ---------- Previous post was at 23:46 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh
But does it matter if one is getting 26.8Mb/s rather than 30Mb/s?
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Does it matter if the test says 70mbps on a 50mb connection? That's how far off it is.
Sure, 26.8 out of 30 is fine. I wouldn't complain about that. But a test that will overestimate by that much I cannot and will never trust.
[Edit]
Just did it again, IE8, following instructions to the letter, but left downloads for 45 seconds instead of 30. Cleared browser cache, started 4 downloads of >400MB files, left downloads "to settle" for 45 seconds and took a screenshot to snapshot speeds. 57.84mbps "data related to the files being transferred". Add on 10% as they instruct, that'd be 63.62mbps.
Now I'm a technically competent person with a fast computer, no firewall or AV (temporarily disabled) and a connection that's pretty much working perfectly bang on it's correct speed right now. If the test gets things this wrong for me, how useful could it ever be for your average layman?