What Is the Importance of Upload Speeds Test in High-Speed Internet?
Internet service providers (ISPs) love to advertise one big number. This number – the download speed, measured in megabits per second, or Mbps – is generally the larger of two numbers that define browsing speed and general internet responsiveness. The second number, upload speed, can range from being the same as the download speed, to barely meeting high-speed standards, depending on the service offered. As a business user, you’ll benefit greatly from understanding what download and upload speeds are and how they work.
High Internet Upload Speed test Advantage
The must-have capability for most home internet users is good download speed, as this affects streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. Many business users, however, need both download and upload performance. They aren’t simply consumers of data, they also supply it in significant amounts. Business applications that require good upload speed test include the following examples:
Hard drive backups
In-house web hosting
Attachments on outgoing email
Cloud applications: Google Docs, Dropbox, iCloud
Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone service
Skype and FaceTime
Upload Speeds by the Numbers
At the time of publication, a good broadband internet connection will give you upload speeds of 50 Mbps or better. At the low end, basic services may provide maximum upload speeds as low as 256 thousand bits per second (Kbps). The service provider's technology generally determines upload speed test performance, with services such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and satellite coming in among the slowest, and fiber optics being the fastest.
Shared Upload Speeds
It's common for even small businesses to have multiple internet users. Upload-intensive applications present an even bigger issue when multiple users are on your network. For example, if the upload bandwidth is too small, a single VoIP call could cause web and other services to lag. With the average business placing a greater, two-way strain on a typical internet connection, it becomes more important to accommodate for simultaneous, continuous uploads.
Best for Your Budget
Although high upload speeds are desirable for a small business, such service is more expensive than those with more modest upload performance. Determining exactly how much you need depends on how you use your internet. For organisations that need only basic web browsing, email and video, a lower upload rate will work fine. More data-hungry services, such as those outlined above, will create a real need for good upload speed. Most service providers offer relatively easy upgrades should you need them; you can start with a more basic service and increase it as your needs grow.
What is a good upload speed?
Generally, a good upload speed to shoot for is 5 Mbps. Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) usually has speeds up to 1.5 Mbps, while cable internet can have upload speeds from 5 Mbps to 50 Mbps.
For most online activities, even ADSL’s 1.5 Mbps is more than enough for a smooth internet experience. Upload speed test becomes much more important if you want to use video chat, upload high-resolution images, or livestream video from your home.
If you use your home network for work, school, or streaming on a regular basis, ADSL’s low upload speeds are definitely going to be a problem. At the very minimum, you’re going to want to find a cable provider that has upload speeds on the high end, between 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps.
An even better solution for those who rely on uploading is fiber, as long as it’s available in your area. Fiber-optic networks have symmetrical upload speeds, which means if you have a 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) connection, you have 1 Gbps upload and 1 Gbps download speeds. Fibre is also the most reliable type of connection, making your livestream much less likely to have issues—even if you stream at peak-use times.
While it’s tempting to dismiss upload bandwidth as something needed only by businesses and content creators, it’s worth noting that upload traffic increased dramatically after the COVID-19 outbreak as people had to figure out new ways to live their lives at a distance.1 For many households trying to keep up with work, school, and social connections, upload speed suddenly became the bottleneck.