Understanding Internet Connection Speeds

Not sure which Internet speed is best for your home? Wondering how the speed you choose will affect your Internet experience? GigabitNow keeps it simple by offering Bloomington residents five speed options: 350 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 5 Gbps, or 8 Gbps. Both speeds are symmetrical with no bandwidth caps or throttling. Keep reading to learn what all this actually means and why understanding Internet connection speeds is so important when choosing an Internet Service Provider and service plan!

How is Internet speed measured?

Let’s start with the concept of speed, or bandwidth, as it’s sometimes called. Measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (Gbps), your Internet speed is the amount of data that can be transferred every second over your Internet connection. Your speed determines the type of activities that you can do online and how quickly you can do them.

A connection speed of 1 Mbps, for example, allows you to browse web pages easily, but it’s not fast enough for you to stream HD videos on Netflix. According to Netflix, that requires a minimum connection speed of 5 Mbps. If you tried to stream HD video at 1 Mbps, your video would be poor quality and would likely stutter or pause altogether. On the other hand, a speed of 1 Gbps — one thousand times faster than 1 Mbps — is blazing fast, allowing you to do almost anything, including letting multiple family members stream 4k video simultaneously.

Download vs Upload Speeds

When you are choosing an Internet package, there are two speeds you need to consider: the download speed and the upload speed.

The download speed is the speed at which data travels from a remote location on the Internet to your Internet-connected device. For example, if you are watching a video on YouTube, the download speed is the rate at which the information in the video stream travels from the YouTube server to your computer or phone.

The upload speed, on the other hand, is the speed at which data travels from your connected device to a remote location on the Internet. For example, if you post a video or a photo onto a social media site like Facebook, the upload speed is the rate at which the information travels from your device to the Facebook server.

With most Internet packages from cable and DSL providers, the download speed is greater than the upload speed. That’s why you’ll sometimes hear people talk about asymmetrical Internet connections, which just means that the download and upload speeds aren’t equal. You may be able to download movies at 100 Mbps, but your cloud backups can only go to 10 Mbps.

An Internet speed package with symmetrical speeds is preferred by users because it offers equal download and upload speeds creating an awesome Internet experience, every time!

Why do so many Internet Service Providers offer only asymmetrical speeds? And why is the download speed generally faster than upload? Cable and DSL providers such as AT&T and Spectrum cut costs by delivering asymmetrical speeds to their residential customers. Because users typically perform tasks that require faster download speeds like web surfing, video streaming, application downloading, etc., these providers prioritize download speeds over upload speeds. Though it may seem like fast download speeds are more important, upload speeds still play a vital role in your overall Internet experience. For example, during a zoom call, fast upload is absolutely necessary to ensure a smooth meeting for work or school. GigabitNow offers symmetrical speeds taking your Internet experience to the next level!

The Bottom Line

The speed of your Internet connection has a large impact on the quality of your online experience. Choosing GigabitNow will allow you to finally experience the Internet how it is meant to be with symmetrical fiber Internet speeds!