Bludot

Q: Home Internet Speed Management and Reporting

This question could be construed as either a Windows or Apple question but I need an Apple solution to run on my iMac OS X El Capitan 10.11.3 (mid 2011).  This is probably not the best place for this question but community search didn't have any likely results. So here we are. I've been searching and can't find a good answer to a question regarding internet speed performance management and reporting. B4 u throw me under the bus for posting this question here, please know that after researching this problem for over a week now, that at the end of the past couple days, I've been found crawling around on my knees looking under rugs, furniture, shoes, the dog in search of my self-esteem. Then, I go to bed crying where my wife tells me to quick sniffling like a little baby. So be kind... I would be more than glad to repost in another most-likely area if one exists - just point me in that direction please. Also, I suspect there are countless others (millions upon millions I'm sure) that would appreciate a helpful response to this question. A good response could make someone famous here - I just hope it's not me!


I live where internet download speed plans for bonded solid-copper core phone lines are advertised at 10Mbps from one ISP and another ISP at 12Mbps. Homes as close as 500 feet away from my house are now getting fiber connected and have much faster speed available. Until the local ISP makes fiber available to me, I rely on a phone line. My line is tested and described as solid copper bonded pair using ADSL2+. It connects to a 12Mbps panel at a local ISP office just 1.5 mile away (driving). ISP speed tests at the output of the downtown ISP office building has been as high ~13Mbps. Likewise, on very rare occasion the output of my modem can be a nice ~12Mbps. Now to get real, my average speed is 7-8Mbps. I've been collecting speed results and then manually recording into a spreadsheet for later use. Obviously this is labor and time intensive and subject to human-error. I conduct speed tests when there is no known additional bandwidth consumption taking place on my modem. This 7-8Mbps speed is problematic as it can very easily be brought to a crawl (1Mbps and below) just as soon as someone opens Facebook on another computer and nothing else open or running. I don't have cable or satellite so this sort of thing stalls and hangs streaming on my smart TV (Android). BTW - I monitor activity and connections on my modem and I keep away anything other than my own devices. Also, it seems odd that an ISP can advertise a  12Mbps plan and yet have what is essentially a no minimum performance guarantee. Calls to my ISP are useless. This is another subject all together.

 

I'm already familiar with the usual internet speed testing URLs i.e. - speakeasy, speedtest, testmy... All are effective at giving me point-in-time test results. I have two issues using these sites. Speed results are significantly impacted by the physical location of the server that I either manually select or is automatically chosen depending on which speed testing URL I'm using at the time. So, I don't know if their results are relevant when compared to where my ISP routes data to and from my home - they tell me it is Fort Wayne IN or maybe Seymour IN. Simply, I need an app for home use that has a scheduling feature of sorts that will run behind the scenes and test ~4Xs/day and then create a log of internet speeds coming out of my modem. My ISP provided modem does not have this feature already built-in or so says the ISP provider. Any ideas please? Again, I just could not find a better place to post this so be kind in your response please.

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 11, 2016 9:21 AM

Close

Q: Home Internet Speed Management and Reporting

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Feb 11, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Bludot
    Level 9 (58,115 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 11, 2016 9:46 AM in response to Bludot

    I would recommend working with your ISP and seeing if there is a fault on their end. Where I live we have Comcast, about a year ago we were having speed issues. I live at the end of a court, after sever visits by Comcast they determined there were two issues. The splitter was across the court from us and the cable that ran under the street had gotten water into it which caused an issue, they also had poor connects coming to our house that were getting water in them too.

     

    However before you contact your ISP, try some basics such as renewing the DHCP lease and reseting the DNS settings to settings other that what your ISP supplies as the defaults. You can find instructions for each in:

     

    Renew a DHCP Lease in Mac OS X

     

    DNS Settings Update

  • by Bludot,

    Bludot Bludot Feb 12, 2016 7:25 AM in response to Bludot
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Safari
    Feb 12, 2016 7:25 AM in response to Bludot

    Makes perfect sense. I've tried this but no reliable results just yet. FYI - I have also worked extensively with my ISP tech personnel.

     

    I do want to reiterate that my main issue is not wifi related. It is about consistent / acceptable internet speed coming out of my modern  on a wired ethernet connection (I'm not focused on wifi at the moment).  What is the art or science an ISP utilizes to establish pricing for a monthly plan? How do they plan and fund for growth so that congestion is managed proactively instead of reactively? At present, I pay a $45/mo for 12Mbps download. My actual performance out of my modem is all over the place with little to no reasoning as I record results in my home only when I know that devices in my home are not influencing results (not always easy to do). My ISP gloats that they are not accountable to meet any level of service performance. This is wrong on many levels. At the same time, my ISP seeks government grants to bring their ISP service to more rural area homes - off topic here I know - sorry about that.

     

    So, more importantly to me at the moment is finding an app or software that will run on my iMac ELCapitan 10.11.3. I want to be able to capture the speed at various times across the day and night and then graph those results. At present I do this all manually and it is terribly time intensive not to mention prone to human error.

     

    thanks in advance and warm regards

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Feb 12, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Bludot
    Level 9 (58,115 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 12, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Bludot

      What is the art or science an ISP utilizes to establish pricing for a monthly plan? How do they plan and fund for growth so that congestion is managed proactively instead of reactively? At present, I pay a $45/mo for 12Mbps download. My actual performance out of my modem is all over the place with little to no reasoning as I record results in my home only when I know that devices in my home are not influencing results (not always easy to do). My ISP gloats that they are not accountable to meet any level of service performance. This is wrong on many levels. At the same time, my ISP seeks government grants to bring their ISP service to more rural area homes - off topic here I know - sorry about that.

     

    So, more importantly to me at the moment is finding an app or software that will run on my iMac ELCapitan 10.11.3. I want to be able to capture the speed at various times across the day and night and then graph those results. At present I do this all manually and it is terribly time intensive not to mention prone to human error.

     

    thanks in advance and warm regards

    These issues have nothing to do with your iMac or OS X so tI think you need to search for answers elsewhere. As far as an app, look in the Mac App Store. I used an app called iStumbler however I don't think it will do all you are asking of it. I'd suggest doing research on that app.