Firefox and BT speedtest inconsistency

peterworks

Ye Olde Bowler
I have been using Firefox for many years and am a big fan. However I have found an inconsistency when using the BT speedtest site (speedtest.btwholesale.com).
For some reason the BT speedtest site reports my download speed at about 20 pct slower than other sites. Using other speedtest sites with Firefox or using the BT speedtest site with other browsers is fine. See grid below:

BB Speed Tests.jpg

I have tried running Firefox in safe mode and reinstalling a vanilla copy of Firefox but the results consistently stay the same.

Any ideas please ?
 
The best idea is to forget it. Your download speeds from multiple sites say about >28MBs
 
It just means Firefox is slowing things down. The minimum speed in the pipeline is being measured, and the bottleneck is Firefox.
 
If I try to run the BT speed test from my BT account app on iPad, it complains that I don't have the BT hub connected so can't run the test. If you are testing a line with BT hub, you could try the app as that will eliminate any browser dependence (and may be set up to measure rate at the router, or even just the local link, instead of end-to-end).

I use the SpeedSmart app (on iOS) for my speed tests, which is end-to-end but should at least be consistent.
 
But peter has already found 9 other ways of testing his 'speed' at about 28Mb/s and it's only BT on FF that reports slower. I believe that's his query. Why is BT speedtest on FF slower than the either BT on other browsers or other speedcheckers on FF? Ask BT ? Good luck with that. Just put it down to BT on FF as being an anomaly and ignore it and use one of the alternatives.
 
I know - I was simply adding information. If it didn't come over that way, I failed.

(Anyway, complaining that a broadband connection might "only" be 22Mbps seems like looking a gift horse in the mouth to me, with barely 3Mbps! That's still fast enough to get up a few noses.)
 
But the OP gave the site he was using, and it is supposed to give the speed from exchange to home.

http://speedtest.btwholesale.com

You have to connect via a LAN cable though and your iPad may have trouble with that. It also needs Flash, another problem.
 
Don't you also have to authenticate to the DSLAM with a different username and password to get the BT speed tester to be completely accurate?
 
Yes, there is a second stage where you do that, if the first stage is unsatisfactory. I did that once but cannot remember the details. Mind you, I was with BT then, but technically Openreach is a separate entity.
 
Thanks Mike0001 - unfortunately, quote: Please Note :- This page is now deprecated. See BT Wholesale Performance Test
It is also pointed out that it is for BT users. I am on PlusNet which, although part of BT, does not use their servers.
Also sorry BH for touching any sore points. I am fortunate to have fibre where I am (without it I would be lucky to get 1 Mbps) and, as I pay for and am promised between 27.5 and 31 Mbps, I want to keep PlusNet on their toes.

Thank you all for your input. I did try the DSLAM option but with the same result. I will try the same initial post on the PlusNet forum and see if anyone else has the problem.
I agree with the general consensus that I have viable alternatives. However, having had two recent speed drops, PlusNet always point me to the speedtest.btwholesale site which would mean I have to use a different browser ('oh dear' I hear you sigh). They can apparently then check the speed data from a 'database'.

Finally, I suspect it may well be Flash. Mozilla seem intent in removing as many plugins as possible and I wonder if they have introduced 'something' as part of an upcoming Flash removal.
 
Just to update this thread...
For the last 3 days BT speedtest on FF has been consistent with the other test sites (and on other browsers). I haven't changed anything so 'go figure' as they say...
 
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