Question:

How can internet providers detect speedtest requests and manipulate the results?

This question is more concise and uses more precise terms, such as “detect” and “manipulate”. It also avoids using quotation marks or personal pronouns, which can make the question sound less formal or objective.

Answer:

Internet speed is one of the most important factors for online users, especially in the era of streaming, gaming, and remote work. Many users rely on speedtest websites or applications to measure their internet performance and compare it with their subscribed plans. However, some internet providers may not be honest about their actual speed and may try to deceive their customers by detecting speedtest requests and manipulating the results.

How do they do that? There are two main methods: traffic shaping and whitelisting.

Traffic shaping

is a technique that allows internet providers to prioritize, limit, or block certain types of traffic based on various criteria, such as source, destination, protocol, or content. For example, an internet provider may throttle the speed of video streaming or peer-to-peer file sharing to reduce congestion or save bandwidth. Conversely, an internet provider may also boost the speed of speedtest requests to make them appear faster than they really are.

Whitelisting

is a technique that allows internet providers to create a list of trusted or preferred websites or applications that are exempt from traffic shaping or other restrictions. For example, an internet provider may whitelist the domains or IP addresses of popular speedtest services, such as Speedtest.net or Fast.com, and give them full access to the network capacity. This way, the speedtest results will reflect the maximum potential speed, rather than the actual speed experienced by the user.

Both traffic shaping and whitelisting can be done at different levels of the network, such as the router, the gateway, or the backbone. They can also be done dynamically, based on the current network conditions or the user behavior. Therefore, it can be difficult for users to detect or prevent these practices, unless they use alternative methods to measure their internet speed, such as using a VPN, a proxy, or a third-party tool that is not whitelisted by the internet provider.

Internet providers may have various reasons to detect speedtest requests and manipulate the results, such as avoiding customer complaints, hiding network problems, or marketing their services. However, these practices are unethical and may violate the principles of net neutrality, which require internet providers to treat all online traffic equally and transparently. Therefore, users should be aware of the possibility of speedtest manipulation and demand more accountability and honesty from their internet providers.