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Posted on: November 28, 2022
When we think of the speed of our internet, we usually attribute this to loading speeds of websites and how responsive the internet is to our actions (when we open tabs, load web pages, watch YouTube videos etc.)
But what we don’t consider, when it comes to internet speed, are download and upload speeds meaning that we are missing out on an important metric to consider.
Download and upload speeds are important to know as they are an excellent benchmark for internet speed. This is because a 100MB file is the same size no matter the user, location or browser. Web pages may differ in speeds depending on the server they are hosted on, the size of their web files amongst many other factors.
By utilizing download and upload speeds, it can give you conclusive proof of your speed and if it has improved after changing internet providers.
When we say download and upload speeds, what is it that we actually mean?
On internet speed tests, you will receive two scores, one for download speed and one for upload speed.
Download speed is how many megabits of data per second it takes to download data from a server in the form of files, video, audio, images etc. More commonly known as, how quickly it takes to download files, videos, audio files, images etc. from the internet.
Upload speed is how many megabits of data per second you can send from your computer to another server on the internet or another device. This is also known as how quickly it takes to upload data to another server (think emails, videos, zoom calls etc.)
You sometimes may hear the term ‘synchronous speeds’ in relation to the two-speed metrics.
When the download and upload speed match, this is known as synchronous speed. This is a particular benefit to those who work from home, primarily because the download speed is usually far greater than the upload speed.
By having the capability of synchronous speeds, you greatly improve the quality of video calls, file uploads and vastly improve the time it takes to download files, no matter the size.
These are two important speed metrics that you should base your internet speed off. You can improve your download and upload speeds meaning that you will be able to access files quicker, download films faster, browse with less hassle and more.
If you want to improve your download and upload speeds, it is important that you benchmark your current speed. Use our speed test to see your current download and upload speeds.
Check your postcode availability to see if you are eligible to access a full fibre network which can provide synchronous speed for your home.
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