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Have you ever done a speed test on your Internet connection?
Or, “My speed test tells me my upload and download speeds are 512kBps.
Why won’t my Skype work better?”
Your Internet speed test only tells you part of the picture.
Usually your download speed is greater than your upload speed.
Well, with average web usage, you typically send a few letters here, a click there.
That’s your upload overhead.
It’s like you sending a Smart Car to request that they send you a fleet of tractor trailers.
This is known as asynchronous communications.
This is why your upload speed is usually less than your download speed.
So, what does that have to do with your 3mbps connection resulting in jittery video?
Exactly that, those speed tests don’t measure jitter!
Yes,jitteris a real technical term.
Imagine a train coming into the station.
It’s the same thing for packets of information on the Internet.
Significantly high jitter levels can cause your VoIP to not work.
Let’s say you test your speed against server XYZ.
Let’s also say that there are no hops between your gear and server XYZ.
Then you are told your download speed is 3 Mbps.
Now you take a stab at download something from server DFG.
Well, whichever one of those hops is the slowest to respond sets the maximum speed of your communication.
We like to call that a bottleneck.
You never get to go the full speed you are capable of.
Your Internet router may be capable of less speed than your Internet connection.
That’s a bottleneck.
Your web connection Interface Card may be capable of less speed than your router.
That’s a bottleneck.
There’s another bottleneck.
Well, what can we do about this then?
What do you want to do about it?
What can you deal with?
Me, I’m patient enough to download the whole video to my computer and watch it that way.
You might not like that.
Maybe you’ll want to upgrade those computer components that are causing bottlenecks.
A new video card with greater processing power.
A better wireless router – maybe something in the N class.
A different Internet service provider or a higher speed package might be in order.
My opinion is to kick back and relax and enjoy the fact that we have this amazing technology.
But then again, that’s just me!
