What is the meaning of Upload Speed/Download Speed in an internet connection?

Have you ever wondered why you’re able to download things faster than uploading on a web server, for instance, a video on Facebook? This difference in timing happens because your internet download speed is higher than the upload speed. High-speed internet does not always assure a balance between download and upload speed, and if you are wondering what the reason behind it is, here’s why:

What are download and upload speeds?

Broadband download speed means how much data is required per second to download data from a web server in the form of texts, images, videos, etc. to your device. Whereas, upload speed means how many megabits of data per second is needed to send data from your PC to the server or another device.

A regular high-speed broadband connection usually has a faster download speed than upload because most of the activities based on the internet require more substantial download speed than upload speed. However, if you want higher upload speed as well, you can further increase by choosing fibernet broadband connections with a proportional download and upload.

Which is more important?

Depending on your online activities, you may choose any one of the best broadband plans that offer either high download speed or upload speed. If you use your broadband internet connection for activities that depend more on download speed such as watching Netflix movies or YouTube videos, then opt for a broadband plan that guarantees a good download speed. Generally, most people require a higher download speed as per their usage.

On the other hand, if you engage in online activities with higher upload bandwidth such as sending emails, video calls, uploading videos on social platforms, then you can choose a high-speed broadband plan that offers a reasonable upload speed.

What speed should I have?

It would help if you always chose a broadband plan that suits your daily data consumption. You can select a policy that offers a speed of 4-6Mbps if you want to share audio and video files without any interruption.

If you are a gamer, 6-10 Mbps is the preferred speed. Business professionals usually opt for a broadband internet connection that offers a speed up to 50 Mbps to enable multitasking among employees and better internet connectivity on different devices.

How to check your internet speed?

There are many free internet speed test tools available online. To check the download speed on your connection, you will need to download a file of a specific size from the test server to your PC, and the test tool will measure the total time taken to make the transfer. Similarly, upload speed is measured by uploading a file from your computer to the test server and measuring the time taken to complete the same.

If your internet speed is slower than what was guaranteed by the service provider, you can check out a few simple hacks to improve your broadband connection here, or maybe contact the internet service provider.