FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close WIRED!
mtlebomac
Enthusiast - Level 2

So I decided to "cut the cord", dropped everything (FIOS Ultimate HD, phone, etc.) but boost my FIOS Internet from 35/35 to 75/35 (150/65 is not available in my neighborhood yet)... cost cutting move, dropped our cable bill from $250/mo to around ~$90/mo

I'm very happy with the move and I'm navigating around trying to best find "channels" like I used to have with FIOS TV.

Have a wired TIVO Premiere (OTA digital channels all coming in nicely with the Mohu Leaf Digital Antenna), ROKU 2 XS and PS3, Plex Media Server, and new Actiontec router to handle the increased speed, yada, yada.

So far, with the wired connections, all streaming is perfect. I guess I'm a little "**bleep**" that I'm not getting the advertised speeds. I've checked my download speed through MyVerzion, shows I'm getting 78/37... WOW even better than advertised.

BUT...you can't believe everything you see unless you put it through your own litmus test. 

I have multiple web clients that I host on ThePlanet.com on a dedicated server (not shared). So I decided to upload a 150MB zipped file to one of the sites using CuteFTP and Cyberduck. It took approximately 65 seconds to upload the file at 7:00 am.

Ok.. I guess I'm ok with that.

Now what about downloading?

That should come back down, I dunno.. between 24 and 48 seconds**... after all 75Mbps is in between an OC1 and 100 Base-T connection speed, right?

It took about 68 seconds.

**So, I looked for a download time calculator, and found on here: http://www.numion.com/calculators/time.html

I entered the file size in MB, added 100% overhead for internet usage, and at best, had 34Mbps... which is about 70 seconds by their calculation... half of what I'm paying $90/mo for.

I'm sure there are other speed tests (speakeasy, speedtest, etc) which all are slower than Verizon's own test. 

I read in the post after this one that possibly the ONT should be reset? Ok... but why would VZ speed test show speeds greater than my 75/35?

So VZ community folks, what would you do??? Complain? To whom? This is truly a false claim by VZ... and I can see that there a quite a few folks here that are definitely not happy. 

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Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
hracer
Contributor - Level 2

Seriously!!?? What is the complaint!? Internet speeds always fluctuate. You need to factor in the hops in the network that will slow down you transfer rate also. Your download and upload times look fine.

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
mtlebomac
Enthusiast - Level 2

Not here to challenge, but went to Broadband Reports to do a line check,

Here are my results. Can you help interpret?

http://www.broadbandreports.com/pingtest/96237cc6c275/2978973?r=940

There were only 10 hops.

So that being said, I should see speeds/time of real-life downloading/uploading of 150MB closer to/between 28 secs to 44 secs correct?

Here's the VZ Broadband T&C

http://www22.verizon.com/about/terms/broadbandperformance/

And also, please clarify, why are other "speed" tests, almost 50% slower in "speed" than Verizon's?


Thanks for your input

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Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
TSPerkins
Enthusiast - Level 2

mtlebomac I'm in 100% agreement with you. This is unacceptable. I don't care what the other guy said, those times are unacceptable. I've been on FIOS for 7 years, and just in the last month went from 35/35 to 75/35 and my speed is down. I think the speed tests at speedtest.com and the other big testers are in cahoots with the big ISP's and show what the line is upposed to be. I checked my speed at a little known site and i got 8.5 Mbps down, 5.4 Mbps up, and a 41% quality of service rating. I work from home and I have to unplig my ONT everyday at least once because my connection light turns orange and I lose all connection to the internet. This kills my VPN which causes me to lose time at work. Now I pay more and I get 1/10 of what I am supposed to be getting. This does not compute Will Robinson! Iused to regularly be able to upload at 5 MBPS and download at 8 MBPS on my 35/35 line. Well, the last 3 weeks it's been like the test showed. Something is not right here.

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
TSPerkins
Enthusiast - Level 2

So, I've looked around the site and now I find I need a new router for speeds over 50 Mbps. I wonder why no one told me that BEFORE I purchased an upgraded speed package on a 2 YEAR CONTRACT. Very nice. I appreciate your honest business practices. (In case you didn't get that it was heavy sarcasm). So now, on top of the extra money I have to pay for the speed I have to spend another $80+ to actually make it work. Really Verizon? I just have no idea what has happened to American companies. They all seem to not give a big rats butt about anything but their bottom line and they especialy do not care about their customers. I guess some ae so big that losing a single customer means nothing to them. I will exclude Hobby Lobby from that generalization.

