Enough small talk, let’s bring you up to speed. If you’ve ever waited on a file to download to your computer, you know that the speed can vary. Similarly, if you’ve downloaded music, videos, or any other information from the internet, then you’ve experienced some kind of download speed.2 If you’re trying to download Call of Duty on your PlayStation, and it’s taking a really long time, it’s likely because the file is so large. Internet data, or files, are measured in bytes (kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and on it goes). There are actually calculators you can use for free if you’re wondering how long a download will take. All you have to do is enter the file size and provide your internet speed. Here’s the kind of info you can figure out from using a calculator, this one tells you how fast you can download CyberPunk 2077. Remember, download speed is simply the speed it takes to download a file, video, song, picture, you name it. Now that you’ve got that down, we’ll explore upload speed. To break this down even more, you’re uploading when you post a picture to social media, send an email to a colleague, or answer a quick text. You might not initially think of this as uploading, but that’s what it is. It’s safe to say we all want faster uploading speeds, so let’s explore what affects it. Bandwidth is really how much information can travel at the same time. Think of it like water traveling through a garden hose. The more bandwidth you have, the easier it is for information to travel from your computer to the internet. Your ISP controls the speed of your internet overall, which does impact your upload speed. Your data travels from your device to your ISP’s network. If you’re having trouble with upload speed and want to know why, contact your ISP and ask to speak to a representative.
Additional reading:
What is Latency and How Do You Fix It? Can I Use a VPN with Netflix? How to Watch Canadian Netflix in the US or UK Best VPN Services for Online Privacy
