WiFi upload speed faster than download: Why and How to fix?

Check your WiFi internet connection, and you find your download speed slower than upload speed??? Then, you think that there's a problem with your WiFi speed? Well, it's not something so rare if you run speed tests and get the results telling you that your upload speed is faster than the download speed. There might be various reasons behind that. Check out this post and MySpeed will let you know some of the common reasons causing WiFi upload speed faster than download; keep reading on to find out.

But first, why don't we spend a few minutes learning basic things concerning WiFi upload and download speeds?

Download speeds

WiFi upload and download speeds

Just like wired internet, download and upload speeds are also two important specs measuring how fast a WiFi connection is.

Upload speeds

If you often broadcast live streams, share photos and videos on social media, or send emails with large attachments, you must know so clearly how a good upload speed matters, right?

Upload speed refers to the rate at which your computer or any other device sends digital data to the internet. The data can be in the form of files, images, videos, audio, etc.

Since it's measured in Megabits per second (Mbps), the higher the Mbps value, the faster you can send the data.

Download speeds

Opposite to the upload speed, download speed means how fast your device can receive the data from a server on the internet. Download speed is also measured in Mbps, and of course, the higher the internet download speed, the better since you can receive data in less time.

Slow upload speeds

Download speed vs upload speed

Download speeds are often considered more important than upload speeds. This is because a vast majority of online activities that average internet users regularly engage in involve downloading data. 

Activities like visiting a webpage, checking email, watching videos online, searching on Google, gaming online, video calls, and many others all require downloading. As a result, many internet service providers tend to prioritize the download bandwidth and download speeds. 

Of course, upload speed also matters. We are also uploading all the time, even when we browse the web, check emails, watch videos online, etc, but the amount of data involving uploading is often too small. Do you know that there are also times when good upload speeds, not fast downloads speeds, matter the most? 

Well, for things like broadcasting live streams in high definition, sharing very huge files, uploading long videos to YouTube, and more, fast upload speeds seem to be all that you need. Sometimes, for files that are too large and take too much upload bandwidth, it’s necessary to limit the upload speed (limit Youtube upload speed, for example) so that it doesn’t affect the connection too much. 

These are some basic things to know about upload and download speeds. Next, let's learn a bit about asymmetrical and symmetrical internet connections. 

Online gaming

Symmetrical vs. asymmetrical internet connections

These are two types of internet connectivity that you should know. 

An asymmetrical connection is what it sounds like - a connection with download and upload speeds that are not the same. For example, with a 60/3 internet connection, you get a download speed of 60 Mbps and 3 Mbps for upload speed.

Symmetrical connections, not like asymmetrical connections, have equal download and upload speeds. For example, a 250/250 Mbps connection means you have 250 Mbps of download and 250 Mbps of upload speeds.

WiFi upload speed is faster than download: Why???

Running an internet speed test and you find that your WiFi upload speed is faster than download, well, what is the reason for that speed check result?

As stated previously, there might be different causes for this. Following are some of the possible things for us to consider.

WiFi internet

Multiple devices connected to your network

As you may know, the more devices are connected to and use the same internet network at the same time, the more internet bandwidth is required. Multiple devices using the connection cause it to be split, and no devices can use the internet with maximum speeds.

If these devices mainly engage in activities requiring downloading data, especially bandwidth-intensive ones like downloading large files, streaming videos in high definition, ..., your connection's download bandwidth will be affected a lot.

For asymmetrical connections, where download and upload speeds are equal, this is likely a reason for download speed slower than upload speed.

Multiple users

Too many files downloading at once

If you simultaneously download so many files, particularly large files, slow download speeds can be expected. According to hellotech.com, downloading too much at once can bog down the system, and make your device run slow.

Network congestion in internet peak hours

During peak hours, not just you, other people in your area and your home also use the internet at a time. Since a vast majority of online activities rely on download bandwidth, chances are that congestion on the download bandwidth occurs, resulting in slower download speeds.

Others

Background programs, problems with the wireless router, outdated devices, weak WiFi signals, and more may also be the cause. Besides, if your download speed is a lot slower than upload speed all of a sudden, it seems likely that there's a technical problem.

Wi-Fi connection

So, what should you do?

Your internet speeds, especially WiFi speeds, can be affected by a wide range of factors. So, if your speed test results show upload speeds higher than download speeds, you shouldn't worry too much. 

It’s necessary to check your connection speed again and make sure that you run speed tests the right way to ensure the accuracy of the test. Here are a few solutions that can help you boost the speeds and have more accurate speed test results as well.

Disconnect other devices from your network

If possible, try removing other devices from your home network, then run the speed tests again to see if your slow speeds for downloading get faster and if the internet upload speeds are still higher or not. 

Close unnecessary programs running in the background

Not-in-use programs, especially if they're bandwidth-heavy apps like Netflix, YouTube, etc, also contribute to poor download speeds. Running speed tests with too many programs running in the background means you very likely receive poor internet speeds results. So, close these programs and perform speed tests again.

Boost the speeds

Get closer to the router

WiFi signals are transmitted via the air, so they are prone to wireless interference, distance to the router, and physical obstructions. To see if these factors are the reasons behind slow download, high upload speeds, move as close as possible to your wireless router and speed test your connection again. Also, make sure that the effects of wireless interference and physical obstructions are minimum. 

Using a wired connection

Testing the connection performance using a wired connection (via Ethernet cable) is far a great way to determine your actual internet speed. As compared to a wireless connection, the wired one is more stable and faster, so if possible, speed check your internet using wired internet.

See also: WiFi upload speed test

Try different devices

There's also a chance that your device (PC, smartphone, tablet, ...) also contributes to the problem. So, if one device of yours shows low internet speeds, why don't you use other devices using the same connection to test the speeds? This way, you will know if the problem lies in your device or not.

Fast internet

Test the speeds during non-peak hours

It's a good idea to run internet speed tests during non-peak hours of the day. This will help you determine whether or not congestion on download bandwidth during internet peak hours is the reason (for upload speeds higher than download speeds).

Others

Along with the tips mentioned above, there are still other ones that can help, including rebooting the router, rebooting your device, avoiding downloading many files simultaneously, and more.

It’s worth noting that depending on the specific causes, there are always good solutions for boosting your internet download speeds. As long as you determine the exact cause behind your slower-than-actual download speeds, you'll find ways to solve the problem effectively.

Also, if you find your download speeds a lot slower than uploads all of a sudden and all of the solutions above can't help, you might want to call your internet service provider instantly to report the problem.

Good connection

Wrapping up

Well, it's not something so uncommon and unusual if you run an internet speed test and find numbers of Mbps for download speed slower than upload speed. As you can see, there might be various reasons behind that. Speed check your connection again and make sure that you run speed tests the right way to ensure the accuracy of the test. This way, you'll also have a complete picture of your internet performance. And that's all for today's post; hope you liked it and found it helpful. Well, MySpeed’s next post will be about “Average upload speed for WiFi: How fast is good & Ways to increase,” check it out now if you are looking for simple tips on how to increase wifi upload speed.