Same upload and download speed: Secrets of symmetrical connections

Have you ever heard of the same upload and download speed?

Sounds strange, but it’s possible!

When an Internet plan has the same upload and download rates, it is called a symmetrical one.

But is this worth it?

Is it better than an asymmetrical connection, which means upload speeds are usually a fraction of your download speeds?

So if you want to find out more about this topic, keep reading!

Same upload and download speed

Download speed vs upload speed - What’s the difference?

First of all, you should be aware of two types of Internet speeds: downloads and uploads.

Download speed

The speed at which information goes from multiple servers on the Internet to your own Internet-connected device is referred to as download speed. 

If you open Instagram on your phone, for example, your download speed will affect how long it takes to load your feed or watch a friend's Stories.

Download speed

Download bandwidth is required for the following activities:

• Music or video streaming

• Reading a blog post or article

• Viewing your social media feed

• File downloading

Upload speed

The rate at which data travels from your Internet-connected device to the Internet is referred to as upload speed. 

So, when you post to Instagram Reels, your upload speed determines how quickly your post loads onto Instagram's server and appears in your feed.

Upload speed

Upload bandwidth is required for the following activities:

• Participating in a Zoom meeting

• Google Docs article or blog post creation

• Social media posting

• Organizing a livestream

To know download and upload speed, you can run a download speed test like MySpeed.

It will provide you with the result in seconds.

Symmetrical connections

As mentioned earlier, symmetrical connections refer to the upload and download speeds being the same.

Assume your download speed is 100 Mbps. 

If your Internet connection is symmetrical, your upload speed will be 100 Mbps as well.

Symmetrical plans come with the same download and upload speed

But here comes a question: Is it normal for download speed to be the same as upload speed?

Well, download speeds are often substantially faster than upload rates on most Internet services. 

Because we (all Internet users) download far more information than we submit, Internet providers have traditionally allotted less bandwidth to upload.

That’s why most Internet connections, such as cable and DSL, are designed to maximize download speed.

Is it good to get same upload and download speed: Symmetrical vs Asymmetrical speed

Download speed faster than upload speed is normal.

Wifi upload speed faster than download is a problem.

So how about upload and download are the same?

To answer the question of whether it is worth getting the same download and upload speed, compare it with an asymmetrical connection.

An asymmetrical connection is a type of Internet connection where the upload speed differs from the download speed. 

For example, 60/3 means a download speed of 60 Mbps and an upload speed of 3 Mbps. 

Now, let’s consider the pros of both!

Asymmetrical connections	Symmetrical connections
Cheaper Fast download speeds Quick installation	No Internet bottlenecks Uploads of faster and larger files Readily available cloud services

First, compared to asymmetrical speeds, there are no Internet bottlenecks with symmetrical connections. 

If you're undergoing slow uploads and dropped calls, your data is most likely "clogged" due to a lack of usable bandwidth during peak traffic times. 

As a consequence, you and your employees may see a significant drop in productivity. 

Because of the high demand, symmetrical connections ensure that your upload speeds are not hampered.

No bandwidth bottleneck with symmetrical speeds

We all know that uploading files to the cloud is time-consuming. 

However, you can upload and update at the same time with symmetrical speeds, allowing you to cross back up your projects off your to-do list.

One more thing that the same upload and download speed connection is great is that cloud services that are easily accessible. 

Because of the increased flexibility it provides, more and more businesses are migrating to the cloud.

For secure cloud access, high upload speeds are required, so symmetrical connections can ensure that your cloud services are always available.

Why do you need the same upload and download speed?

As mentioned earlier, we use more download data than upload for daily online activities.

If you mostly use Facebook, send emails to your customers, or look up sports scores on Google, you probably don't need a symmetrical Internet.

However, a symmetrical Internet is a huge benefit if you are one of the following types of people: students, businesses, telecommuters, or content creators.

Upload speed is important to some people

These people frequently upload PDFs, large graphic files, and videos to the Internet to share them with clients, coworkers, students, and teachers.

These files are typically much larger. 

For example, the video accompanying this article is approximately one gigabyte (GB) in size. 

Here's how long it would take to upload that one GB file to YouTube at various upload speeds:

Upload speed	File size	Time to upload
10 Mbps	1 GB	15 minutes
100 Mbps	1 GB	1 minute 30 seconds
300 Mbps	1 GB	30 seconds

Data:

https://www.reviews.org/Internet-service/what-is-symmetrical-Internet/ 

Best symmetrical Internet plans

Fiber Internet providers offer the best symmetrical Internet plans.

Given that fiber is the only way to obtain a symmetrical Internet.

The following plans provide incredibly fast upload speeds, ensuring that you have enough bandwidth to post content online, and host live streams.

The plans will also allow you to share your Wi-Fi with a large number of other users without having to worry about a slow connection or long buffering times.

Have a look:

Internet plans	Download/Upload speed	Cost
AT&T 5G Internet	5,000 Mbps / 5,000 Mbps	$180.00/mo
Google Fiber 1 Gig	1,000 Mbps / 1,000 Mbps	$70.00/mo
CenturyLink Fiber Internet	940 Mbps / 940 Mbps	$65.00/mo
Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection	Up to 940 Mbps / Up to 880 Mbps	$89.99/mo

Read more: Google Chrome throttle download speed.