March 16, 2021
Upload vs. download speed: What’s the difference?
How the speed of the internet works?
Internet speed is measured by how much data your Internet connection can transfer per second, which is megabytes of data per second (Mbps). Internet data providers in your home and your home measure the Internet speed you see in Mbps at a provider (commonly known as download speeds).
Data also goes in two directions - you download and upload data from the Internet, so each Internet connection will have download speeds and upload speeds.
What is the download speed?
Download speed refers to how many megabytes of data per second it takes to download data from a server in the form of images, videos, text, files, and audio. You need to download data for activities like listening to music on Spotify, downloading large files or streaming videos to Netflix.
What is a good download speed?
Generally, speeds of at least 25 Mbps are considered good download speeds because they meet the minimum broadband threshold set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Keep in mind that for your home, the number of devices for Internet users and their online activities can change what is considered a good download speed for your family.
What is the upload speed?
Upload speed refers to how many megabytes of data per computer you can send from your computer to any other device or server on the Internet. While data download time is seen as normal, some online activities require data to travel in the opposite direction. You need fast upload speeds to send emails, play live tournament-style video games, and send data to someone else's server to call a friend.
What is a good upload speed?
Again, in general, upstream speeds of 3 Mbps are considered good upload speeds because they meet the FCC minimum standards. If you or someone in your family regularly uploads videos to YouTube or works from home, you may need a plan for higher upload speeds.
What is Internet Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the slower the highway you have, the more lanes you have, the more cars you will give to travel cars, which allows cars to go faster and more cars to reach their destination.
Mbps is a good indicator of how much bandwidth your home Wi-Fi connection has. The more internet bandwidth you have, the faster your data volume can be downloaded. And you can increase the speed at which data travels because it can flow more.
So what kind of bandwidth do you need?
When you consider Internet speeds for different activities, you should consider both download and upload speeds. Depending on what your favorite online activities may be, one may be more important than the other.
Download speed vs. upload speed
Many internet providers offer internet plans with faster download speeds than uploads. For example, there may be a 400 Mbps difference between download speed vs. upload and download speed.
Which has the fastest upload and download speeds
The internet speed you need depends on your online activities and how many internet users you have in your home.
As you think about what activities you use the Internet for at home, you may decide that having a faster upload speed is more important than download speeds. You see, you don't really need a fast upload speed and just want a fast download speed that can handle streaming on the device.
Provider Internet download and upload speeds
Provider download speeds increase upload speeds
It and TSL 25 Mbps 5 Mbps
AT&T DSL 75 Mbps 20 Mbps
AT&T DSL 100 Mbps 20 Mbps
AT&T DSL 500 Mbps 100 Mbps
AT&T Fiber 50 Mbps 50 Mbps
AT&T Fiber 100 Mbps 100 Mbps
AT&T Fiber 300 Mbps 300 Mbps
It & T Fiber 1,000 Mbps 1,000 Mbps
Why internet upload speed is slow and download speed is fast
Most online activities focus on download speeds versus upload speeds because most online activities require more download bandwidth than upload bandwidth. As you can see below, most common online activities rely heavily on fast download speeds.
Since the data that calls for uploading other activities still requires the information needed to travel in both directions, the average person needs consistently higher download speeds than uploads.
However fiber internet connection is a unique exception. Fiber Internet providers often offer upload internet speeds that mirror download speeds.
Download vs. Download: When download speed is important
The following common actions depend heavily on download speeds:
Watching Netflix movies or shows
Shopping online
Scrolling through social media
Watching youtube videos
Read the article online
Streaming music services
