Broadband Performance Tester.

In October 2006 BT launched a new speedtest tool which replaced the old style BTw speedtest.
The new performance tester can be accessed without having to log on to a separate domain and may be able to advise you a bit more information about your line.

One of the particular things that may prove beneficial to users on dslMAX is that this tool will give you an indication of your bRAS profile. The figure produced is the IP profile and is a guide to the maximum IP throughput speed, with 7150 kb being the max.

Please note that this is a 3 part tool and some stages may take a while to complete so please be patient.

Important Notes before you start.

• This test only works if you are on IPStream adsl.
• Ensure you access the test from the same adsl connection as the one being tested, using your own phone number.
• Please make sure that you have the correct adsl log-in to hand before you start the test. This information should have been provided to you by your ISP and will be in the format uername@ispdomain. - eg. user@plusdsl.net . BT users should input their e-mail address.
  If you are unsure check the login details from your modem/router.
• Remember to be patient - particularly during the authentication stage.

Problems accessing the tester?

The speedtester does get very busy at peak times and can often give a "system busy" message.

I have been advised by BTw that there have recently been many users inadvertently "bogging down" the performance tester by attempting to use the tester when they are on datastream or LLU. If your adsl connection is provided by datastream or LLU then this test will not work. Several users have also attempted to test their line from say a work connection or dial-up to test their home line.

• If you are certain that you are on IPStream and you cant ever access the tester ensure that your router is set to VC Based or VCMux... and NOT LLC-Based.
• Try using Internet Explorer rather than Firefox or Opera.
  

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To access the Performance tester ensure you use http://test.speedtester.bt.com

You will need to enter your telephone number and unlike the old tester - you must use the correct telephone number of the line you are testing from.

Click the "Go" button, and the tester will check details on your line.
This process may take quite a while, so do not be surprised if you have to wait several minutes.
A loading bar should show you the progress.

You will next be asked to input your broadband connection details, these are the same as what you enter into your router or modem and will follow the format username@ispdomain.
eg. user@plusdsl.net . BT users should input their e-mail address.

The 1st stage involves advising you your throughput speed. Throughput speed is in relation to your bRAS profile and it is an indication of the maximum speed you could expect to receive when performing a speedtest after allowing for overheads.

Be careful at this stage not to confuse the sync speed, bRAS profile/data rate and the throughput speed.
My sync is 8128 and has never been anything else, therefore my ISP "data rate" is 8000.
The figure of 7150 is an indication of the maximum actual data throughput I could expect to receive from a speedtest, after allowing for overheads.

The test will take a further few minutes to test your speed and record the results.

Note:-