Internet speeds are confusing me

Networking
1

Hello I'm a bit confused on internet speeds and I was hoping someone can help me. I got BT infinity installed in my house last week, while my speed has improved I noticed on that my download speed on everything I've used (PC, Phone, Xbox One, Toaster, ect) doesn't match what BT claimed I should get. I'm getting about 3/4 MBs on my PC (wired to BT hub 3) and 1MB on my Xbox One (wireless) but BT said I should get a minimum download speed of 20MBs.

So I decided to run a speed test on Speedtest.net and I'm apparently getting 32MBs download speed, yet I ran a download on steam and the highest it reached was 3.9MBs. The average download speed for BT on steam is 16MBs so it isn't steam being limited to 3/4MBs.
Imgur
Imgur
Imgur

I'm using BT hub 3 and my friend brought their BT hub 5 round to see if that improved anything, it didn't it stayed the same.

So I want to know if I'm missing something. Why does a speed test say my speed is much higher than what I'm experiencing? Are there any hub settings I should look at? I haven't touched any settings on my router because I don't know what they mean.

I don't know much about networking, so if possible please try to keep explanations/help simple.

2

Google how to use a free proxy or free vpn.

If you use a proxy/vpn, and then all of a sudden your internet speeds go through the roof, then BT is throttling your connection.

1 Like
3

Are you sure that BT didn't say 20Mb/s? There are 8 bits in a byte, so that equates to about 4MB/s.

3 Likes
4

Steam measures downloads in Megabytes(MB), most ISPs advertise in Megabits(Mb), also Speedtest measures in Megabit because that's what ISPs give you.

8 bits in a byte.

20 Megabits divide by 8 bits in a byte, gives you 2.5 Megabytes.

2 Likes
5

Well now I feel stupid, but it explains what the "problem" was. I just assumed MB and Mb where the same thing apparently not, as Zavar and omegajimes have pointed out. Turns out when they said Mb they where talking about Megabits, I assumed it was Megabytes. Well at least I know I'm getting what I'm paying for. Feel a bit stupid now :p
Thanks for the help.

6

No worries, literally everyone has been there. You have to watch for that small b or the big B.

1 Like