A broadband Internet connection is not just about download speed. When we have to contract our Internet connection we have to pay attention to more things. One is the Internet provider, the quality of its service, the type of connection it offers (fiber / ADSL / Satellite) and whether it uses CG-NAT or not. However, a value that is often not taken into account is the upload as we share more and more things on the Internet. In this article we are going to see why upload bandwidth is important and how it can affect us if we do not have enough upload speed.
Today’s users want fast download speeds. What they want is to enjoy their movies, games and music almost immediately. However, as we will see below, the way we use the Internet is changing.
Types of connection in relation to speed
Not all types of Internet connection are equal when it comes to speed. In that aspect, we can clearly distinguish two classes:
- symmetrical: when the width of rise and fall is the same.
- asymmetrical: at the moment the width of rise and fall are different.
As for asymmetric connections, they are almost always in favor of download speed. An example of this might be 300 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
Perhaps it may be the case that you do not remember the speed you have contracted. Also, keep in mind that over time our ISP or internet provider tends to improve our speed, especially with fiber optics. If this is the case, and you do not know what speed you have contracted, the best thing you can do is a speed test here. Preferably, if possible, it is better to carry out this test using an Ethernet network cable, since it is the one that usually takes advantage of all the bandwidth. These are the results I got:
In this case it can be seen that it is a symmetrical connection of 100 Mbps. Currently in Spain in the last 5 years there has been a tendency towards symmetrical connections although that does not mean that there may be changes in the future. Perhaps you may be interested in what Internet speed you can contract depending on the use.
The benefits of upload bandwidth
We live in an increasingly digital world and our way of working and storing data is changing a lot. One of the great beneficiaries of upload bandwidth is the cloud work. A palpable reality is that we upload more and more work files to the cloud and we also tend to store our memories there in the form of photos and videos. This means that on some occasions we may have to upload 1 Terabyte of information or more. In the case of having a low upload bandwidth, it could take hours to upload that content, or it could even be days.
Another of the improvements where the loading speed of our connection is used is when we access the home network remotely. Whether to download a large file from our home computer or NAS server, the higher the upload bandwidth of our connection, the better it will be for us.
Others that are going to come in handy are also the content creators. More and more content is uploaded to YouTube, Instagram and other social networks. In addition, those who stream on Twitch and the like will be able to get a great deal out of it.
On the other hand, hybrid work is here to stay. That means that the teleworking from home is going to be more and more common. This means that we are going to need more upload bandwidth on our home connections.
We must also not forget that future programs will demand it. In that aspect, the implementation of virtual and mixed reality is going to change things a lot.
In summary, as you can see in the future, we will need more and more upload bandwidth.
