Internet Download/Upload Speeds...

[Franko]

I've been trying to upload all day some files to one of those online storage facilities. Trouble is it's taking forever, I get an average upload speed of 0.6mbps and at this rate the near Terabyte of data I want to upload is going to take forever.

My Sky broaband package tells me that my download speed is roughly 2.6mbps and the upload speed is 0.6mbps. Can I change the upload speed somehow or is this a limitation of some sort on the internet or with my provider.

The only reply I've had from Sky was to confirm the above figures and something about me being at the furthest point possible from the exchange.

I was hoping their would be a way to increase the upload speed as it seems strange to me that it's only a fraction of the download speed.

Anybody have any ideas about this & if it's possible to change the upload speed, or is it a limitation of the internet.

Cheers :drink:

Franko

[Karlos]

...or is it a limitation of the internet.

It has to be that! :lol:

If you want faster upload speeds, pay for a SDSL connection. Or if you are really flush, get a leased line.

Otherwise, live with the limits of your existing ADSL.

[mousehouse]

It looks like you're on a ADSL connection, which indeed is "asymmetrical". If this is the highest speed they can offer you - you are indeed quite a long way from the DSL box of your provider...

If you really need to get 1TB uploaded it is going to take about 414 days - unless you decide to use your internet connection for something else as well.

Maybe you can find a local place that has high-bandwidth internet that you can use, such as a university. If you can get 50Mbps upload there, you could do it in a few days...

[Franko]

It looks like you're on a ADSL connection, which indeed is "asymmetrical". If this is the highest speed they can offer you - you are indeed quite a long way from the DSL box of your provider...

If you really need to get 1TB uploaded it is going to take about 414 days - unless you decide to use your internet connection for something else as well.

Maybe you can find a local place that has high-bandwidth internet that you can use, such as a university. If you can get 50Mbps upload there, you could do it in a few days...

Im only using Sky's broadband for the moment as I got it at a bargain price, £30 for a year. I can get Virgin broadband here on a fiber optic line instead, but Im still curious to know why the upload speeds are only a fraction of the download speeds, is their a reason for this...

@karlos
yup, money's no object here, but I do like to get value for it...

[Karlos]

Im only using Sky's broadband for the moment as I got it at a bargain price, £30 for a year. I can get Virgin broadband here on a fiber optic line instead, but Im still curious to know why the upload speeds are only a fraction of the download speeds, is their a reason for this...

Yes. Finite bandwidth and the fact that most users download orders of magnitude more data than they ever upload. Very few people need fast upload speeds.

[Franko]

Yes. Finite bandwidth and the fact that most users download orders of magnitude more data than they ever upload. Very few people need fast upload speeds.

So I take it then, that your stuck with the speed your provider gives you and there's no way possible a user can change this...

(mousehouse's 414 days estimate, look's a wee bit daunting even for an insomniac like me...  )

[Zac67]

My Sky broaband package tells me that my download speed is roughly 2.6mbps and the upload speed is 0.6mbps.

Lucky you. I've got 3 Mbps download - but only 384 Kbps upload, thanks to static ADSL setup by dumb German Telekom. 8-P

[Franko]

While I understand Karlos's point about finite bandwidths, but being new to the whole internet experience, it still doesn't make much sense to me that the upload speed is so low.

I would have thought that if your not using it for a download then surely that speed/bandwith could be used for uploading instead...

Or are their technical/hardware reasons for this not to be possible..

[Karlos]

So I take it then, that your stuck with the speed your provider gives you and there's no way possible a user can change this...

(mousehouse's 414 days estimate, look's a wee bit daunting even for an insomniac like me...  )

You aren't exactly stuck with it, you just have to pay rather more if you want better upload speeds.

[Franko]

Just had a quick look at the street stats site. It shows someone else in my street using Virgins broadband @ £20 per month. Their download speed is 17.5mbps and the upload speed is only 0.4mbps.

Now Virgin here are as far as I know the fastest providers, but for that money it doesn't seem worth it, when that person is getting a slower upload speed than I am, seems crazy to me...

[Karlos]

Now Virgin here are as far as I know the fastest providers, but for that money it doesn't seem worth it, when that person is getting a slower upload speed than I am, seems crazy to me...

Again, most normal users don't care about upload speed since the vast majority of their uploads are HTTP requests, for which 384kbps is ample.

Having just checked my router, my current connection is:

Down:2268 kbps
Up:285 kbps

That's almost 8:1.

According to the network stats on this machine, I've received over 440MiB of data this session but sent only 30MiB, so I'm actually underutilising my upload bandwidth here

[Piru]

Or are their technical/hardware reasons for this not to be possible..

You've been told numerous times already that it's technical reasons.
Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_Digital_Subscriber_Line

[Piru]

Having just checked my router, my current connection is:

Down:2268 kbps
Up:285 kbps

That's almost 8:1.

According to the network stats on this machine, I've received over 440MiB of data this session but sent only 30MiB, so I'm actually underutilising my upload bandwidth here

Lets see:

Downstream: 18383 Kbps
Upstream: 1023 Kbps

(Actually the downstream should be 24Mbps but I suppose the DSLAM isn't the next door)

Curiously my long term network stats don't indicate 18:1 ratio, but rather:

Code: [Select]

  eth0 since 09/15/09

          rx:  1.35 TiB      tx:  329.53 GiB      total:  1.67 TiB

   monthly
                     rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
       Sep '10     53.76 GiB |   35.59 GiB |   89.35 GiB |  289.16 kbit/s
       Oct '10      0.98 GiB |  754.61 MiB |    1.71 GiB |   55.69 kbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated     10.14 GiB |    7.64 GiB |   17.77 GiB |

   daily
                     rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     yesterday    172.19 MiB |   48.64 MiB |  220.84 MiB |   20.94 kbit/s
         today    516.78 MiB |  547.52 MiB |    1.04 GiB |  102.04 kbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated       521 MiB |     553 MiB |    1.05 GiB |Well, I guess I like seeding those linux isos :lol:

ADSL upstream is really pathetic. Even my N900 HSDPA has 1.5Mbps. I actually use it to upload stuff when in a hurry.

[Franko]

You've been told numerous times already that it's technical reasons.
Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_Digital_Subscriber_Line

Piru, I don't know what your problem is, but if people are quite happy to reply with their answers then why do you have reply with your short snappy comments.

If you've got a problem with me then PM me and we can discuss it...

[Piru]

Piru, I don't know what your problem is

My problem here was that you ignored a perfectly fine explanation and kept asking the same question again.

short snappy comments

This is my style. If you don't like it, tough.