• networkQuality utility

    From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 13:44:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of 1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around 15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up, which is normal.)

    I'm confused...
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 14:11:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of 1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around 15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up, which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 14:31:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey >> apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre >> upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up, >> which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 14:59:03 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey >>> apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not >>> actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up, >>> which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 15:04:48 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey >>>> apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not >>>> actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 15:35:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not >>>>> actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see >> how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Thu Jan 8 22:29:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports
    70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see >>> how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes
    with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a
    connection capable of 1Mbps at best.
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 07:02:51 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports >>>>>> 70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a connection capable of 1Mbps at best.

    I get the feeling we may have misunderstood NQrCOs purpose! This Reddit
    article is quite detailed and IrCOm going to have to read it again to improve my understanding.

    <https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1l8xku7/trying_to_understand_networkquality_command_output/>
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Old John@watcombeman@yahoo.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 09:00:31 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 22:29:08 GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports >>>>>> 70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic
    download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a connection capable of 1Mbps at best.

    Does your router give you the down and up sync speeds? There's no way your measured rates can exceed these.
    I use Think Broadband's speed tester and it consistently gives me speeds that are the ten to fifteen percent slower than the sync speed.
    --
    Classic computing: Computers do what you tell them to do,
    not what you want them to do.
    Modern computing: Computers do what they want to do,
    no matter what you tell them to do.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From =?UTF-8?Q?J=C3=B6rg_Lorenz?=@hugybear@gmx.net to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 10:15:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 09.01.26 10:00, Old John wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 22:29:08 GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote: >>>>>>> On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports >>>>>>> 70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic >>>>>> download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes >> with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite
    accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a
    connection capable of 1Mbps at best.

    Does your router give you the down and up sync speeds? There's no way your measured rates can exceed these.
    I use Think Broadband's speed tester and it consistently gives me speeds that are the ten to fifteen percent slower than the sync speed.dd

    I cannot confirm this assertion. But: I trust more what my router gives
    me back because it is directly connected to the infrastructure of the ISP.

    J||rg
    --
    "Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Graham J@nobody@nowhere.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 10:37:49 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    TimH wrote:

    [snip]


    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)


    I suggest you use https://f8lure.mouselike.org/auth.asp

    You will need to set up an account using your email address. It can be configured to email you every time the connection drops, and it shows
    you a daily graph. You will need to have a static public IP address, or
    use a Dynamic DNS Service to provide F8Lure with the actual IP address
    of your connection.

    You will also need to configure your router to respond to pings on its
    WAN port. If you don't know how to do this, tell us the exact make and
    model of your router and somebody here may be able to help.

    The graph is extremely useful: it shows how the performance varies with
    load and congestion.

    Warning 1: it (obviously) won't work if your connection uses CGNAT. If
    you don't understand this, ask here again.

    Warning 2: it won't work with the FRITZ!Box 7530 AX as supplied by the
    likes of Zen Internet. The router is crippled, so that it thinks pings arriving at its WAN port are a threat and it blocks them. But you can
    (with some difficulty) configure the FRITZ to send you an email whenever
    its connection fails.
    --
    Graham J
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David B.@BD@hotmail.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 11:24:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 09/01/2026 09:00, Old John wrote:
    I use Think Broadband's speed tester and it consistently gives me speeds that are the ten to fifteen percent slower than the sync speed.

    How does this result look to you, John?

    https://i.ibb.co/pjxsyfyT/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-11-21-01.png

    How do you check the "Sync speed"?
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 11:43:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:37:49rC>am GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:


    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see >> how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)


    I suggest you use https://f8lure.mouselike.org/auth.asp

    You will need to set up an account using your email address. It can be configured to email you every time the connection drops, and it shows
    you a daily graph. You will need to have a static public IP address, or
    use a Dynamic DNS Service to provide F8Lure with the actual IP address
    of your connection.

    You will also need to configure your router to respond to pings on its
    WAN port. If you don't know how to do this, tell us the exact make and
    model of your router and somebody here may be able to help.

    The graph is extremely useful: it shows how the performance varies with
    load and congestion.

