catgate Posted May 9, 2008 Report Share Posted May 9, 2008 I have just tried to check my download/upload speeds and every one of the checkers that I have tried to use has not worked. I am running Ubuntu 8.04 / Firefox /BT and have just done a reinstall because of a quirky problem with he previous install.Does BT block speed checks (it wasn't doing a week ago) or have I got a little problem in the innards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 9, 2008 Report Share Posted May 9, 2008 Have you tried this one? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2008 Yes, that is one of the two I usually use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Is it possible that these sites will not work if I have pop-ups and things blocked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 I have been using thinkbroadband over the last few weeks as my connection was very slow (less than half a Mb) and found at times it wouldn't work, my thoughts were when it was very very slow. Are you checking for this reason? I have NoScript enabled and only allow thinkbroadband, so I wouldn't think that popups are the reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 I have been using thinkbroadband over the last few weeks as my connection was very slow (less than half a Mb) and found at times it wouldn't work, my thoughts were when it was very very slow. Are you checking for this reason? I have NoScript enabled and only allow thinkbroadband, so I wouldn't think that popups are the reason.The only thing I have enabled "knowingly" is Adblock Plus. Since reading your post I turned it off and tried http://www.speedtest.net/ again. Surprise, surprise. It instantly made no difference.My perceived speed does not seem to have reduced much, other than the sort of slowness that I usually attribute to traffic on some much used popular sites. But after re installing my OS I just tried a speed check.....buy then I couldn't.I was going to try Thinkbroadband, after reading your reply, but the site told me I needed one of four add-on plug-in thingies but gave no indication of which one I needed so I just backed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Is it possible that these sites will not work if I have pop-ups and things blocked?I have pop ups blocked and can run speed tests. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark2 Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 catgate, I wonder if it's worth your while trying puppy linux from live cd, opera and windows gives me a very high ping time (500ms)to the speedtest net site but puppy linux using seamonkey chops that right down to 20ms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 catgate, I wonder if it's worth your while trying puppy linux from live cd, opera and windows gives me a very high ping time (500ms)to the speedtest net site but puppy linux using seamonkey chops that right down to 20msThe time taken to get there is not the problem, mark. The problem is that when I get there speedtest display goes "dull" just before the pyramids appear and just stays like that, whilst namesco gives me a speed figure of upload that is identical to the download speed, (which is somewhere where I would expect it to be,) but.....the speedometer remains stationary all the time. It then automatically repeats itself on a never ending loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike567 Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Have you tried installing a later version of flash?I've found flash under linux can play up occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Have you tried installing a later version of flash?I've found flash under linux can play up occasionally.No not yet.Only this evening I down loaded Adobe Flash Player 9 tar.gz. Sad to relate, in my own inimitable manner, I forgot to allocate it a storage location, and so now I shall have to either find it or down load another copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Have you tried installing a later version of flash?I've found flash under linux can play up occasionally.No not yet.Only this evening I down loaded Adobe Flash Player 9 tar.gz. Sad to relate, in my own inimitable manner, I forgot to allocate it a storage location, and so now I shall have to either find it or down load another copy. START/SEARCH. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 My experience is that these speedtest sites don't give you the actual speed you'll get in everyday internet activity. Basically what you get (assuming you can get through to one) is the highest speed in ideal conditions sending and receiving very simple data to (usually) one site only. It's like testing a car on a race track rather than real city roads - it doesn't correspond to your everyday experience. To monitor the real speed you are downloading & uploading at I recommend NetMeter (here) you can switch it on or off at random throughout the day and week to show the actual speed you are obtaining from different sites and domains. And it's free. Others on this board will know about similar meters. Some firewalls (Sygate for example) have a built in meter - very useful indeed and completely accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 My experience is that these speedtest sites don't give you the actual speed you'll get in everyday internet activity. Basically what you get (assuming you can get through to one) is the highest speed in ideal conditions sending and receiving very simple data to (usually) one site only. It's like testing a car on a race track rather than real city roads - it doesn't correspond to your everyday experience. To monitor the real speed you are downloading & uploading at I recommend NetMeter (here) you can switch it on or off at random throughout the day and week to show the actual speed you are obtaining from different sites and domains. And it's free. Others on this board will know about similar meters. Some firewalls (Sygate for example) have a built in meter - very useful indeed and completely accurate.Just giving it a try right now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 I can't honestly see that it is much use to me. I am going to uninstall it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 It took quite a bit of getting rid of. The notification area carried on running even after the uninstallation. I am confident that it has now gone. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted May 17, 2008 Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 I certainly don't use it all the time, it's only a tiny programme & I occasionally switch it on when the connection seems particularly difficult or good. I just helps me get some idea what's happening. I think it's actually more realistic (because it's real time monitoring) than most of the speed-testers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invoker Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Are you using a firefox add-on No script . If so right click and select allow this site for that site and retry it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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