Repair-It

Current speeds:
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/5734195861

D: 44.27Mb/s
U: 6.71Mb/s

8 minutes on the phone (including menus and waiting) and it is happening. Will post new speeds when modem resets.

After the switch to Essential (15/2):
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/5734649140

D: 16.39Mb/s
U: 2.33Mb/s

Interested to see if there are any impacts other than the Speedtest result. Time will tell and it is effortless to switch back if I need to.

kevm14 wrote:After the switch to Essential (15/2):
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/5734649140

D: 16.39Mb/s
U: 2.33Mb/s

Interested to see if there are any impacts other than the Speedtest result. Time will tell and it is effortless to switch back if I need to.

The upload is terrible.

Here is some data from my fancy router:
Netflix low-res show "upscaled" to 1080p (older TV, etc...) = 300KB/s - 700KB/s down
Netflix high-res show (native 1080p) = 1MB/s - 3MB/s down

So high res stuff might be taxing that 15Mbps down line.

I should check some other services and post results for reference.

The cap is held within the modem so it can run right up to the limit. It's not like I get 80% of the cap or something. As opposed to the 50 Mbit plan where I did not quite hit 50 (limited by something else).

I think I will be good for anything but 4k streaming. I could do a test of multiple streaming clients but even that is rare in my household. Been watching some 1080p youtubes on my TV and I notice no difference at all in how quick it plays. No buffering issues either. I should try 1080p60 and some Netflix and Amazon.

kevm14 wrote:(limited by something else).

Most likely your proximity to the local cable distribution point. I'm usually over 50 Mbps here.
http://beta.speedtest.net/result/5735176110

In related news, speedtest.net now has a non-flash client.

We will see how it stacks up. So far I think we can do everything we need and pocket the $15/mo.

The argument for the 50/50 FIOS would be a 2 year contract which is $50/mo for the first year and $60/mo for the second year. Then it goes to $85 and I'd have to do something. And I don't know that I'd switch to save $10/mo for just one year. If the 15/2 Cox speed was inadequate though, that would be the key.

Adam wrote:So high res stuff might be taxing that 15Mbps down line.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/h ... pqe1Xcj.97

According to this, 15Mbps covers anything I would use. I will look for something else, maybe more current than 2012.

Recommendations from Netflix themselves:

Below are the Internet download speed recommendations per stream for playing movies and TV shows through Netflix.
•0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed
•1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed
•3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality
•5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality
•25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306

As I said before, unless I need to stream 4K, I am probably good. Need to check Amazon and also see what Youtube pulls.

Worth mentioning for the casual reader that 8Mbit (also Mb/sec or Mbps) is equal to 1MB/sec (megabyte).

Netflix even supports higher resolutions when available, but their bandwidth recommendations increase to 7.0 Mbps for Netflix Super HD format.

Super HD = 1080p streaming. Still good there. Source: http://www.bandwidthplace.com/streaming ... y-article/

Another source: http://cordcuttersnews.com/comparing-da ... nd-amazon/

What I got is that Hulu and Amazon are similar or less than Netflix.

I also did a quick calc. If Netflix is 2.8GB/hour of super HD streaming, with the 1TB data cap for Cox service, that is equivalent to streaming 12 hours per day, continuously. At high quality. Netflix is good about allowing you to adjust streaming quality to account for bandwidth caps, too. With 1TB, almost no one should have to worry about that.