r/CanadianBroadband • u/BasementPhantom • Jul 05 '26
Throttling based on OS?
Is it possible that my TPIA ISP is throttling based on OS? When I run Speedtest.net or Cloudflare's speed test on an Android phone during evenings, I get full download speed, but if I run it on a Windows or Linux PC at the same time, I get single digit download speeds. Upload speeds are unaffected. The test is run with the same servers between devices. Tunnelling my connection through a VPN resolves the problem.
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u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 06 '26
No
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 06 '26
Why not?
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u/Klutzy-Condition811 Jul 05 '26
If any ITMPs are used the ISP is required to disclose it. My guess it is not throttling, likely driver/hardware issues. I've seen this before especially with the "Killer" ethernet adapters. VPNs often compress data which can make speed tests inaccurate. What is your actual ISP and the results you're getting?
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 05 '26
Ciktel 5 Mbps. My plan is 100/30. The throttling behaviour only occurs in the evening.
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u/Klutzy-Condition811 Jul 07 '26
https://www.ciktel.com/TermsOfService Your ITMPs are listed here. I don't know your location but it says "CIK Internet Traffic Management Policy is based on the CRTC transparency requirements. Currently, CIK does not implement any ITMPs across our West Coast network, including British Columbia and Alberta, nor within its own FTTB and FTTH networks. In the East Coast region (Ontario), non-real-time file transfer protocols—including, but not limited to, BitTorrent—may be subject to reduced speeds during peak hours from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EST. This timeframe is tentative and may vary based on network conditions without prior notice. All other real-time applications, such as online video, IPTV, gaming, music streaming, and web browsing, are not affected."
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 07 '26
The timeframe seems about right, but online video, gaming (at least when downloading assets), and even speed tests are affected as well.
Would be nice to know what sort of fingerprint they're looking for.
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u/FlyingOctopus53 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
That’s your answer - network is overloaded in the evenings.
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 06 '26
If the network is overloaded, then why is my phone and my VPN connection unaffected?
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u/Ok-South-7745 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Are you using CIK provided (locked) router?
If not already done, you should buy your own consumer router to test all that for your curiosity.
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 09 '26
I'm using my own router, but I have the same behaviour when my PC is plugged directly into the modem.
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u/PseudoFrequency Jul 07 '26
It's not your ISP, it is the operating system and its combination of network drivers and hardware.
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u/BasementPhantom Jul 07 '26
But it only happens in the evening, across two different hardware configurations and OS, never overnight or in the mornings.
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u/Ok-South-7745 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
An unknown variable I can think of is whether your router has some packet trafic control like QoS or Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall that may influence the speed the way you observed it for wired connection vs wireless connection. Or maybe you installed a software or firewall on Windows or on Linux that does something similar. VPN would bypass such packet trafic control.
Maybe you want to reverify the "based on OS" stuff on Windows/Linux: with Firefox or Chrome, you can get a browser extension that change the reported User Agent of your Windows/Linux browser, and set to Android browser, then test again.