Category: Computer/ Tech Related
Verizon Shapes the Shit out of their Traffic
I supposedly have 25/25MBPS connection on Verizon FiOS. And it’s true – I do get 25/25 all the time. They do not lie and it doesn’t vary like cable (depending on how many people on your node are clogging the tubes). However, this doesn’t mean that certain connections are not limited. I have conducted tests which prove Verizon does indeed prioritize certain traffic.
If you don’t understand technology, stop reading now because you won’t give a shit and a half about the following:
The situation:
- I am downloading a file from over an SSH connection from a server at 1.6MBPS (the upload on that connection maxes out around 1.8 or so)
- I decided to upload a file to a separate server using SFTP over SSH
- I uploaded a file to that same server using FTP
The evidence:
Red signifies download, green is upload and yellow is overlap.
What the hell does this all mean?
- The red you see across the whole graph is me downloading files from a server that someone has on Optimum Online. I am SSH’d to the box and have the network drive mapped.
- The second spike of yellow and green is another computer with a 15MBPS connection that connected to my FiOS network and is downloading a file from me using SFTP. This is limited to about 3MBPS but spikes to 5 here and there
- The third spike of yellow is me uploading something to portfolioso.com using SFTP. Notice how it is limited to 1.6MBPS? Looks like we found out that SFTP downloads
- The green is me uploading a file to portfolioso.com using FTP. Notice I am getting my full 25MBPS up.
The fact that two separate SSH transfers were so cleanly chopped at 1.6MBPS signifies that Verizon capped the bandwidth there, since I have about 24MBPS left in the tubes. I am assuming that Verizon could not determine what type of traffic it was (since it’s SSH encrypted and on a nonstandard port) so they were like – eh lets not prioritize this.
What I don’t understand is why my upload was about 3MBPS when someone SFTP’d files from me whereas an SFTP transfer to portfolioso.com and an SFTP download I initiated both maxed at 1.6MBPS.
So yeah. There is some limiting going on around here. But you can’t complain because it’s consumer internet service and they “manage traffic” to maintain the integrity of their network, blah blah blah. I’ve heard every excuse in the book for this.
Overall, this means nothing to 99.6% of people reading this (or those who stopped after the first sentence did not interest them). Most internet users will experience the full speeds with basic web browsing and uploading (since Verizon does not limit http traffic)
FiOS is still better than Optimum Online on the grounds that their upload bandwidth is much higher. If you’re doing P2P stuff (for legal non copyrighted files, mind you) FiOS does not limit that since it can connect to multiple peers until you max out your bandwidth. I’ve had torrents that used my full 25MBPS pipe before, and they were amazing.
So thanks for the fast internet connection. Also, thanks for not doing the whole net neutrality thing.
Android App of the Week: Launcher Pro (I’m actually excited)
Note: If you have the Droid X with Motoblur, or SenseUI, this probably doesn’t apply since your skin already has some of these features. But if you have an original Droid or don’t like Sense or Motoblur, read on:
Everyone needs to download this Launcher Pro immediately. This isn’t an app. It’s a complete homescreen replacement. What does it do? It pretty much gives you up to 7 homescreens, and replaces the bland app drawer slider with the bottom bar from Froyo. I know I first said that anyone who skins Android is an asshole. That’s still true, but this does not count so I’m not a hypocrite. It is based on Froyo (Android 2.2) and doesn’t redo the icons to look dumb (like HTC sense does).
Take a look at the before and after:
The bar on the bottom is called the dock. In Android 2.1 on the Moto Droid, you only get the app drawer slider. Motorola and/or Verizon stripped out the 3D app drawer and the 5 homescreens that made it in the 2.1 update for the Nexus One. In Froyo and in Android 2.2, this is standard. If Motorola/Verizon release Android 2.2 without more homescreens and with the same half assed app drawer, I will be super pissed. So along comes Launcher Pro. Take a look at my before and after screenshots above. The screenshot on the right is better because it neatly packs my phone dialer, contacts, app drawer, messaging and browser on the bottom, so I don’t have to have icons for all of those all over my homescreen. See how much more space I have? That vertical slider thing under the app drawer (the checker square thing) tells you what homescreen I’m on.
This homescreen replacement has shitloads of options and you can pretty much customize anything you want. To access options, hit your menu button from the homescreen and click Preferences, which will bring up a settings menu (left screenshot). You can enable the 3D app drawer, change the dock background, lock the background wallpaper from scrolling when you switch screens, add unread message and missed call counts, etc. It also has an expose (that OSX thing where it shows all the homescreens together(see right image). You can backup your homescreens to a settings file on the SD card and restore them on that phone or another device.
So in conclusion, this probably slows down your phone and uses more battery, but it looks mad good, gives you Froyo looking homescreen and shortcuts and if you have the original Droid, you can add up to 7 homescreens. Epic win in my book.
I will absolutely uninstall this if Verizon’s 2.2 update includes multiple homescreens, a dock and the app drawer. But until then, this made my phone so much more convenient.
To get this bad boy running is a little confusing, since it doesn’t run like an app. Once you download it, press your home button on your phone. It will ask you if you want to “complete action using” Home or Launcher Pro. Check “use by default for this action” then click launcher pro. If you don’t it will ask you if you want to use the native home app or the custom Launcher every time. To restore this and get your normal homescreen back, you can clear the default by going to Settings–>Applications–>Manage Applications and clicking on Launcher Pro, then clicking Clear defaults. When you press the home screen again, it will bring up the “complete action using” Home or Launcher Pro option. Check the box and then click Home. OR EASIER – ignore all that babble and just uninstall it.
Download it from the market below (scan it or click the barcode on your phone):
Android App of the Week: Gmote
July 28, 2010
Computer/ Tech Related
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Portfolioso
Gmote for Android: A remote for your PC’s media. Via WiFi, you install a server on your PC and it syncs to it via WiFi. You can then browse your C drive for music or videos and play them on your PC or stream it to your phone. (Videos don’t really stream to the phone, depending on the codec).
Don’t expect an iTunes/Winamp/Media Player replacement over here. It plays the videos in a ghetto ass java window, and it plays music on your PC in the background (you can’t see it from your computer). Hell you can even install it on your sibling’s computer and mess with him/her. Anyway, this works well if you’re lazy like me and don’t want to get up.
This app also has a touchpad mode to control your mouse, so you can use it to advance PowerPoint presentations (seems like a waste of phone battery to me, since the screen would need to stay on).
Do I use it all the time? Nope. But it’s something cool to have that works well, especially when I get a new laptop with HDMI out and want to watch stuff on my TV.
Check out gmote.org for more info.
(No screenshot today because I’m lazy. Wanna fight about it?)
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