Answering a question in the SL Forum Answers, I found that I needed to update an article I wrote on testing your Internet connection to Second Life™. It is creatively titled: Troubleshoot Your #SL Connection. I posted it in October 2011.
At the time SpeedTest.net allowed one to test to a destination of their choice. SpeedTest.net has changed. Now one can only test to a nearby server from a list provided by SpeedTest.net. I suppose the idea is one only need test from your computer to your ISP. I suppose that works for most people. For our testing purpose, it is now useless.
Speed Test – Image by Lunchbox Larry @ Flickr
The article is about specifically testing your connection to an SL server. So, I need a new speed test. I started looking for a good choice to add into the article. I came across LifeWire, which has a list of speed test sites. It shows as having updated 1m/2d/2018.
Those freaking out about being splashed with freedom from the repeal of Obama’s socialist pretend Net Neutrality, you’ll need these sites to see if your connection is being throttled.
From reading the page you’ll see the main interest is in testing the speed your ISP is providing. The question they are answering is, “Are you getting what you are paying for?” So, these sites do not really answer the question we are asking, “How good is my connection to an SL server?”
There is no way to actually get these tests to download a file from an SL region server. But, you can probably find a server in the city where the SL region servers live. Pulling the geolocation of a region server from the viewer’s HELP->ABOUT… sim10446.agni.lindenlab.com (216.82.51.152:13021) I get San Jose, California.
A site named BandwidthPlace.com will let me select a server to test to. That is as good a bandwidth test to SL as we are going to get. You’ll have to check to see which servers your viewer is using, geolocate them, and then find a testing service with a server in that city.
You may have to work through the LifeWire list to find a service that will let you test to the city you want.