    Warning 1: it (obviously) won't work if your connection uses CGNAT. If
    you don't understand this, ask here again.

    Warning 2: it won't work with the FRITZ!Box 7530 AX as supplied by the
    likes of Zen Internet. The router is crippled, so that it thinks pings arriving at its WAN port are a threat and it blocks them. But you can
    (with some difficulty) configure the FRITZ to send you an email whenever
    its connection fails.

    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years.
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 11:45:23 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote: >>>>>>> On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports >>>>>>> 70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic >>>>>> download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes >> with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite
    accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a
    connection capable of 1Mbps at best.

    I get the feeling we may have misunderstood NQrCOs purpose! This Reddit article is quite detailed and IrCOm going to have to read it again to improve my understanding.

    <https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1l8xku7/trying_to_understand_networkquality_command_output/>

    Whilst I have always realised that rCyqualityrCO is not all about speed, if I understand the posts I referenced correctly, responsive is more important.
    To quote part of one of the posts:-

    <quote>
    First, the goal of networkQuality (rCLnqrCY latter on) is not to measure bandwidth or capacity (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9318.html#name-capacity-metrics) but to measure rCLresponsivenessrCY, also known as rCLlatency under loadrCY or rCLlatency
    under working conditionsrCY.
    </quote>

    ThererCOs no point boasting about having some ultra fast fibre link if thererCOs lots of latency, loss of data packets etc. IrCOm being constantly harassed by full fibre suppliers to upgrade but until IrCOm convinced their networks have acceptable resilience, IrCOm staying put.
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 11:45:51 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 9 Jan 2026 at 7:02:51rC>am GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    I get the feeling we may have misunderstood NQrCOs purpose! This Reddit article is quite detailed and IrCOm going to have to read it again to improve my understanding.

    <https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1l8xku7/trying_to_understand_networkquality_command_output/>

    Yes, it confused me too. This bit in particular: "To get to the working conditions, the utility will iteratively create multiple connections, until
    the round trip delay stops growing." So what's the upper bound on connections? --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris@ithinkiam@gmail.com to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 12:36:15 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:04:48rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 2:31:04rC>pm GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-08, Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote: >>>>>>> On 2026-01-08, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    I've just been experimenting with this - it's been built-in since Monterey
    apparently - and it should be very handy, except that it's giving me bizarre
    upload figures.

    We're still on copper, and typically get around 12Mbps down, and a maximum of
    1Mbps up. networkQuality is consistently reporting a download speed of around
    15Mbps, which is possible, though unusual, and 13-15Mbps up, which is not
    actually possible on this connection.

    (Ookla Speedtest and the ThinkBroadband tool both report around 0.5Mbps up,
    which is normal.)

    I'm confused...

    Same here. It reports about 10 down and 22 up but speedtest reports >>>>>>> 70 down and 19 up which is pretty much the norm here.

    Using the -s option (run tests sequentially) gives a more realistic >>>>>> download rate but the upload rate still looks too high.

    Makes no difference here.

    Frustrating; I was hoping I might be able to set it up as a cron job to see
    how often the connection's dropping. (Which is too often)

    I've just realised that I was connected via WiFi to my router. Now
    that I've connected directly to it via a LAN cable and using the -s
    option, the results are much the same as Speedtest.


    Still getting the same nonsense uplink figure here, even over ethernet.

    Now updating the mini server to Monterey so i can try it on that!

    And... on the upgraded mini, networkQuality runs for a while, then crashes >> with a timeout error. Interestingly, until it crashes, the down rate is quite
    accurate, but upload is even crazier than before: around 31Mbps on a
    connection capable of 1Mbps at best.

    I get the feeling we may have misunderstood NQrCOs purpose! This Reddit article is quite detailed and IrCOm going to have to read it again to improve my understanding.

    <https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1l8xku7/trying_to_understand_networkquality_command_output/>

    Shame. I was seeing some very healthy figures, but in the end the "responsiveness" on both up and down is "low". Am on a mifi connection currently so it chimes with my experience despite both up and down
    supposedly being 20-30 Mbps.

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Graham J@nobody@nowhere.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 22:05:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years.


