How To Tell If Your ISP Is Throttling Facebook Video

July 12, 2015 by Jim Lastinger 2 Comments

By now everyone is familiar with Facebook video, the videos that play automatically as you scroll over them in your Facebook feed. Facebook video is rapidly growing in popularity right now. It’s even starting to rattle the popularity of Youtube in terms of number of videos uploaded daily.

The meteoric rise in popularity over the past year has gotten everyone’s attention, including your ISP. Recently I’ve discovered that Facebook videos stutter, buffer, and load much more slowly than they have in the past, particularly in the evenings. Generally, slowly loading video is caused by one of two things: either the video itself is not being delivered quickly enough from the provider (Facebook in this case) or your internet connection isn’t fast enough to handle the video without issues. I certainly believe that Facebook and a likely myriad of CDN’s can handle the delivery side, so that leaves the ISP as the most likely culprit. I haven’t seen any slowdowns with any other general downloading or browsing, so maybe the problem is related strictly to video. Could my ISP, Uverse, be throttling Facebook video?

This article is going to teach you exactly how to run your own tests to see if your ISP is throttling Facebook video. The easiest device to test with is actually your phone. I have an iPhone and it’s super-easy to change your network settings, which is handy here because you want to be able to change your settings quickly.

You’ll probably want to wait until evening to run your test. I usually notice the slowdowns after 7 PM.

Step 1: Find some video in the Facebook App

Open the Facebook app and scroll through your newsfeed looking for videos. Videos in ads should be ignored… ads always have a knack for not being throttled.

If the video plays smoothly then you may be OK. If you see any signs of buffering or stalling then you should keep testing.

Step 2: Turn Off Your Wi-Fi

Next, turn off your Wi-Fi connection so that you’re using your mobile data provider’s connection. I use Verizon and haven’t ever noticed slow video when I’ve had at least a decent signal, so I trust them for this test. Plus, it’s in Verizon’s best interest for you to use as much data as possible so they can charge you more $$$.

Once Wi-Fi is disabled scroll through your timeline again looking for videos. All Facebook videos are coming from the same place, so theoretically if one is being throttled then all of them are being throttled. You shouldn’t watch the same video as before because it may be pre-buffered or loaded from your previous viewing.

This is where you would most likely be able to see if your ISP was throttling your connection. If you had poor video playback in step 1 and don’t in step 2 then you’ve found your bottleneck.

Step 3: Testing With A VPN

If you don’t want to use your mobile data to test in Step 2 then you can use a VPN to accomplish the same thing. When you’re connected to a VPN your ISP can’t see what kind of data you’re receiving or where it’s coming from, making it impossible for them to throttle.

The idea here is the same as in Step 2. Once you’re connected to VPN you should look for more videos in the Facebook app and see how they perform.

Testing On Other Devices

You can use the same general procedure to test Facebook video on your desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. You won’t be able to test with your mobile data provider using other devices so you’ll need to rely on a VPN.

Conclusion

As Facebook video grows it wouldn’t be surprising to see more ISP’s try throttling it. Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, HBO Go / HBO Now, and other video sites are easy targets for throttling because they cost ISP’s quite a bit more than general web traffic. You can test to see if your ISP is throttling other services in the same way you test Facebook video.

If you have any questions or comments then leave them below. Let us know if you find any evidence of throttling from your ISP.

How To Access Blocked Websites

July 31, 2014 by Jim Lastinger Leave a comment

Last week, we investigated blocked content and websites throughout the world, and the list was staggering!

[Missed that blog post? Read “What Content is Blocked Throughout The World” here.]

If you travel abroad for work, have to deal with strict office restrictions, or are frustrated by “blackout zones” on sites like MLB.TV, we’ve compiled a list of easy ways to bypass these setbacks so that you can access any website you choose.

Use a proxy browser extension – The easiest (though somewhat slow and unreliable) way to gain access to blocked websites is via a proxy browser extension like Hola or Stealthy. This will enable you to visit the website using a proxy server based in another geographic location, thus freeing up the blocked content.
Get a VPN – A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an effective, faster, more reliable way to bypass country restrictions. A VPN will mask your IP address and geographic location so that you can visit any website you choose from anywhere in the world. Read more here.
Try a translation service – Check out a translation service, like Microsoft Translator or Google Translate. These sites will display a website for you without you having to visit the page directly, thus acting like proxy server. This method is not 100% foolproof, and not nearly as reliable as a VPN, but it’s a potential workaround if need be.

Tired of restrictions? Try GhostPath VPN for just $10/month with our no-risk 7-day money back guarantee!

Should The Internet Be Free & Open? The Net Neutrality Debate

May 12, 2014 by Jim Lastinger Leave a comment

In case you’re unfamiliar, let’s get you up to speed.

Net Neutrality is the notion that the Internet should be “open” so that all users can access any content they please and use any applications without limitations and without being charged by internet service providers (ISP) based on the variety of content or quantity of bandwidth used.

What exactly is this debate about then?

Well, recently the Appeals Court ruled that the Open Internet Order’s rules are no longer valid. And, these rules prohibited ISPs from blocking specific sites and charging for more bandwidth (i.e. faster connection).

With this ruling, ISPs are now allowed to block sites, limit, tier and give preferential treatment to those who are willing to pay for better, faster connections and more access.

Prior to this decision the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforced “Net Neutrality”, which meant users and consumers could consume the content of their choice in a fair manner. Now, competition is the governing force, not regulation.

So, what does that mean?

It means that big companies that can afford it (think Netflix, Google, Facebook, etc.) will easily be able to pay for fast connections, whereas new start-ups will not. Plus, users will be subject to slower connections for sites and applications that refuse to pay for faster connectivity.

Also, without Net Neutrality regulations, ISPs could give preferential treatment to a search engine (for example) that they signed a contract deal with, and then that ISP could incentivize customers to use that particular search engine by charging users more to use others.

You decide…

Should the Internet be free and open? Or should vendors pay for the bandwidth they’re using?

Have something to say?

The FCC is collecting public comments to help them develop their new set of guidelines. Click here to voice your opinion!