Accuracy of Speedtest function of Orbi app

[nehor777]

I regularly check the connection speed between my fiber modem my Orbi. The Orbi is connected with an Ethernet cable right to the Fiber Modem. When I use the app I get a bit of a different result than my wired PC which is connected to the Orbi. In fact, the wired PC using speedtest.net gets a higher speed than using Orbi app to measure the speed from the Fiber modem to Orbi. Is that odd?? I hope I’m making sense. I can answer questions if you have any. I’ll try anyway. I’m dumb as dirt with this stuff!

[CrimpOn]

Any of the "speed test" web sites measure the entire path between the test device and the host, which can be affected by network congestion anywhere along the path.  Thus, the observed speed will vary over time as network conditions change.  It is a bit annoying that the version included in the Orbi firmware does not report which server was selected to perform the test (as the web and PC versions do).

Your sense is correct: it should not be possible for a device connected to the Orbi to register a higher speed than the Orbi router itself measures unless the CPU load on the router is so high that it cannot devote enough processing power to the SpeedTest application or the Orbi version has made a poor choice of which Speed Test host to use.  One would not expect the difference between what the router reports and what a wired PC reports to be large.  What sort of difference do you observe?

I have found that the different test sites give slightly different results.  I just ran these on my Spectrum connection:

• http://speedtest.net - 370
• http://speedof.me - 335
• http://testmy.net  - 373
• http://fast.com  - 330
• http://speed.googlefiber.net  -375

Whereas the Orbi firmware version of SpeedTest reports 227, then 97, and then 374 in three tests run one after another!

[muusicman]

I too have Fiber. Connected my Orbi up just like yours. Do you have gigspeed finger? What Orbi model do you have. I have a lot of issues with mine. May be self inflicted though and not an Orbi issue. Also, could be my ISP.

[CrimpOn]

A discussion from last October may not be entirely relevant to problems being experienced today.

It would be helpful to have a description of what the situation:

• Which specific Orbi system is involved?
• What the Internet Service Provider (ISP) device is?
• What the problem is? (The more detail the better.)

My comment (above) remains the same.  It is a bit frustrating (annoying?) that the version of Ookla Speed Test included in the Orbi firmware does not report the Speed Test server that was used:

Whereas the Windows Speed Test app clearly shows that it was using Host Sailor Ltd in Los Angeles.

Did both tests run against the same Speed Test server?  No idea.

[muusicman]

Speeds on both my Wi-Fi and wired have reduced in the almost 10 months I’ve had fiber. It’s a small local company for the ISP. Here is the web address.

https://www.co-mo.net/

My Orbi is the RBK 852. Included is 1 RBR 850 and 1 RBS 850. When I first got connected it was lightning fast! Couldn’t believe it. Now some months later my ping on both wired and wireless has gone up and my speeds have decreaased a bit. Especially on Wi-Fi

[CrimpOn]

The previous discussion may not be relevant to this most recent post about an ISP in Missouri. (correct?)

One might expect that an Internet Service Provider (ISP) performance could change over time as the number of subscribers changes.  This would be a topic to discuss with the ISP technical support contact.

In preparation, my approach would be to document the observed Speed Test over a period of time and ask the ISP, "what is going on?"

[muusicman]

If I’m being honest, I don’t notice the speed drop as much on wired as I do on Wi-Fi. I got an Apple TV box for Christmas. It has a gigabit Ethernet port on it. I downloaded the speedtest app from ookla on it and when I do a speedtest using it I get 940-941 Mbps down and 940 Mbps up almost consistently. Also, it says Ping 4 ms, Jitter 0 ms, Loss 0%

[donawalt]

Nope - Orbi app is not to be trusted in its speed calculations. Read analysis here:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/Don-t-trust-the-Orbi-app-s-speed-test-with-2Gbps-service/t...