New BT Speedtester

I have hit a problem wit the BT Speedtester: http://speedtest.btcentralplus.com/

It initialises but comes back with an error:

TEST ERROR

The Performance Tester is currently unable to run a speed test for your broadband connection. Please try again shortly, however if this problem persists, raise the issue with your service provider.

I get this on several PCs across different Infinity connections.

It was OK on Friday evening but yesterday afternoon it started. I went to run the tester and it came up with a Verisign Security Certificate - which need to be accepted. However, from that point on, I get the failures.

Have tried XP with Firefox 9, and IE, then another machine with XP and FF10 and another couple but the Certificates were accepted before we thought that they may be the problem.

Does anyone else have a problem, or if you try it, stop when the Certificate request appears and take a screen shot. The exact text may be useful in deleting the one I have and then seeing if it works.

Some reports of problems with the speedtester and Java 7, any help?

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,28...

Still on Java 6 ! And no changes or updates to Windows or Java between the last successful test and the failure.


And just off the phone to BT Tech support - one of their PCs now has the problem!

Edited by MHC (Mon 13-Feb-12 11:25:57)

It runs if you don't accept certificate.

Can you get a screen shot of the certificate please and host it somewhere.

TIA

I can confirm I've been battling all morning with the same problem and thought it was me. I'm on FTTC with PlusNet (BT) and accepted the applet but never get anything more than 'Test Error'

Incidentally the Beta test >24M stalls at 2 or 4% but continues to download ad-infinitum until I shut the browser down. The Beta <24m works but is inaccurate at my speeds.

Three browsers, serveral PC's - glad it's not me

Pete

Edited by deleted (Mon 13-Feb-12 15:51:33)

Can you get into PlusNet and tell them!

Also tell them that a BT Infinity (Business) customer has the problem and has reported it to BT - I have told them I have come across a couple of others with the problem. It does seem to be "random".

The application's digital signature has been verified.
Do you want to run the application?

Name: tickerapplet2
Publisher: BT Group plc
From: http://speedtest.btcentralplus.com
X Always trust content from this publisher.

.....................|Run| |Cancel|

I always press Cancel.

Hi, I've been trying to get PN to tell me my current profile as i'm having my vDSL modem swapped out before 5pm and they can't access whatever they have to access for FTTC.

Typical the one day I wanted a before and after test I can't

Mind you, my Kelly Comms slot of 1pm to 5pm is rapidly approaching a no show

Seems to work if you're not on Infiinity or other FTTC via BT.

I'm in the Worcester/Droitwich area so don't know if it's geographical as well?

Pete

I got it early this afternoon. A while later it ran OK. Asked me about the certificate both times and I OK'ed it both times.

You could always download the firmware and hack the modem - takes just a few minutes!

Thanks ...

Found it tucked away in Java Control Panel and deleted it.

Restarted and the Pop-Up appears. Chose cancel, but still have a failure. Restated again and accepted - failed.

There must be something to do with it as another PC with accepted it and that then failed.

Got 'it' on my desktop ready to go but the new one is due in 13 mins - it's not going to happen is it!!

When it arrives I guess I'll give it a few days to bed in then dive in....

Really annoys you after years of 'seeing things' not to be able to get at what you know is there to be seen!

Cheers,

Pete

You only need 5 to load it on the old one!

And if/when they arrive, make sure the PSU is changed out too.

I've got my appointment tomorrow, seems to depend who you get as to whether they'll swap the PSU. Meanwhile, I can't get the new BT speed tester to work either, I just get the error reported in the OP. I'm not sure I've heard of anyone getting it to work on FTTC. Maybe tonight's the night to hack the modem, at least if I screw it up I shouldn't be down for long!

Worse than that for me, speetest seemed to run OK, but left a java process running that has used up several GB over last few hours. I killed the process, but had to reboot to get rid of it altogether.

It works on FTTC no problem at all - normally!

I tried it here, 80/20Mbps FTTC using a Mac.

As with others, it complained about the certificate, so I told it to accept it anyway and the test continued successfully. But it has certainly changed... it doesn't give "running results" in the same way and now it gives my profile as 69.9Mbps and 20Mbps, previously it said 69897Kbps and 20000Kbps.

