Speedtests, 50-60Mbps versus 1Gbps Internet

As promised here are some speed tests between the two links.

The first is the Time Warner (Spectrum) connection:

As you can see, the top throughput with other items on the network (Tivo and such) is 49Mbps down and 6Mbps up. This isn't bad, and is well within the range for a "residential" connection without an SLA. Time Warner (Spectrum) has been very consistent as well, as it has held at this level for several years.

Now the AT&T Fiber (formerly GigaPower) connection:

I've blocked out my IP for the obvious reasons. Most of the tests range right around 800Mbps down and 750Mbps upstream. But wait, what's that outlier? You know, the one at the bottom that is 55Mbps/55Mbps? That's also on the 1Gbps link, so why is it so low? Is it the other devices on the network? No. Is it the connection getting "warmed up"? No. This is where I have a gripe with AT&T and shout out for Time Warner (Spectrum) internet. The reason is actually extremely simple, but very complex to bypass. As an aside, I normally run a Cisco 2851 router and a Cisco 2960 gigabit switch with a Cisco WAP371 AP.

When you use Time Warner (Spectrum) and have a "standard" modem like the Motorola (ARRIS) SB6141, you can put the modem into a true "bridge mode". Bridge mode, basically speaking, lobotomizes the modem turning it into a basic Network Adapter which has only one function: providing you with network access. In particular, the modem turns into a transparent bridge, forwarding any packets destined for the IP it owns and discarding the rest. Now when you use AT&T Fiber you can't turn the modem into a bridge. The best it offers is a sort of kludge called (alternately, on various models) IP Passthrough or DMZplus. The problem with that, even turning off everything possible in the AT&T device, is that it chokes the bandwidth because (survey SAYS!) the modem doesn't want to hand everything to one IP. Also it is impossible to turn the firewall completely off which leads to all sorts of funny behavior when you have your own security measures running, not to mention AIM SSL/VPN implementation on the router.

This is quite different than if you were to use a real piece of network equipment like a Ciena 3930 Service Delivery Switch. Incidentally Ciena's fancy name is overkill because all the device does is operate as a switch. A very nice switch, don't get me wrong, with Layer 2, 3, and 4 Quality of Service options and Layer 3 switching. Specifically MPLS/VPLS functionality. Both of these are beyond the scope of this post, and quite honestly beyond the scope of this poor Layer 2 Network guy who's still learning more complex Layer 3 arrangements. Still it would behoove AT&T, in my humble opinion, to allow the technically adept who have the equipment and knowledge to dispense with the consumer "garbage" that will never satisfy us when it comes to QoS and Security. After all, Time Warner (Spectrum) can do it on their network and I've seen it on AT&T's network with UVN.

Oh well, maybe we'll figure out how to get around that limitation in the modem. Maybe I can bug someone we deal with at AT&T to give a nice device that has a true bridge mode. Until then, I'll be happy downloading at better than 20 megabytes a second. We'll discuss some more about these performance numbers another day.

Jesse J. Derks

New Year, new Internet, new rack, new toys

So during recent local changes we had the following updates:

Time Warner (now Spectrum) introduced "Spectrum Pricing" and (more importantly for geeks) "Maxx Internet" with speeds of 300Mbps down and 20Mbps up in what they refer to as Northeast Wisconsin (NEW). The standard speed was upped a little itself, from 50Mbps to 60Mbps, but with the asymmetric upstream it's less than ideal for many high-end technology users. More importantly, for us remote IT workers, it is less appealing than a different offer I ran across due to factors regarding asymmetric speed and remote access with large files.

AT&T in the Fox Valley (NEW) area has a very (very) limited deployment of AT&T Fiber (formerly AT&T GigaPower) Internet. The speeds are truly wonderful for a tech user, 1Gbps - symmetric. Now let us be realistic for a second, even though it pains us a bit. This is a home service, therefore there is no real SLA, and AT&T takes great pains on their page to point out it is typically 940Mbps and (more importantly) not guaranteed. I can respect this, as AT&T is not overpromising up front, as long as they get close to their magic 940Mbps number on a consistent basis. The bonus? It's US$80/month, which isn't much more than the Time Warner 60Mbps. Again, we are talking about an extremely limited deployment.

Not that raw speed is the only thing we have to worry about on the network. No we have other factors like jitter, packet loss, and overall latency as well. All of these factors, along with speed, dictate the overall quality of the connection. I will be conducting a series of speed tests on both the Time Warner (Spectrum) and AT&T Fiber connections as a comparison. This should not be considered a "fair" test in a direct comparison sense. They are two wholly different services, with completely different speed profiles. My aim is not to embarrass Time Warner (Spectrum), it is simply to show the differences between access that is less than 100Mbps versus internet at 1000Mbps.

We shall see if the Internet Gods smile upon me during the installation.

Jesse J. Derks