How come SL is so fast lol

[lucagrabacr]

Okay so I just installed a new internet at home, and when I'm download something from the internet, the max speed is around 80-100 kbps. But how in the world, when I play SL, the download speed is around 300-400 kbps? This also happens on another PC, SL's download speed is always MUCH faster than anything else . Anyone knows why?

[Freya Mokusei]

It depends on how it is measured, how the data is travelling/what its container/method is like, what else you (and others) are doing on your connection, and whether the bandwidth is counted after decompression of the stream or before.

It's also very dependant on the speed of the server you're connected to, and the optimisation of the network at the other end.

Measuring speed of connection is hard, because there are so many variables and ways of measuring. There is no 'absolute standard' that will product consistant and accurate results, it's a lot of guesswork.

[Theresa Tennyson]

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lucagrabacr wrote:

Okay so I just installed a new internet at home, and when I'm download something from the internet, the max speed is around 80-100 kbps. But how in the world, when I play SL, the download speed is around 300-400 kbps? This also happens on another PC, SL's download speed is always MUCH faster than anything else . Anyone knows why?

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There are two ways of measuring internet speed - kiloBITS per second, or Kbps, which uses the smallest possible piece of information, the single 1 or 0 "bit", and kiloBYTES per second, or KBps, which measures clusters of 8 bits. KiloBITS is the most common measure of internet speed and the one SL uses, but many other things use the 8-bit "byte" as the unit so some places use them to measure internet speed as well. The exact same connection will appear 8 times faster if measured in Kbps instead of KBps. Your internet connection statistics for other things are probably measured in kiloBYTES (I hope so for your sake or else it's horrible.)

[lucagrabacr]

I have another question. I have played SL on cybercafes with every client's download speed limited to some cap. SL always succeeded in bypassing these caps, how does that happen?

[Freya Mokusei]

Doubtful that the caps were bypassed, see again my comment about measuring after decompression.

Note especially that traffic to the SL viewer is packeted in several ways, and some are more flexible/speedy than transfers done via HTTP only (depending on the cap type, it might not 'catch' all SL-inbound traffic if it is only monitoring certain encapsulations or methods).

Some caps are also 'sum' caps, like if you're staying at a hotel they might limit all guests to 5Gbytes per day in downloads - much like how internet connections are faster late at night (because there is less local traffic), some caps can be more permissible than others.

[lucagrabacr]

Hmm, that might explains it. I will check later whether my other applications are measuring with KBps instead of Kbps when I got back on laptop.

[lucagrabacr]

Maybe you're right about traffic to SL viewer is packeted in some ways and some are faster or more flexible than transfer via HTTP, and the cap only limiting some stuff.

 

 

[Freya Mokusei]

Maybemaybe

Such things are difficult to measure remotely, and obviously require significant understanding of TCP/IP and UDP transfer, encapsulation and method objects (which evolve constantly), and real-time observation of any traffic alteration, streaming or shaping passing through the link.

[RobertThorp]

As others have explained, it may be a matter of how the speed is mesured. Just curious, how do you measure speed? What is telling you that SL is 300-400 kbps?

I don't have any idea what speed I am getting on SL on my computer. At work I frequently have to download or send large files, so I can measure the time to download or send the files and know the size of the files. But on SL I have no idea what the size of files are. I would like to have a good way of knowing the speed (SL and everything else) so I can complain when it drops

[Freya Mokusei]

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RobertThorp wrote:

As others have explained, it may be a matter of how the speed is mesured. Just curious, how do you measure speed? What is telling you that SL is 300-400 kbps?

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In SL, Ctrl+Shift+1 or Advanced > Consoles > Statistics. The bar you're looking for is 'Bandwidth', but as stated it is not necessarily accurate.

