Speed Test

The speed test feature enables the CSR to remotely trigger a WAN throughput speed test against the subscriber’s CPE device. The results of the speed test performed by the subscriber’s CPE device are then reflected in the Device Manager UI.

This feature available in Device Manager v10.2.1.0 and later and works with CPE devices that support TR-143. For SmartRG devices, firmware v2.6.n and later is required. If the device is not supported, Speed Test will be greyed-out in the Device Manager user interface.

To access the Speed Test feature, locate the subscriber account record for whom you wish to perform a speed test. Then, from the left navigation bar, expand the EXPERT drop-down menu and select Speed Test.

 

Configure the Speed Test

Scroll past the Speed Meter dials for upload and download and select Configure URLs for Speed Test to expose the configuration fields. You can choose to customize these fields or leave the pre-populated values in place.

Configure URLs for Speed Test (select the blue text)

FIELD NAME DESCRIPTION
Download Server (HTTP/FTP) Enter the address of the server to be utilized for the download speed test. A complete path to a file of the required size must be included in the URL. Either HTTP or FTP destinations can be used. See image above for example format.
Upload Server (HTTP/FTP) Enter the destination URL where the upload file is to be created. Be sure to declare a complete path including the name of the upload file to be created during the test. Either HTTP or FTP destinations can be used. See image above for example format.
Upload File Length (Bytes) Enter the size of the file transfer to be transmitted during an upload speed test. File size is expressed in bytes. See screenshot above for example format.

After customizing the configuration fields as needed, select the Save Configuration button found at the bottom of the Configure URLs for Speed Test box.

To restore these settings to their default values, use the buttons for Restore Default Download Settings or Restore Default Upload Settings as needed.

Consider using file sizes that will require roughly 10-15 seconds of time to transfer. While both HTTP and FTP are supported, FTP is often be the preferred protocol for testing. Due to it's efficiency, FTP typically reports slightly better performance vs. using HTTP on the same line of service.

 

Run the Speed Test

After setting the configuration fields as needed (above) follow these steps to invoke the test.

Run The Test

  1. Near the top of the Speed Test panel, select the radio button under Download Speed if you wish to run a download test. Select the radio button under Upload Speed if you wish to run an upload test.
  2. Select the Save button in the upper-right.
  3. The test begins and an Elapsed Time clock located between the upload and download dials begins to advance.
    When the test completes, the needle and the numeric readout in the middle of the dial will display the test result.
  4. Check the Status Message for information regarding this test

Status Message: The Status Message will update the state of the test as information is received. This can include errors encountered and when tests have completed.

Elapsed Time: The Elapsed Time clock starts when the Save button is pressed and stops when ACS has received the data from the device. The Elapsed Time has a default timeout of 60 seconds. This gives Device Manager and the device 60 seconds to complete the test initialization, execute the Speed Test and return the Test Results. When the Elapsed Time stops, the UI refresh timer has expired. If no data has been displayed on the Speed Meter or in the test results table, this indicates that either the test did not run or the test failed. The status message will reflect such outcomes of the test if applicable.

 

Speed Test Results

Upon test completion of the test, the Speed Meter dial you selected in step 1 (above) will reflect the results of the test. In addition, the Download Test Results and Upload Test Results tables located below the Speed Meter dials also show recent history of speed tests run against this subscriber’s CPE device.

Download and Upload Results tables

The table contains the following data:

COLUMN NAME DESCRIPTION
Start Time The dated timestamp of when the speed test was initiated.
Start Time The dated timestamp of when the speed test concluded.
Total Bytes The total number of bytes transmitted for this particular test run. It will typically be a few bytes larger than the size of the file you specified in the configuration as some overhead is required to facilitate the transfer.
Test Bytes The number of bytes that applied to calculating the actual test. This reflect the size of the file you specified in the speed test Configuration.
Throughput The maximum data rate achieved during the test. Displayed in Mbps or Gbps.