I also got the "We have detected other services" garbage, it gave me the option to test my (non-existent) assured rate so I told it to go ahead:

Download speed achieved during the test was - 28.41 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 0 Kbps-0 Kbps .
Additional Information:
Assured Rate IP profile on your line is - 0 Kbps

Yeah, right

Edited by billford (Mon 13-Feb-12 17:34:45)

In reply to a post by MHC:

It works on FTTC no problem at all - normally!

Well it did until today!

Well, Kelly have overbooked and they are coming tomorrow now instead

I'm not a gambler but just don't don't feel 'lucky tonight' to hack the firmware.

Fingers crossed BT will fix the tester tonight (I am a cynic though)

I worked in IT for 11 years and the old saying 'If it can go wrong, it will and always at the worst possible time' seems to still apply to software changes

Pete

Run in the last few seconds. No request about the certificate.

Download speedachieved during the test was - 30 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 12 Mbps-38.72 Mbps .
Additional Information:
IP Profile for your line is - 38.72 Mbps

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.76Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 2 Mbps

Still not working for me

Looks as though it's geographic then? For reasons you know .

I just tried it and get a page showing:
HTTP Status 404 - /cgi-bin/home.page.pl
The address bar shows: 'Apache Tomcat/6.0.16 Error Report'

What URL are the failing people using? I use
http://speedtester.bt.com/

Download speedachieved during the test was - 26 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 12 Mbps-38.72 Mbps .
Additional Information:
IP Profile for your line is - 38.72 Mbps

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.81Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 2 Mbps

I was using a saved link to the page, and it was:
http//speedtester.bt.com/cgi-bin/home.page.pl
I used it just a few days ago and it worked as usual giving the same results as I had a couple of weeks ago.

Now I just used the link you posted and it went to the page, gave a security notice that the cert was passed and I went ahead.
The test completed without showing the stages as it always had before, and very quickly showed me the whole test result - and it showed faster down/up speeds than it ever had previously (6382/911). The actual line profiles were identical to before though:

Download Speed
6.82 Mbps

0 Kbps 7.15 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speed achieved during the test was - 6.82 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 2 Mbps-7.15 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 6.88 Mbps

2. Upstream Test: -provides background information.

Upload Speed
1.03 Mbps

0 Kbps 832 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.03Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 832 Kbps

We were unable to identify any performance problem with your service at this time.
It is possible that any problem you are currently, or had previously experienced may have been caused by traffic congestion on the Internet or by the server you were accessing responding slowly.
If you continue to encounter a problem with a specific server, please contact the administrator of that server in the first instance.

We have identified that you have additional services enabled on you broadband line, please click continue to run advanced service tests.

Not sure what those 'additional services' are though - we don't have the Sky box connected to the phone line.

I think that Additional Services detection is a bug. I get it as well. Clicked it one time and it fell over because I haven't any.

The main one is Assured Rate, for BT Vision and similar services, so you should get the assured rate through the whole BT Wholesale network for them.

Neat!

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.03Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 832 Kbps

Both:

http://speedtester.bt.com/

http://speedtest.btcentralplus.com/

with exactly the same result!

Umm :.

The bt central one just ran the download then gave

Alert

The browser session has timed out. Please refresh the main Performance Tester page.

Clicked your link again and this time

Download speedachieved during the test was - 33 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 12 Mbps-38.72 Mbps .
Additional Information:
IP Profile for your line is - 38.72 Mbps

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.77Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 2 Mbps

If I use Tracert in a command window:

speedtester.bt.com resolves to: 217.35.209.142

and speedtest.btcentralplus.com to: 217.32.105.42

and both have identical routing if I do them sequentially. But wait 5 minutes and try again, the routing may change. For example:

Tracing route to speedtester.bt.com [217.35.209.142]
1 ... homeportal
... ...
6 ... 213.120.176.178
7 ... acc1-10GigE-0-1-0-5.l-far.21cn-ipp.bt.net [109.159.249.82]
8 ... core2-te0-15-0-2.ilford.ukcore.bt.net [109.159.249.19]
9 ... core2-pos6-0.manchester.ukcore.bt.net [62.6.204.13]
10 ... vhsaccess1-pos8-0.manchester.fixed.bt.net [62.6.196.202]
11 ... Request timed out.

