Why is RootMetrics app seem so inflated?

[Duffman]

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This is more than twice what either the Speedtest or FCC app measured. Anyone know why?

[S4GRU]

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This is more than twice what either the Speedtest or FCC app measured. Anyone know why?

 

I have talked with Kevin at RootMetrics about this in the past. RootMetrics uses the same servers for the most part that Speedtest does, but it searches out the best server it can locate before it starts running the test. It's doing that while it is running the signal portion of the test. When it settles on the best server, it then starts speed testing it.

 

I think RootMetrics is a more reliable speed tester in my opinion. The results are accurate. It is sending files to the remote server, and this is the speed actually observed in the transfer. If you were streaming video from that same server, it would be moving at the indicated speed in RootMetrics.

 

SpeedTest app (and the FCC app is also made by Ookla too) are a little too user dependent in choosing a server. Often, people are not using the best server. And they are just oblivious to it. Typically, people will choose the same server they use at home. Which is never a good idea, because wireless backhaul is likely routing its destination to the internet differently every time. And it will likely hit the internet a very long ways away from where their home and work ISP's do.

 

That's why I'm always recommending that people who use SpeedTest to use several different servers when they get a really slow speed result. With apps like SpeedTest, FCC, and even RootMetrics it's not the fast results that are suspect. It's the slow ones. It can't register faster than the connection it actually has to the server on the other end.

 

Every time I can think of where I had a fast RootMetrics speed, I was able to recreate it on SpeedTest if I kept hunting around on different servers...eventually.

 

Robert

[S4GRU]

Another thing that provides a little validity to the accuracy are the Upload speeds. We know that Clearwire limits their WiMax upload speeds to 1.5Mbps. I can occasionally get it up to 1.6Mbps, but never 1.7Mbps. If that had said something like 2.0Mbps, or 2.5Mbps, then we know there was a significant problem with these results. Also, that EVDO upload speed also is not out of whack.

 

Robert

[4ringsnbr]

I think RootMetrics is right on-- look at all their detailed reports market-by-market... excellent information that seems to agree with everything I've observed and heard from users in those markets. Opensignalmaps.com is another good unbiased user data sourced resource to use for research.

[Duffman]

At home with marginal coverage.

 

 

Interesting thing is that there was very little fluctuation between tests unlike Speedtest.

[jhman101]

I have used Root Metrics extensively and it seems to be one of the best out there.

[Duffman]

I will start recommending to customers.

[jhman101]

Look at North Florida on the map, and you can see what I have to deal with.

[4ringsnbr]

I reviewed all their reports before making my decision to jump to big red. I was on Sprint 10 years, so carrier moves are something I don't take lightly. I'm a little upset that Verizon didn't win 1st place in Dallas, but that is the one market they don't have cellular 850 in-- only PCS A block there... but at least they won every other market.

[centermedic]

I use open signal maps. Does anybody know what program they use for their speed tests?

[Duffman]

Look at North Florida on the map' date=' and you can see what I have to deal with.[/quote']

 

I reviewed all their reports before making my decision to jump to big red. I was on Sprint 10 years' date=' so carrier moves are something I don't take lightly. I'm a little upset that Verizon didn't win 1st place in Dallas, but that is the one market they don't have cellular 850 in-- only PCS A block there... but at least they won every other market.[/quote']

 

And these posts are relevant how?

[lrmcgarvey]

So giving this app a try, I notice a lot of failed connections.

 

Is it just not good with crappy networks? Speedtest shows me my horrible sub 100 speeds fine in the same area, but seems rootmetrics just fails and wont post a speed until it hits 100+.

 

Just asking as I go back to painting my town red/black.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[S4GRU]

So giving this app a try, I notice a lot of failed connections.

 

Is it just not good with crappy networks? Speedtest shows me my horrible sub 100 speeds fine in the same area, but seems rootmetrics just fails and wont post a speed until it hits 100+.

 

Just asking as I go back to painting my town red/black.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I do also get a lot of failures on RootMetrics in sub 100kbps speeds. It seems to be related to ping when that happens. It seems to me when I go over to SpeedTest app when that happens, the ping is over a second. In those instances where ping is normal, but speed is not, it seems the RootMetrics app is able to cope. That's my observation.

 

Robert

[lrmcgarvey]

didn't even think of seeing if it was ping related. That might be it for the download test.

 

Upload still fails 70% of the time for no reason that I can see. But I do really like the mapping rootmetrics does, so i'll keep plugging away at it.

 

 

 

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[EarlyMon]

I would think that a large part of the routing difference between home and cell, other than routing itself being stochastic, is the fact that Sprint phones route through their proxy servers by default.

 

This looks pretty good if ideal speed is of interest, though.

 

Honest question: what is the interest in ideal speeds?

[lrmcgarvey]

My interest in speed checking is just to look for and note improvments.

 

Here during the day time your lucky to hit 150kbps. So I like looking at sprints network site, seeing which tower got a band aid fix and then retesting to see if it improved and by how much.

 

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