Guide for Diagnosing Internet Connectivity Issues

If you are experiencing issues with quality of video, run a speedtest at http://www.speedtest.net/.

Ping - This is how long it takes to communicate data back and forth to the ISP (Internet Services Provider. AKA Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, etc) server. Recommended ping for the platform is 25 or less.

Download - This is amount of information being pulled down from the ISP to a device in Mbps (Megabits Per Second). Recommended download speed is 3Mbps or higher.

Upload - This is the amount of information being uploaded to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) from your home network in Mbps (Megabits Per Second). Recommended upload speed is 3Mbps or higher.

Example of Poor Connectivity Video Session

	Provider	Client	Observations
Ping	5	55	Note that client ping is so much higher than providers this can be helped by plugging in with a network cable or speaking to the ISP to get better signal
Download	87.11Mbps	49.98Mbps	These numbers are perfectly acceptable. Provider download is at the top end of download speeds, whereas client is mid tier but still acceptable.
Upload	52.97Mbps	2.56Mbps	Provider numbers on this one look great and are again on the high end for upload speed. Client numbers are a little low at 2.56Mbps and can be improved by talking to their ISP or connecting directly to internet via ethernet cable.

Diagnosis Details

With the client’s results of 49.98 down and 2.56 up the client has reached the minimum requirements for download speed but the upload speed is on the low side. Upload speed should be 3Mbps at a minimum which is part of the reason you will encounter skipping in the video. Now some times the speed test needs to be run two or three times because speeds can vary based on how many people in the area are using large amounts of bandwidth at a time. However in his case, the client ping was a bit higher than a normal household should be. This can mean that he his wifi signal is not strong enough to fully support the bandwidth.  It’s trying to use internet speed (ie. having a Dodge Charger on the interstate with no speed limit) but the router is not able to support the speed (stuck in traffic). To combat this, ISP companies can change the channel the Wifi is broadcasted on to alleviate some of the interference (Moving the Dodge Charger to another interstate that allows more freedom).