Tracing route to speedtest.btcentralplus.com [217.32.105.42]
1 ... homeportal
... ...
6 ... 213.120.176.178
7 ... acc1-10GigE-0-1-0-5.l-far.21cn-ipp.bt.net [109.159.249.82]
8 ... core2-te0-15-0-2.ilford.ukcore.bt.net [109.159.249.19]
9 ... core2-pos6-0.manchester.ukcore.bt.net [62.6.204.13]
10 ... vhsaccess1-pos8-0.manchester.fixed.bt.net [62.6.196.202]
11 ... Request timed out.


Then a few minutes later:

Tracing route to speedtester.bt.com [217.35.209.142]
1 ... homeportal
... ...
6 ... 213.120.176.178
7 ... acc1-10GigE-0-1-0-5.l-far.21cn-ipp.bt.net [109.159.249.82]
8 ... core2-te-0-0-0-2.ilford.ukcore.bt.net [109.159.249.31]
9 ... core2-pos9-0.stalbans.ukcore.bt.net [194.74.16.222]
10 ... vhsaccess2-gig1-0.stalbans.fixed.bt.net [217.32.169.148]
11 ... Request timed out.

Tracing route to speedtest.btcentralplus.com [217.32.105.42]
1 ... homeportal
... ...
6 ... 213.120.176.178
7 ... acc1-10GigE-0-1-0-5.l-far.21cn-ipp.bt.net [109.159.249.82]
8 ... core2-te-0-0-0-2.ilford.ukcore.bt.net [109.159.249.31]
9 ... core2-pos9-0.stalbans.ukcore.bt.net [194.74.16.222]
10 ... vhsaccess2-gig1-0.stalbans.fixed.bt.net [217.32.169.148]
11 ... Request timed out.

If I use PingPlotter and enter the IP address of speedtester.bt.com 217.35.209.142 it comes back with the Target Name (URL) of speedtest.btcentralplus.com 217.32.105.42 returns the same.

If I send PingPlotter to speedtester.bt.com it returns an IP of 217.32.105.42 ...

It suggests that there is more than on tester running in the network and each request is pointed to a server with lowest usage and that both URLs ultimately point to the same locations.

Get this too! Ticked the Assured Rate which it offered me and it ran:

1. Assured Rate Test: -provides background information.

Download Speed
15.11 Mbps

0 Kbps 0 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speed achieved during the test was - 15.11 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 0 Kbps-0 Kbps .
Additional Information:
Assured Rate IP profile on your line is - 0 Kbps

We were unable to identify any performance problem with your service at this time.

Don't have Assured Rate service as far as I know.

EDIT: I notice that the main test no longer reports my Sync Speeds.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Tue 14-Feb-12 12:11:35)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I notice that the main test no longer reports my Sync Speeds.

Well that would be just too helpful to customers who aren't able to find it in their router stats.

It's a wonder they still tell us the IP Profile, not just the acceptable speed range .

Have you noticed it is a much shorter, and therefore possibly less accurate, test? Can't have unhappy useres hogging expensive bandwith to gather evidence of a problem, can we!

C:\Users\Bob>tracert speedtester.bt.com

Tracing route to speedtester.bt.com [217.32.105.42]

5   112 ms    29 ms    15 ms  t2as2-tge4-4.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net [166.49.211.137]
 6    15 ms    14 ms    14 ms  166-49-214-130.eu.bt.net [166.49.214.130]
 7    19 ms    18 ms    19 ms  core1-pos9-0-0.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net [194.74.65.117]
 8    16 ms    15 ms    16 ms  core2-pos9-0.stalbans.ukcore.bt.net [194.74.16.222]
 9    16 ms    15 ms    15 ms  vhsaccess2-gig2-0.stalbans.fixed.bt.net [217.32.169.156]
10     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Hi,

Kelly Comms finally arrived today and swapped FTTC modem out and I was kind of hoping the re-sync may have kicked the BT Speedtester into life as regards my connection - wrong, it still doesn't want to play.

PlusNet say they have some FTTC customers that it's working for and don't (at the moment regard it as a fault!!!!) I am persuing this angle.