    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers
    that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them.
    --
    Graham J
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Fri Jan 9 23:16:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:05:56rC>pm GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without >> DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years.


    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers
    that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them.

    Ha! It never even occurred to me it would be that simple :) Done, thanks.

    (half way through I remembered that I used to use dyndns.org, but I see that it's now owned by Oracle. Ugh.)
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Old John@watcombeman@yahoo.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 09:32:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 9 Jan 2026 at 11:24:01 GMT, ""David B."" <BD@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

    On 09/01/2026 09:00, Old John wrote:
    I use Think Broadband's speed tester and it consistently gives me speeds that
    are the ten to fifteen percent slower than the sync speed.

    How does this result look to you, John?

    https://i.ibb.co/pjxsyfyT/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-11-21-01.png

    How do you check the "Sync speed"?

    Personally, I go to the router and click the "Status" button. It's a BT/EE router. But no doubt this varies from router to router so YMMV.


    https://share.icloud.com/photos/036RBmMupqZ6XGBPVV3fGaYKg
    --
    An infinitely complex system can fail in an infinite number of ways.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 11:09:16 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:05:56rC>pm GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without
    DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years.


    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers
    that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them.

    Ha! It never even occurred to me it would be that simple :) Done, thanks.

    (half way through I remembered that I used to use dyndns.org, but I see that it's now owned by Oracle. Ugh.)

    Yes I may configure a dynamic DNS solution for my server, not that IrCOm experiencing any particular issues, but more to improve my understanding. Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks ;-)
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David B.@BD@hotmail.co.uk to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 12:37:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 11/01/2026 09:32, Old John wrote:
    On 9 Jan 2026 at 11:24:01 GMT, ""David B."" <BD@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

    On 09/01/2026 09:00, Old John wrote:
    I use Think Broadband's speed tester and it consistently gives me speeds that
    are the ten to fifteen percent slower than the sync speed.

    How does this result look to you, John?

    https://i.ibb.co/pjxsyfyT/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-11-21-01.png

    How do you check the "Sync speed"?

    Personally, I go to the router and click the "Status" button. It's a BT/EE router. But no doubt this varies from router to router so YMMV.


    https://share.icloud.com/photos/036RBmMupqZ6XGBPVV3fGaYKg

    Thank you so very much for your reply, Old John

    I had a look inside my BT HomeHub and noticed that it said WAN Speed = 1000Mbps

    www.fast.com reports my Internet speed at roughly half that, so I had a
    little chat with Gemini AI EfOe

    =

    I can see why that 1000Mbps figure looks like a smoking gun, but there
    is actually a technical "translation error" happening between the
    router's hardware and your actual internet plan.

    Here is what is really going on inside your Hub:

    1. The "1000Mbps" is just the "Size of the Pipe"
    When you see 1000Mbps (or 1Gbps) in the Status or WAN section, the Hub
    isn't measuring your internet speedrCoit is reporting the Link Speed of
    the physical cable plugged into the red "WAN" port on the back.

    It's essentially the router saying: "I have a high-speed motorway
    connection to the white BT box on the wall (the ONT)."

    Even if you are only paying for a 50Mbps or 150Mbps plan, the "pipe"
    between those two boxes is always 1000Mbps. It doesn't mean the data is actually moving that fast; it just means the hardware is capable of it.

    2. Is BT Throttling You?
    In the traditional sense (slowing you down because you've used too much
    data), no. BT stopped "Traffic Management" (throttling) on almost all
    home packages years ago.

    However, they do "limit" you based on your contract. If you pay for
    Fibre 1 (50Mbps), they set a digital cap at the exchange. Your router
    "links" at 1000Mbps, but the internet tap is only turned on enough to
    let 50Mbps through. It's less like "throttling" and more like "only
    getting what's on the tin."

    3. How to find your ACTUAL speed
    To see what BT is actually sending to your house, don't look at "WAN
    Status." Instead, look for:

    Sync Speed or Downstream Rate: This is the actual speed the Hub has
    negotiated with the exchange.

    =

    I hope that helps.

