php app to test bandwidth speeds ...

[Marcin Jessa]

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:18:52 -0600
James Ryan <james at infinityprosports.com> wrote:

> Marc G. Fournier wrote:
> > 
> > Something like:
> > 
> >     http://www.testmy.net
> > 
> > That I can run on my own server(s) ...
> 
> Are you wanting to test the bandwidth of clients accessing your web 
> site(s)?
> 
> If so, what I have done in the past is generate a ~100-500k graphic
> in ImageMagick/Photoshop/GIMP/etc with lots of added colored noise
> (so it cannot be compressed well).  You can either use JavaScript or
> PHP to track the timestamps of when the graphic is first requested
> and when it is downloaded.  So long as you load the image inside a
> non-visible tag, the client won't see it...
> 
> Not saying this is the best way, but its the easiest and it has
> worked for me.


This is the most common way of meassuring visitor's link speed.
We've a couple of sites in Norway offering such tests for free:
One is with Java and one without:
http://www.dinside.no/php/art.php?id=94158
('Nedlasting' is downloading, 'opplasting' is uploading)

Another one:
http://www.itavisen.no/services/speedometer/index.php
Click on "TRYKK HER FOR Å STARTE TESTEN!"
"Nedlastingshastighet:" shows you your download speed.

The smart thing is you can include a sponsored image in your test.
Those meassurements are of course innacurate but work pretty ok for
most of the time.

Cheers,
Marcin.