Fios Speed Test site vs Other Speed Test Sites-My experience & suggestions

zero_phd

I'm a new Gigabit Fios Internet subscriber. I have to say, I was a bit perplexed with the differences, sometimes quite large, between the official Fios speed test site vs. others, such as Ookla, Google speed test, Speakeasy speed test, or even using xfinity speed tests.

I find that you have to be cautious of using other speed testing sites or apps, because depending on the server that the site or app chooses, this can turn out to make a huge impact in the speed test results.

Also, if you believe you're not obtaining the full upload or download speed, then unplugging your router, waiting a minute, then plugging it back in typically works to increase performance back to normal. One should restart them Fios routers/extenders either by restarting via the app (if allowed), or by simply unplugging them, waiting a minute, and then plugging them back in - it has worked in my experience with Fios, even as I'm a new customer!

Plus, I can tell you for a fact that other speed test sites can vary quite a lot. For example, just minutes ago, I used Ookla, and had absolute horrible results, even as I changed servers a couple of times, but when I used Google speed test, it gave me expected speed results according to my Gigabit Fios speeds!

I was not a believer at first, but now I am, as I've seen it with my own eyes!!

If you are trying various speed tests, and not obtaining even close to the speed you are paying for, then I'd say, use at lease 5-6 different speed sites or apps, and change the servers several times in those sites or apps. If it continues, then restart your Fios router and extender(s), if you have extenders, and then test again, and I'm sure it will solve 99% of issues reported on these forums! Please try this before calling or chatting with Verizon as there's no need to use any more of your time to try to fix an issue that can be fixed by following the above strategy!

Also, I do find the Fios speed test site to be the most reliable and I like the fact that Fios speed test not only analyzes your client (iPhone, Laptop/computer, other device), but also it tests the connection speed between the ONT installed at your residence/dwelling to their Fios network!

So far I am satisfied with Verizon Fios Gigabit speed internet - I am a new customer. If i have any more experiences to share or any suggestions to help out a fellow customer, I'll continue to post them to the forums!

Happy Fios surfing!

gs0b

Welcome to the forums! We're mostly other users here and we like to help each other out.

Welcome to Fios! It's is an excellent service with high reliability, consistent speeds and symmetric upload. I think you'll find that regardless of speed test results, Fios provides a great internet experience.

Some feedback on your post. You are absolutely correct that different speed test sites can give varying results. A big reason for this is the path data takes between the device-under-test (DUT) and the test server can have congestion. Since these servers are on the public internet, neither the test provider or the DUT's ISP can do anything about this congestion. That's why most decent speed tests try to find a test site near the DUT, it minimizes the chance of a congested link. You can experiment with this by picking different test server sites (for the tests that let you pick a server.) Even if you use the same test server location, speeds can and do vary from test to test due to congestion. Like you said, perform several tests to get a good idea of what's going on.

The Verizon speed test is entirely within their network, so it's not subject to random congestion. It's a very good tool for making sure there aren't problems within the Verizon network. I use it in conjunction with non-Verizon tests to see performance at various points in the total path from my device to "the internet."

Note that the Verizon "router" speed test runs between the Verizon router in your home and their test server. The ONT is not an endpoint in the test, nor does it know anything about the test (it just passes packets.) The router test is very useful to see if speed issues are between the router and your devices or deeper into the Verizon network. Of course, this test is not available to people who use non-Verizon routers.

You didn't mention if you're testing over WiFi or wired. If you're testing over WiFi, that adds a lot more variation to paths and probably explains all of the variation you observed. You should always test using a wired connection to eliminate WiFi speed variations. If you don't have a wired connect, use the Verizon router speed test as a reference.

Unplugging routers has no effect on speed. You likely experienced correlation between random fluctuation in speed tests and your power-cycles (see above on general internet congestion.) Verizon routers are robust devices that seldom need to be reset. Extenders may be more sensitive, depending on if you're using WiFi or wired backhaul.

If you're testing from a device that lets you monitor it's network traffic, that's a great way to see what's going on in real time. For example, on Windows computers you can open Task Manager and view the instantaneous network speed on the Performance tab.

Once again, really appreciate your sharing of your experience and welcome to the forums!