    Maybe you see something different. Please advise if you do.
    --
    Kind regards,
    David

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 14:38:20 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 11 Jan 2026 at 11:09:16rC>am GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:05:56rC>pm GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote: >>
    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without
    DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years. >>>>

    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers
    that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them.

    Ha! It never even occurred to me it would be that simple :) Done, thanks.

    (half way through I remembered that I used to use dyndns.org, but I see that >> it's now owned by Oracle. Ugh.)

    Yes I may configure a dynamic DNS solution for my server, not that IrCOm experiencing any particular issues, but more to improve my understanding. Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks ;-)

    I've really gone down the rabbit hole now: not only set up DDNS with Graham's suggested external ping checker, but also reflashed the router firmware and installed on it various toys including automated speedtests with pretty
    charts. Nobody mention displacement activity.
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Alan B@alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 14:54:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 2026-01-11, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 11 Jan 2026 at 11:09:16rC>am GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:05:56rC>pm GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without
    DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years. >>>>>

    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers
    that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them.

    Ha! It never even occurred to me it would be that simple :) Done, thanks. >>>
    (half way through I remembered that I used to use dyndns.org, but I see that
    it's now owned by Oracle. Ugh.)

    Yes I may configure a dynamic DNS solution for my server, not that IrCOm
    experiencing any particular issues, but more to improve my understanding.
    Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks ;-)

    I've really gone down the rabbit hole now: not only set up DDNS with Graham's suggested external ping checker, but also reflashed the router firmware and installed on it various toys including automated speedtests with pretty charts. Nobody mention displacement activity.

    I've a quick look at NoIP but I need to get my head around setting up
    the A, AAAA stuff first before I proceed. There's clearly a lot more
    to it than just getting a hostname!
    --
    Cheers, Alan
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From TimH@thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid to uk.comp.sys.mac on Sun Jan 11 15:01:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 11 Jan 2026 at 2:54:44rC>pm GMT, "Alan B" <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-01-11, TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 11 Jan 2026 at 11:09:16rC>am GMT, "Alan B"
    <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:

    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 9 Jan 2026 at 10:05:56rC>pm GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

    TimH wrote:
    [snip]


    Many thanks, I hadn't come across that! Now set up, though currently without
    DynDNS. Any recommendations for providers? I haven't used it for years. >>>>>>

    Look at the DynDNS screen in your router. It may list the providers >>>>> that it works with - possibly quite a limited list. Pick one of them. >>>>
    Ha! It never even occurred to me it would be that simple :) Done, thanks. >>>>
    (half way through I remembered that I used to use dyndns.org, but I see that
    it's now owned by Oracle. Ugh.)

    Yes I may configure a dynamic DNS solution for my server, not that IrCOm >>> experiencing any particular issues, but more to improve my understanding. >>> Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks ;-)

    I've really gone down the rabbit hole now: not only set up DDNS with Graham's
    suggested external ping checker, but also reflashed the router firmware and >> installed on it various toys including automated speedtests with pretty
    charts. Nobody mention displacement activity.

    I've a quick look at NoIP but I need to get my head around setting up
    the A, AAAA stuff first before I proceed. There's clearly a lot more
    to it than just getting a hostname!

    Actually in my case (Asus router) there wasn't really. You just go to the DDNS config panel and pick a provider. Only a couple of them were free, so it
    wasn't a difficult choice!
    --
    TimH
    pull tooth to reply by email
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris@ithinkiam@gmail.com to uk.comp.sys.mac on Mon Jan 12 14:44:13 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.comp.sys.mac

    On 09/01/2026 12:36, Chris wrote:
    Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:
    On 8 Jan 2026 at 3:35:28rC>pm GMT, "TimH" <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> wrote:


    I get the feeling we may have misunderstood NQrCOs purpose! This Reddit
    article is quite detailed and IrCOm going to have to read it again to improve
    my understanding.

    <https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1l8xku7/trying_to_understand_networkquality_command_output/>

    Shame. I was seeing some very healthy figures, but in the end the "responsiveness" on both up and down is "low". Am on a mifi connection currently so it chimes with my experience despite both up and down
    supposedly being 20-30 Mbps.

    Just tested my work connection on the University janet network and I
    only get a "medium" responsiveness rating!
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2