Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers

Started by Otto

Otto

Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   04 April 2015, 12:16

I am a Comcast customer and Speedtest shows my download at 59 meg but networx shows 7.4. The upload from speedtest is 11 meg and networx shows it to be 1.5 Meg. Why the huge discrepancy?
SoftPerfect Support forum - Andrew avatar image

Re: Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   04 April 2015, 15:44

You are comparing Megabytes and Megabits here.

One thing that often gives people confusion is the difference between a Megabyte (used for file size and often in end user software, including NetWorx) and a Megabit (used for download speeds advertised by ISPs and reported by on-line tools).

People often assume that a download speed of 1 Megabit per second will allow them to download a 1 Megabyte file in one second. This is not the case, one byte contains eight bits. A Megabit is 1/8 as big as a Megabyte, meaning that to download a 1 MB file in 1 second you would need a connection of 8 Mbps. The difference between a Gigabyte (GB) and a Gigabit (Gb) is the same, with a Gigabyte being 8 times larger than a Gigabit.
Thank you. It would eliminate a lot of confusion if ISPs would change to Megabyte. Why do you suppose they don't?
SoftPerfect Support forum - Andrew avatar image

Re: Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   05 April 2015, 00:44

ISPs prefer using the larger, best-looking number, that's all. A kind of a marketing trick that works because the majority of customers don't pay close attention to small details.

For example, if ISP A says their service is 10 MB/s, while ISP B says their service is 80 Mb/s, which one will most people choose?
It sounds like provider B offers a much faster service, though in this example it's exactly the same.
Abidohan

Re: Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   13 May 2015, 00:28

Can I set networx graphs to show bps rather than Bps? So I can inspect my ISP real bandwidth. Thanks.
SoftPerfect Support forum - Andrew avatar image

Re: Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   13 May 2015, 10:25

Sure you can. See the Transfer rate unit in the bottom-right corner

SoftPerfect support forum
Abidohan

Re: Difference in Speedtest and Networx numbers   13 May 2015, 21:01

Thank you Andrew..

How could I missed those setting tabs laugh

Reply to this topic

Sometimes you can find a solution faster if you try the forum search, have a look at the knowledge base, or check the software user manual to see if your question has already been answered.

Our forum rules are simple:

  • Be polite.
  • Do not spam.
  • Write in English. If possible, check your spelling and grammar.

Author:

Email:

Subject

A brief and informative title for your message, approximately 4–8 words:

     

Spam prevention: please enter the following code in the input field below.

 **     **  **     **  **    **  **    **  ********  
 **     **  **     **  **   **    **  **   **     ** 
 **     **  **     **  **  **      ****    **     ** 
 **     **  *********  *****        **     ********  
 **     **  **     **  **  **       **     **        
 **     **  **     **  **   **      **     **        
  *******   **     **  **    **     **     **        

Message: