DSL Speeds

Non-Fusion DSL is a tiered service with speed caps depending on service level.

Expected Download Speeds

Listed below are download speeds used for Sonic.net DSL service offerings. For example, an Express DSL circuit's download speed should fall between the performance listed for 384kbps and that listed for 1.5mbps.

Expected Upload Speeds

Listed below are upload speeds used for Sonic.net DSL service offerings. For example, an Express DSL circuit's upload speed should fall between the performance listed for 128kbps and that listed for 384kbps.

* Protocol overhead for ATM, LLC, TCP/IP, and other factors contribute at least 13% overhead, dependent upon MTU settings and other factors. Some software packages use different means to compensate for this overhead, so readings within 10% of the listed value should be considered normal. For a technical look at ATM-related overhead, please see ip-atm.overhead.pdf. Acrobat Reader is required to view this document.

** Full URL is ftp://ftp.sonic.net/pub/testfile.compressed.10meg

Testing Your Speeds

There are a number of speed-testing programs available on the web, many of them through web interfaces, such as:

• CNet
• Broadband Reports
• Sonic.net Speed Test

These can give you a quick idea of the speed of your connection, but are not necessarily accurate, as a number of network issues can impact performance on these tests that have nothing to do with your actual connection. For these reasons, we recommend testing your speed the old-fashioned way: by downloading a file of a known size, and seeing how long it takes to get it. Please note that if you have any other activity on your DSL line, this will affect your speeds. Further documentation for the FTP client included with your OS is available for Windows XP and OS X Tiger.

Download Test

Using a FTP program, connect to the host ftp.sonic.net. Open the directory named "/pub". Locate the file named "testfile.compressed.10meg" and download it. In most FTP programs, your rate of transfer is displayed during the download. Note that some will display speeds in kilobytes per second, and other will display in kilobits per second. Kilobytes are typically represented by the abbreviation "KB" in uppercase, and kilobits are typically represented by "kb" in lowercase. Not all programs follow this convention, so please consult your software's documentation if you are unsure. When the file transfer has completed, compare the amount of time it took to perform the complete transfer to the [down download speeds] chart above.

Upload Test

Once you have the testfile.compressed.10meg on your hard drive, you can test your upload speeds by placing a copy of it into your Sonic.net home directory. Using your FTP program, connect to ftp.sonic.net using your Sonic.net login name and password for authentication. You should automatically be directed to your home directory, unless you have specifically configured your FTP otherwise. Locate your copy of the testfile.compressed.10meg file on your computer and use your FTP program's "put" command to initiate and upload. As with the download, most FTP clients will give an indication of the current transfer rate while the upload is in progress. When the file transfer has completed, compare the amount of time it took to perform the complete transfer to the [up upload speeds] chart above. If you find that your transfer speeds are below the expected minimum speeds for your service type, please confirm by trying the transfer again, then contact technical support for assistance.