How about someone from Verizon call and explain why I wasn't told I need a new router before I purchased my new plan? You have my number and if you are more comfortable emailing you have my email. I really doubt I will hear form anyone but i thought I would put it out there just to see.

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
thetick1234
Specialist - Level 1

Ok back to your question.  You are were never promised a specific download speed to a specific non verizon website.  With FIOS the connection on the other side and it's path probably have latencies and hops that are going to be cause of slower speeds not your Verizon connection.

Just think about a fire hose.. it is only so big and just because you have a pump on your side that can pump 10 gallons a sec you will not see 10 gallons a sec on the other side if the hose is too small.  Your Verizon service is the pump and internet is the hose.

Finally I think most customers who are paying for more than a 35Mbs connection are probably wasting their money.  Most FIOS users do not know their old wireless router can not even reach 35Mbs.  Even the recent rev I wirelss N routers really max out at 75Mbs  

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
TSPerkins
Enthusiast - Level 2

 I have been using FIOS for almost 7 years. I've had no complaints about my speed before. In just the last 3 weeks my speed is 1/10 of what it used to be. Even if my 9100EM router can only produce 35 Mbps I should still be getting at least what I had before. Right? As for paying my bill, my record is spotless. Never missed a payment.

I'm not your avearage consumer. I've been buildiing my own computers and computers for others for over 20 years, I''m a programmer, and I help others solve computer problems. Basically, I know my way around.  

I understand what you are saying about the fire hose. It looks like Verizon has just given me a garden hose but is charging me for two fire hoses.

I depend on Verizon when it comes to their own equipment. No, I did not know my current router could not suppost my speed. Why would they sell me service and not tell me I need to upgrade my router to use that service? Is it a manipulative practice? Sounds like it to me.

It's strange though because the first week I had 75/35 I hit 10 MBPS on a download and 8 MBPS on an upload. It lasted just long enough to finish the files and that was the last time I've seen those speed. This transfer was to a site I use regurlarly for work and I used to get 5 MBS down and 3 MBS up on my 35/35 plan. The same goes for other sites I use regularly. Great speed until the last 3 weeks. So, did my router malfunction and give me those speeds?

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
TSPerkins
Enthusiast - Level 2

mltebomac,

Here are som things I tried during my diagnosis. The change I made seemed to help temporarily but I'm still not getting what I should be and my speed is all over the place. 800k down to .7k on a single file. Maybe these can help you. I hope they can!

Here are some links that might be helpful for diagnosing and correcting speed issues.

This is Googles Measurement Lab - The NDT and NPAD tests were useful.
http://measurementlab.net/measurement-lab-tools


This seemed like an extensive and excellent network analyzer.You can get to it via the Google link above.
http://npad.iupui.mlab2.atl01.measurement-lab.org:8000/


This is a list of network related settings, recommended settings, and how to do it.
Note that at the VERY bottom of the page they offer a free program with a GUI to set
everything they gave you command prompt commands for. So if you aren't a geek like
me go to the bottom, download, and install the program.
http://www.speedguide.net/articles/windows-7-vista-2008-tweaks-2574

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
thetick1234
Specialist - Level 1

Ok .. yes if you are using bit torrent then you would have mutiple hoses in my example.  I really should be clear about that.

Yes verizon sells 75Mbs+ packages knowing full well the wireless can not even reach that speed.  They just assume the customer knows this and can easily get a way with it since the wired connection will be meet the required speeds.  If anyone complains to support they clearly tell you you needed a wired connection for the full bandwidth.

Verizon will also ship a new N wireless router for the 75Mbs+.customers, but you might have to ask.   I'm not sure Verizon ships it with all upgrades.

Since you said you're programmer (I am too) to check your speed try a bunch of ftp ios from large universities.  I noticed Duke can max out my bandwidth.  Also bit torrent can max out your FIOS connection.  In your case you should probably contact support if you can't max out your serverice after trying the above.

Re: FIOS Internet Speeds :: 75/35 MB not even close
ShawnWCummings1
Enthusiast - Level 3

I'm getting the 150/65 product.  For some things it may seem like overkill.  Like, XBOX downloads max out around 2M - likely limited on their side.  Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Youtube same thing.

My download speeds vary depending on the site I'm on.  My max download speed I can sustain is ~70M (wired).  I suspect even that limitation is on the other end.

The advantage however is that I can have 9 devices cranking away with no impact to any of them.  Fact is our connections tend to be faster than the other side almost ALWAYS.

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