[Ceka Cianci]

i was always told that the connection will only be as fast as the slowest connection..

you may feel it being faster when connected to a good DL speed..

because your speed is at it's best.. you are pinging your best..

let enough other usrs get on their and bog it down and it may show the possible speed but may not deliver it..since so many are hitting it at the same time..

ping will drop..

same goes with showing up with say 12megs a second and hitting something with 1meg per second..

you will only get the 1 meg because that's as fast as it can go..

 

this is how i remember it anyways..mainly from DL music and stuff

things may have changed since i used to get lots of music..

multi player stuff upload and DL becomes just as important in the same way with ping

 

 

 

 

[Freya Mokusei]

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Ceka Cianci wrote:

i was always told that the connection will only be as fast as the slowest connection..

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Your post is correct for asynchronous services such as multiplayer games. Since the 'server' is usually a player (or the 'host'), their connection is not always capable of distributing all update events - from all players, to all players - all the time. A slow connection will damage the other players experiences, because control of update events is in the hands of every player and their individual connections are not necessarily providing a congruent and atomic timeline of events (e.g. you get shot in the game before it's possible to see your enemy, their connection is faster so they see you first).

However SL is synchronous, the simulator calculates all changes, and distributes the update events in parallel. It doesn't matter what speed the connections to the server are running at, the maximum distribution of updates is 45 frames per second - time dilation allows sims to slow their perception of time so that events can be divided evenly. Another user's slow connection will not change your perception of their actions (e.g. noobs running into walls that you can see, but they cannot).

Hope this helps. It's.. not an easy subject for me to explain concisely.

[Miranda Umino]

Your max speeed in other games of   around 80-100 kbps : they are kilo BYTES per seconds

When youplay SL, your download speed  around 300-400 kbps : they are kilo BITS per seconds  . So 8 X less .

Yes your SL download with the very , very , very low performance of 40-50 kilo bytes per seconds .

 

To add .. I have never seen in Europe  with DASL connections ,   someone having SL upper to 1500 kilo BIT per seconds .. So a ridculous low  traffic of 200 kilo Bytes per second

Even when their DASL  bandwith can download 20 mega bit per seconds ( 20 000 kilo bits per seconds if you prefer )

 

SL has ALWAYS downloaded lower than the other applications .

 

 

You may verify by other tools  who log your traffic network

 

[Pyrite Sopwith]

Yes, I agree.  Connection speed has a lot to do with why there is no lag prevalent on some computers, as well as kilobits per second.  I can see why some people are still complaining about SSA to this day and referring to it as a total flop.

Maybe those users will realize that having a better internet connection and a very powerful connection speed and an optimum graphics card is such a good idea.  I can see why users have been drifting away from Second Life as of lately - they don't have a good graphics card, they lack a good connection speed and other factors.  They probably don't read the fine print on what you need in order to use Second Life and they just register and download anyway.  Traffic has been in decline, but I cannot see it declining to the extent of eventually having to declare Second Life defunct.  The worst that may happen will be the number of users online during peak periods hitting 50,000 or more, maybe as little as 40,000.  I am sure a lot of the dedicated users in SL have a really good connection and good graphics card.  I may even have too many files (especially video files) on my hard drive, and I may have to uninstall programs that I don't use, and even transfer some of my files to an external hard drive.  I recommend those users to do it too.  It's worth a try.

I can see why some of the newbies to SL end up going to clubs on their first days in SL and end up walking like they're lagging and ending up on the stage where the DJ and host/hostess stand and those newbies being told to get off the DJ stage.  The factors I listed above explains why this issue happens to some users.  Their time on SL ends up being short-lived and they just throw in the towel after one or two logins.

Lag was always quite prevalent when I used it on a computer that I purchased in 2006.  That computer was on the way out in June 2011 because of a rogue virus possibly due to going to a site that I suspect might be elyrics.  I have since purchased a better computer with a better graphics card, and Second Life works better on my latest computer than my old computer.  Lag does happen, but for a shorter period.  Just goes to show.

I may even consider updating to a required graphics card hopefully soon, plus get some extra RAM added.  That may help with the loading problems in the long run.