Difference between maximum and average values
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Ingemar Guest
I am trying to measure my Internet speed using NetWorx Speed Meter. What is the difference between the maximum and the average value? Which value is most appropriate when talking about streaming video? Does each value represent an interpretation of a series of measurements, and then the maximum or average value is taken? How many measurements are included in a series?
Ann SoftPerfect
Speed testing is done like this:
- A random block of data is transferred for at least 10 seconds.
- Each second, a record is made of the speed achieved in that second
- At the end of the test the average and the maximum values are calculated.
For example, let's say we have these measurements in megabits transferred each second:
9 9 8 7 9 5 10 8 9 7
Then:
- The maximum will be 10, as this is the highest value this connection achieved during the test. It can be merely a short-lived speed spike, and generally is not a good indicator of a speed that can be sustained over prolonged periods. It is more of an indicator what your connection is occasionally capable of.
- The average will be 8.1, and this is usually closer to the real-life speed you will get over time. You should consider the average values for practical purposes, such as downloads and streaming video.
In addition, the speed results may depend on the server: connection to one test server may be faster than the connection to another.
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