I took my laptop to a friend round the corner who is not on FTTC and guess what, the tester works which proves to me at least it's the connection/routing that's the issue.

Guess I'm going to have to follow MHC's advice and get stuck in and have sight of my own info

Pete

Edited by deleted (Tue 14-Feb-12 15:38:22)

I'm with Plusnet & BT Speed test works for me, including the "additional services" test

Hi Bald_Eagle1,

Just to confirm, are you on PlusNet Extra Fibre via FTTC?

I can take my laptop to a friend on normal ADSLx and the tester works fine but a no show on my own connection, i.e. the laptop config is fine.

Interestingly, PN Support cannot do a line speed/profile check either

Pete

As well as Bald_Eagle's reply when it comes, see my sig .

@ Cathotel,

I'm on Plusnet Value Fibre.

Plusnet were unable to run the tests last week & sent me this message related to an ongoing speed issue:-

"With regards to the GEA test failures on your line I simply cannot get the test to run on your circuit. The GEA test shows us the DLM profile and sync rates so it's really useful for this type of issue. If the test continually fails then it is likely that there is planned maintenance on the testing heads for your circuit. As such we will need to wait for this to clear before we can see these details."

The BT speed tester works O.K. for me though.

Paul.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Neat!

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 1.03Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 832 Kbps

I always understood that the BT tester was the most accurate, and it always has shown speeds a little slower than Speedtest does.
That one however showed higher on both counts: 6.82 & 1.03. Last time I used it I got 6382 and 911.

It should be impossible to get an upload speed greater than the upstream IP Profile.

It's working perfectly here, I just accepted the java cert and continued.

Download speedachieved during the test was - 37.48 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 12 Mbps-38.72 Mbps .
Additional Information:
IP Profile for your line is - 38.72 Mbps

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 9.38Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 10 Mbps

I did wonder! - Didn't know enough to be 100% sure

I'll try it again tomorrow and see if it tells a truer story.

The BT tester has been erratic for me this past hour - busy, timed out, unable to complete...eventually, on the fifth try I got a result:
Down 6.68 up (max achievable 7.15)
Up .973 (max achievable 832)

So it's still showing that oddness on the up speed.

I did a Speedtest right after and got an identical result on both speeds ...think BT are using Speedtest!

I think a new thread somewhere is indicated Trishah. This one is mainly targeted at Fibre tests and how accurate the tester is with those. You're on ADSL2+ and from previous discussion I'm not happy about your speeds. Could be a lengthy discussion .

So sorry - I'd initially forgotten I was reading the fibre section

I had thought we decided nothing much could be done about my speeds ...I'll post my router stats etc in the other thread!

Now working for me, since I was put on the 80/20 trial today.

In reply to a post by billford:

Some reports of problems with the speedtester and Java 7, any help?
http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,28...

This is a red herring to some extent. I have had Java 7 since release in July last year. Since running the test today, a Java Applet was downloaded and have not been able to run the tester since. I have screen shots from January when Java7b2 was installed, java7b3 has just been released. It does not seem to be a Java 7 issue as such.

DrT

Edited by deleted (Mon 27-Feb-12 20:29:21)

You are right - it is NOT a Java issue.

I had the problem - as mentioned below and now it has gone ... with NO change to my Java set up to cause it or cure it!

Did you notice if an amended/updated applet was downloaded at all?

DrT

I noticed nothing.

I get:

An Applet from "www.speedtester.bt.com" is requesting access to your computer

with a comment that the digital signature has been verified and a checkbox to always allow applets from that site with the same signature (yeah, right!)

I click "Allow" and the test runs.

This is on a Mac, btw.

I have tested with Java7b1 and the new applet downloads and the speed test fails.

The Speedtest was previously working okay here with Java7 now it isn't.

Not much more to add or test unfortunately. I did try not installing the applet, but that caused the test to fail before I had a chance to type my phone number in.

DrT

I had that when the test stopped working and I tried allow or not allowing it and it did not make any difference. My Java is the same now as it was when the problem was detected and suddenly the test is running again. The problem has been thrown back to the BT development team for investigation, so maybe they have found the issue and are making changes - it should hear tomorrow.