1. My Download Speed Is Slow But Upload Is Fast To Play
2. My Download Speed Is Slow But Upload Is Fast Free
3. Why Is My Upload Speed So Slow

Your ISP advertises a 40 megabit per second connection, but that doesn’t look anything like the download speed you see when you’re grabbing a big file. What’s the deal? Are you not getting all the bandwidth you’re paying for?

After the router restarted, I re-ran my speed test, and the results were much nicer: The download speed is still a zippy 57 Mb/s, but now the upload speed is fast too, at 11 Mb/s, or nearly 70x faster than what it was before. I hope you found the post helpful. Re: Fast upload speed, super slow download speed I spent months with fast speeds and then my downloads speeds fell off a cliff (0.24 MB/s download with regular 5.5 MB/s upload). I later figured out that the splitter I had to divide the cable coming off the wall was the problem. How do I optimize my upload speeds? Sometimes slow upload speeds are the fault of your Internet Service Provider. We recommend a high speed internet connection with high upload speeds. Often with Cable and DSL, the upload speed is significantly slower than the download speed. This will result in fast loading times for most websites. After the router restarted, I re-ran my speed test, and the results were much nicer: The download speed is still a zippy 57 Mb/s, but now the upload speed is fast too, at 11 Mb/s, or nearly 70x faster than what it was before. I hope you found the post helpful.

Dear How-To Geek,

The package deal I have through my local ISP is for a 40Mb connection (that’s the wording they use). When I download files I get around 4.5-5 (and definitely not 40!) Now… this doesn’t seem to be a big deal, because I can download everything I want pretty quickly, YouTube doesn’t stutter or anything, I never have to wait to load my email or web page, etc. But if I’m paying for a 40Mb connection why am I not getting a 40Mb connection?

Sincerely,

Bandwidth Confused

This is a fun question because it allows us to discuss and clear up a common misconception, and learn a little bit about computer history along the way.

Let’s start by delving back into the history of computer networks. Data transfer over networks has always been measured in bits. A bit is the smallest and most basic unit of measurement in computing and digital communications. Bits are most commonly represented in the binary system, via 0 and 1. Bit, in fact, is a contraction of the the longer phrase “Binary Digit”.

RELATED:How to Find the Fastest ISP in Your Area

The speed of a network is denoted using a bit-per-second notation. Originally, networks were so slow that their speed was measured in just bits, but as network speeds increased, we started measuring internet speed in kilobits per second (remember 56k modems? That meant 56 kilobits per second), and now, megabits per second.

Now, here’s where things get confusing for the average non-geeky-Joe. Computer storage is not measured in bits, it’s measured in bytes. A bit, as we’ve established, is the tiniest unit of measurement in the digital kingdom, that primordial 1 or 0. A byte, however, is a unit of digital information that (in many operating systems, including Windows) is eight bits long. Another term, used by computer scientists to avoid confusion over the different size byte structures out there in the world, is octet. In other words, the byte system that your operating system uses is a bunch of bits strung together in groups of eight.

RELATED:Why You Probably Aren’t Getting the Internet Speeds You’re Paying For (and How to Tell)

This difference is where, on the surface, it all seems to fall apart. You see, you have a broadband connection that is capable of 40 megabits per second (under ideal conditions, 40,000,000 bits come down the line). But your operating system and all the apps on it (web browsers, download helpers, torrent clients, etc.) all measure data in megabytes, not megabits. So when you see that download chugging along at 5MB/s, that means megabytes per second–as opposed to your 40Mb/s, or megabits per second, internet package. (Note the MB vs Mb notation.)

If we divide the speed of your connection (measured in megabits) by 8, we arrive at something resembling the download speed you’re seeing in your speed tests: 40 megabits divided by 8 becomes 5 megabytes. So yes–if you’re seeing closer to 5 megabytes per second on a 40 megabit plan, you are indeed getting what you pay for (and can even pat yourself on the back because you’re getting downloads speeds consistently at the edge of what your internet package supports).

Keep in mind that not all downloads will max out your connection. Some may be much slower, not because your internet is slow, but because the server you’re downloading the file from is busy or slow.

You can back this up by heading to a site like speedtest.net, which measures your internet speed in megabits, just like your internet provider does. If Speedtest’s results match up with the internet package on your bill, you’re golden. If not, it’s probably time to contact your internet provider and see why you aren’t getting the speeds you pay for.

Have a pressing tech question? Shoot us an email at ask@howtogeek.com and we’ll do our best to answer it.

Windows 10 is much similar to operating systems that are used in smartphones. You don’t need to install updates manually, it automatically synchronizes your data to other devices, no need to worry about installing newer drivers. But with great features comes great bandwidth usage. Windows 10 constantly needs to keep up-to-date through frequent Windows Update patches. Also, the applications use a great chunk of bandwidth.

How to Fix Slow Download/Upload Speed on Windows 10:

I have mentioned the usual culprits behind the Internet slowdown. Perform these steps until your problem gets resolved. Also run a Speedtest each time you perform a step.

[box type=”info” ]The Internet Guru once said, “Restarting the WiFi Router fixes 99% of your Internet issues”.[/box]

1. Turn off Windows Update Delivery

Windows 10 turns your PC into a file sharing server. When it is idle, it automatically starts sending Windows updates files to people around you through P2P File sharing like uTorrent. So disable Windows Update Delivery over Internet.

2. Install proper WiFi Adapter Driver(s)

Although Windows 10 automatically installs the suitable driver for your WiFi adapter. But sometimes these drivers can’t utilize the full potential of your hardware. So, download appropriate drivers directly the hardware manufacturer’s website for better WiFi reception.

3. Turn off Windows Updates

Temporarily turn off Windows Updates as might be downloading necessary files in the background.

My Download Speed Is Slow But Upload Is Fast To Play

4. Uninstall Optimization Software

You might have accidentally installed malicious software that promises you to Boost Ping, WiFi or optimize your Internet. They also use names like Windows Tweaks/Cleaners utilities. It is better to get rid of them.

There is a good trusted program for this purpose, its called Piriform CCLeaner. Â It removes trash, temporary files and browser history so they don’t eat up your hard drive space.

 5. Check Background Applications

It is the most common reason for Internet slowdown. Download game hp bb 9300. Exit/close unnecessary programs from your task bar as they are usually downloading something from Internet.

These programs include:

• Steam (gaming client)
• Nvidia GeForce Experience (Video card driver application)
• uTorrent, Vuze (P2p File sharing)
• Anti-virus update (Security software)
• Adobe Reader begging for update.
• EA Origin (gaming client)
• Cloud sharing apps like Dropbox, Google Drive (file backup software)

My Download Speed Is Slow But Upload Is Fast Free

6. Disable Firewalls

Why Is My Upload Speed So Slow

Check if Windows Firewall or any 3rd party firewall is blocking or slowing down your internet connection. You can do so by disabling them temporarily.