Member Article

Are You Being Cheated Out of Your Internet Speed?

According to most analysis, it takes only 4 seconds for a page not to load in order for 25 percent of all of its visitors to leave. This brings us to conclusion that there is virtually no tolerance for slow connections amongst the general populace. Now, skeptics like to say that you get what you pay for and that people who complain about speed are usually those who underpay for this privilege. Alas, this is not always the case. In fact, there are a lot of situations where you are simply getting cheated out of your internet speed. Here are few ways in which you can identify, diagnose and fight against such injustice.

Speed Tests and Why You Shouldn’t Trust Them

First of all, a lot of people make a mistake of relying solely on speed tests in the aforementioned situations. The downside of this issue is a fact that a lot of ISPs tend to inflate the results. Of course, this often doesn’t stem from some fraudulent behavior, but an honest mistake of using non-realistic test conditions. On the other hand, there are those providers who deliberately use this trick to deceive their customers. Namely, instead of using ports 80 or 443, which are common for internet traffic, they resort to 8080 for the test, which is much less crowded. In this way, the results are always optimal, but don’t reflect the real state of things.

Wait… Port What Now?

Before we proceed, it is vital to discuss why testing on port 8080 doesn’t give meaningful results. You see, most HTTP traffic takes place on port 80. Encrypted traffic, like the one used on YouTube or for online banking takes place via 443. Of course, these are not the only ones there are, and during your numerous online activities you are also likely to encounter ports 20, 21, 25, 53 and 110 most commonly used for mailing services. Unfortunately, port 8080 was a huge hit during the dial-up internet era, but is today almost completely out of function (for most users at least).

How Big of a Difference Are We Talking?

Sure, 8080 is not nearly as commonly used, but how much of a difference can this actually make in your end results. Surprisingly enough, the 8080 test can appear even up to five times more potent than the standard HTTP test. The result of this can be quite unpleasant. This means that while you notice that your internet is much slower than it should be, when you test it, the results show exactly what your provider promised. While this doesn’t have to be the end of your diagnostic efforts, for most laymen this is more than enough reason to give up.

Get Resourceful

Those who are a bit more experienced with this sort of problem will probably recognize the issue right away and block 8080 through firewall. This action will force the speed test to go via 80 which is much more reliable and realistic. However, people with no experience with such matters aren’t left shorthanded either. The fact that common speed tests aren’t 100 percent reliable doesn’t mean they are completely useless. Look at it this way: if you go for three different tests and they show you different results, you will have all the proof you need that something is afoot. In fact, this may be the first thing you want to do if you suspect a foul play by your ISP.

How to Find a Reliable ISP?

Finally, we come to the question that is on everyone’s mind by now: how to avoid being cheated out of your internet speed? Well, there is only one 100 percent efficient way and it is by finding a reliable ISP. Regrettably, this raises more question than it actually answers, but now the focus shifts on what is it that makes an ISP reliable. DSL, cable broadband, satellite or FiOS (fiber optic service) are all things to consider here, but what is even more important is the overall customer experience. This can be easily checked via comment section or various forums on related topics.

In your quest for finding the perfect ISP, you may also want to check out the location of the ISP in question. Sure, in the digital world physical distance shouldn’t be an issue, but look at it this way – the longer the wire, the greater the chance something will get awfully wrong somewhere along the way. This is why when looking for a potential ISP you should always include words ‘Internet providers near me’ to the inquiry.

Conclusion

An average person living in the 21st century uses the Internet for getting information, entertainment and even work. Because of this, any inconvenience or interference with its optimal performance may cause a serious problem. While the results of this are not always catastrophic, such unpleasant situations are best to be avoided altogether. Remember, you are paying for the speed your ISP has offered you, which means you are entitled to that exact speed. In this day and age, it is more vital than ever for you to know that you are getting your money’s worth.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Marcus Jensen .