A new tool has been created in collaboration with website Top 10 Broadband which allows you to check out what kind of broadband speeds your neighbours are getting.
StreetStats, which is the web equivalent of looking through net curtains and checking out if your neighbour's car is speedier than your own, hopes to bring about some transparency in the broadband market and act as a wake up call for ISPs.
Speaking about the StreetStats service, Alex Buttle, marketing director at Top 10 Broadband, told BBC News: "One person at 1Mbps could be next door to someone receiving 8.5Mbps.
"We know that broadband speeds will vary depending on things like distance from the exchange and the way the wiring and equipment in your house is set up, but we do not believe this explains all of the variations we have seen between people in the same street."
Speed demon
You can try out the new service at www.top10-broadband.co.uk/speedtest. However, it looks like the speed test is proving a little too popular, as when we tried to use the service it was crippled by demand, with an announcement saying: "Due to overwhelming demand, we have had to pause our new StreetStats and speed test tools for the time being."
And who says we're not a nation of nosey neighbours?
Via BBC
Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
artyfarty
October 21st
4. that map looks rubbish Janusz
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gambid
October 20th
3. that speedchecker map doesn't look like it has hardly any results for my postcode. the top10 one has loads more results from what i can see.
also you can't see the who the broadband provider is or what date the test took place.
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janusz
October 19th
2. Top10 version relies on only 170,000 results. This alternative map will show average broadband speeds within an area and with more data points - 1.5 million results. -
http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/broadband_speed_in_my_area.aspx
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rob_b
October 19th
1. Shame you cant test as they're overloaded & it tells me I can only get 4.5meg when I can get over 6! ;-)
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