HOW TO MONITOR THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR CONNECTION

Are you experiencing dropouts or slow speeds with your internet connection ? The following programs/devices can assist you in monitoring your connection and provide valuable data for you to escalate with your RSP (provider).

PING PLOTTER

Ping Plotter is a great program that can record the dropouts for you, so you don’t have to manually record these for your provider. The program can also measure things such as packet loss, jitter and trace route. Whilst a test device that is plugged directly into your internet connection (LAN cable) is ideal, a Wi-Fi connection is also fine as long as the test device has a strong Wi-Fi signal. The device must also remain active for the period of the test.

NB: If you are troubleshooting with a nbn provider you must use Ping Plotter with a device that is directly connected into the nbn connection box (NTD/modem) via an ethernet cord/LAN cable.

Ping Plotter is a 14 day free trial, you can download it here: https://www.pingplotter.com/fix-your-network
Recommended settings:
Interval = 2.5 seconds and focus = 60 minutes.
For nbn Sky Muster connections: Adjust the expected latency to be 550-800ms

2. SAM KNOWS MONITORING WHITEBOX

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched the Measuring Broadband Australia program in order to better understand how Australians are experiencing internet performance in their homes. The program uses Sam Knows White boxes to record information about the quality of your connection, such as speed, packet loss, latency and drop outs. To sign up for a Sam Knows monitor via this link (please note satellite connections are not eligible). https://measuringbroadbandaustralia.com.au/

3. SPEEDTEST.NET

USE Speedtest.net to chart your speed results over time. Create an account and sign in to Speedtest.net to get started. Do several tests in the evening busy period and several tests at a less busy time

4. NetUptime Monitor

Continuously monitor your internet and local network connections in real time and view or print a detailed log of all failure length and times. Only compatible with windows computers.

NB: When setting up the monitor for nbn satellite connections, please ensure settings allow for the latency.

Test interval: 2 seconds
Wait for ping response: 2000 milliseconds
Alert & log failure if longer than: 4 seconds

For all other connections:

Test interval: 1 seconds
Wait for ping response: 1000 milliseconds
Alert & log failure if longer than: 1 seconds

Download & Install: https://netuptimemonitor.com/

Please note the trial version of the net uptime monitor will run for 60 minutes then close, a license is required to remove this limitation. You can get a permanent license for a one time payment of just US$9.95.