06262014Thu
Last updateFri, 20 Jun 2014 1pm

Internet connection speeds: understanding the ABCs

Have you ever seen one of those roadside displays that say “Your speed is …?”

The displayed speed changes every time a car drives by because some drivers are fast while others drive more slowly. It is possible over time to determine an average speed of the traffic flow, but it is absolutely impossible to know the speed that all traffic is moving because not all the traffic is moving at the same speed. The information superhighway we call “The Internet” works exactly the same way, thus there is not, and cannot be, any accurate way to state definitively how fast an internet connection is all the time.

That last sentence is worth repeating because it is important that everyone understands.

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