When browsing the Internet, there is a two-way communication between our computer and the servers of the sites we visit. In this scenario, three main keys come into play that determine our user experience: download speed, upload speed and latency. The same thing happens when we play online and when we play streaming media content.

The download speed is how fast can we receive packages from these servers, while the send rate is the speed at which we can send packets to the servers. This back and forth communication is usually metered in megabits or megabytes per secondand the higher the values, the better our user experience will be if the latency is good.

Latency refers to the time it actually takes for these packets to arrive in both directions. If the latency is high, there will be delays in communication, which can completely ruin our experience of browsing the Internet, playing games and watching online content. Thus, It is not enough to have a fast connection, it must also have low latency.

Why download and upload speeds matter so much

Download speed is important because it is what allows us to play high definition streaming content without interruption and also determines the speed at which we can download things from the internet. To understand better, let’s look at an example: if we want to download a game that weighs 100 GB and we have a speed of 50 MB/s it will take three times as long than it would take us to download it with a download speed of 150 MB/s.

A faster download speed allows us to download things faster and a faster upload speed allows us to share things faster. Let’s look at another example, imagine that you want to upload a backup copy with various multimedia content to your private cloud and its weight is 50 GB. With an upload speed of 15 MB/s it would take much longer than with one of 50 MB/s.

With faster upload and download speeds, you’ll be able to download and upload things much faster, improving your user experience and allowing you to do more in less time. The basis that determines these values ​​will be the service you have contracted with your Internet provider, but remember that both the router and the repeaters and PLC devices you use at home can act as a bottleneck and reduce the maximum speed. Therefore, it is important that you use devices that allow you to take full advantage of the maximum speed of your Internet connection.

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