There are fundamental differences between HTTP(S) monitoring devices and Web App/Single Web Page devices from the BrowserView/UserView platforms. These differences can affect both the measured time values, and the reported “response time” results.
These variations stem from the distinct purposes and use cases of each monitoring type.
The HTTP(S) device is primarily designed to measure basic HTTP response time (represented by the blue bar in the figure below).
BrowserView and UserView Platform’s devices take the time value measurement three steps farther by additionally including the time it takes to download all dependent files within the HTML, such as Java Scripts, CSS’s, Images, Flash, ActiveX Objects, etc. and the time of Script Processing, HTML DOM model building, Page Rendering and so on.
As you can see, the different processes behind each type of monitoring platform and option have an effect on both the duration of the monitoring, as well as the average time value measured, or “response time” results.