A Guide To Internet Speeds And How These Speeds Work

If you’re like many people, then you’re surfing the web at least once or twice a day. It could be to check the latest news in your city or state or to contact a friend or family member. When you use the internet, you might notice that it’s faster when you’re inside your home or near a direct internet connection than it is if you’re away from a direct source.

Sometimes, searching online might be a bit faster in the city compared to being in the country with few houses around and few towers near your home. This is because there are various internet speeds available. Here are a few details about how these speeds work and impact how fast you see information online. 

1. Basic Details

When you think of your internet speed, think of how fast small packets of information are uploaded or downloaded before you see the information on your screen. If your internet speed is faster, then those packets can be transported faster than if the speeds are slower.

With more data being sent online, then it’s important for those packets to be sent as quickly as possible so that the internet system isn’t bogged down, especially when many people call others while using the internet, order a meal for dinner, have classes, play online games or streaming movies online. 

2. Tests

If you’re unsure of how fast your internet speed is, there are tests that you can perform to get the exact speed. Most of the time, you’re given this information when you connect your home or phone to an internet source. When you view your internet speed, you can see if it’s compatible with how you use the services provided.

An example would be determining if your speed is fast enough for watching Netflix or another movie streaming service or playing your favorite game online. Your internet speed is usually located in your settings on your computer or the other device that you’re using. 

3. Speeds

There is usually an upload and a download speed that you’ll see when you initially connect to an internet source. The download speed is how fast information is sent to the screen you’re viewing. Upload speed is how fast information is sent from a device that you have to another device. An example would be sending a picture from your phone to your computer.

The download speed is usually faster than the upload speed because there is typically more information sent from the internet to your device. If you are taking classes online or if you participate in a lot of meetings, then you might want to consider increasing your upload speed. 

When you view the speed of your internet, you’ll usually see it written in megabits per second or Mbps. A basic connection might be 2 or 3 Mbps, which is very slow compared to a connection that’s 10 Mbps. If you play a lot of games, or you love streaming TV shows or movies online, or if you perform a lot of research, then you want to look at the higher Mbps numbers so that your connection doesn’t lag when you’re enjoying your activities or when you need to do research for that important paper that you need to submit.

The bandwidth will cap the speed of your internet connection. When looking at types of internet, then consider fiber optic if at all possible because this is faster than a cable connection or satellite.