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Originally Posted by lisauk
Can anyone tell me how the speed is determined by ntl broadband
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This is done using a configuration file that is downloaded to your modem when it boots and syncs with the cable headend. The file you get is based on your modem's MAC address.
I don't think you can just pick up your modem and move it to another location - the configuration for your modem is served by a DHCP and TFTP server pair for your area and the chances are that your relatives wouldn't be off the same server pair. Of course someone will correct me if I'm wrong
Also note that if NTL see the MAC address of your modem move from one cable segment to another, they'll probably become somewhat suspicious and may disable your modem's access to their network. After all, it is against T&C to move your equipment to another house without notifying them.
---------- Post added at 10:38 ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 ----------
Here's the theoretical maximum transfer rates by bandwidth. I have used an value of 5% for packet overhead (average taken from
http://sd.wareonearth.com/~phil/net/overhead/) and only shown common connection speeds. I also included gigabit just for fun.
512 kbit = 60.8 kbyte/s
1 Mbit = 121.6 kbyte/s
2 Mbit = 243.2 kbyte/s
3 Mbit = 364.8 kbyte/s
4 Mbit = 486.4 kbyte/s
10 Mbit = 1216 kbyte/s
100 Mbit = 12.16 Mbyte/s
1 Gbit = 121.6 Mbyte/s
As a previous post mentioned, it's worth choosing a large (20 - 50MB) file from a site with good connectivity. It's also recommended
not to use HTTP for speed transfer tests as this traffic is transparently intercepted by NTL's routers and redirected to their caches.
Also note that it's best to transfer the file two or three times. Usually during the first read the file will be transferred into the server's filesystem memory cache (assuming a UNIX system) so will be served from RAM rather than disk on the second read. This means you'll get a better idea of your network throughput rather than the server's disk IO capability.
I use
ftp://ftp.demon.lkams.kernel.org/pub...2.4.32.tar.bz2 as a test file as it's big and on a well-placed host. Mirror.ac.uk isn't quite so good now since they changed who the contract was awarded to.
On a gigabit attached server (on JANET):
10:34:51 (8.46 MB/s) - `linux-2.4.32.tar.bz2.1' saved [31,132,159]
From this I would assume that the remote site is on a 100Mbit connection so plenty for testing purposes.