In some cases, customers report that they are experiencing slower than expected data connections. These can be caused by any number of factors, including increased traffic on an internal network, hardware or software issues on an individual computer or network server, larger than normal file transfers, or issues with the circuit itself.

Many web sites offer bandwidth testing services, but, because they measure only the performance of an individual computer, they are not considered to be accurate for the purposes of measuring bandwidth (also called through put) on a full data circuit. These are certainly good to compare the bandwidth on individual computers within your network, as well as to compare the individual computer’s performance with the circuit’s performance. Other factors can affect these speed tests, such as processor speed, memory, heavy Internet or LAN traffic, and additional programs running on your individual computer at the time of the test.

Examples:

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/
http://reviews.cnet.com/Bandwidth_meter/7004-7254_7-0.html
http://tech.msn.com/downloads/speedtest.armx

If you experience slowness, you may call our 24/7 Customer Support line at 1.800.881.2638 or send an email to support@citynet.net for assistance. Depending upon the circumstances, a Citynet representative may ask you to run some bandwidth testing to isolate the cause(s) for sluggish upload or download speeds.

To test the actual bandwidth available on the data circuit, Citynet and other major carriers depend upon IPERF.

IPERF tests the speed at which data is transfered through a circuit. The best test for accurate bandwidth results is to test the maximum amount of data that your circuit was setup to manage. During the time allotted for the IPERF test (generally 60 seconds), no other data will be sent or received on your circuit. This means no one in your office will be able to send or receive email or access web pages for the 60 seconds of testing.

IPERF Test Instructions for Windows XP

Unix IPERF source (v1.7.0)

For more information, visit the IPERF Webpage.

Downloadable Instructions with screen shots for Windows OS Versions 95 - XP

Operating System	Word	PDF
Windows 95:	iperf95.doc	iperf95.pdf
Windows 98:	iperf98.doc	iperf98.pdf
Windows ME:	iperfME.doc	iperfME.pdf
Windows NT:	iperfNT.doc	iperfNT.pdf
Windows 2K:	iperf2k.doc	iperf2k.pdf
Windows XP:	iperfXP.doc	iperfXP.pdf