What is a valid method for testing internet bandwidth? We recently upgraded from 100 mbps to 500 mbps and upgraded our firewall to sonicwall nsa 3600, which supposedly can handle up to 500 mbps bandwidth. Online speed tests like speedtest.xfinity.com and speedtest.net are all over the map, from 80 mbps to about 270 mbps inside the firewall. I tested it by timing how long it took to upload and download a 3 gb file from my computer to google drive. It was in the range of 8 to 12 minutes each time I tested, which is about 50 mbps. I tested after regular business hours so not a lot of traffic on our local network. Why such enormous discrepancies? What is realistic expectation to get the "real-world" throughput, which means running a windows computer behind a firewall?
I would be trying to get some benchmarks without the firewall in place, and with no filtering at all applied.