Internet Speeds Explained: Everything You Need to Know

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We often see Internet speeds quoted alongside deals from lots of different Internet service providers, but do you know exactly what they mean?

See more: Upload speed and download speed explained

Internet speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps) and there are several factors that can affect both download and upload speeds. Everything can be measured by running a simple online speed test.

How Are Internet Speeds Measured?

When we refer to Internet speeds being measured, we are actually asking the question: how fast is data being transferred?

When you perform an action on the Internet, be it opening a website or sending an email, it is the speed at which the data gets transferred that determines how quickly you get a response, and ultimately, how fast your Internet speeds are.

The speed of this data transfer is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), with one megabit being equal to 1,024 kilobits.

This means that 1 Mbps is 1,000 faster than 1 Kilobit per second (Kbps).

The high-speed Internet connection we are all familiar with, broadband, requires download speeds of at least 768 Kbps and upload speeds of at least 200 Kbps to be classified as such.

There is often quite a substantial difference in download and upload speeds, with download speeds being considerably faster than upload speeds.

Download speeds refer to the rate in which data is transferred from the Internet to your device, whilst upload speeds refer to the opposite: data being transferred from your device to the Internet.

Also read | What are good download and upload speeds

Broadband can be provided to homes all over the world by a number of different access providers such as telephone companies, cable operators or Internet service providers (ISPs). It is one of the fastest methods of accessing the Internet available today by utilizing multiple data channels to send large amounts of data back and forth between the Internet and your devices.

What Factors Affect Internet Speeds?

There are several factors that can influence your internet speeds:

• · Internet access method
• · Your ISP
• · Where you live
• · Location on the Internet
• · Time of day

🔁  Internet Access Method

The method used to access the Internet has probably the greatest influence on the Internet speeds you can expect to receive.

Examples of access methods include 3G, 4G, or 5G, mobile hotspots, modem or dial-up broadband, cable, satellite, DSL (digital subscriber line) and fiber.

A fiber-based connection is going to offer considerably faster download and upload speeds in comparison to a 4G connection on your smartphone.

🔁  Your ISP

Instead of connecting directly to the Internet, you first connect to your ISP using one of the access methods described above, who then connect you to the Internet.

When you see Internet speeds advertised by an ISP, they are describing the maximum speeds you can expect to receive when connecting to the ISP, not the speed between your device and the Internet.

As we previously discussed, the method of access the Internet has the greatest influence over Internet speeds, so ultimately the speeds you receive will be limited by the connection method used within your home, more than the ISP you are subscribed to.

That’s not to say all ISPs provide the same connection speeds and overall connection quality.

The connection between the ISP and the Internet itself will usually be over fiber and is incredibly fast, but what is important is that this connection is shared by many different users.

If the ISP takes on too many users, the link between them and the Internet can get overloaded and ultimately slow down the connection between you, the customer, and the Internet.

It’s not uncommon for the connection speed from yourself to the Internet to be half what it is from yourself to the ISP.

🔁  Where You Live

If you live in a town or city, you are more likely to have access to faster methods of Internet access like fiber.

Should you live in a more rural area, however, you will likely have to live with the slower methods of access as there is simply not enough demand to warrant fiber, for example, to be installed. It would end up costing more money for the companies involved than they would receive, so it doesn’t make financial sense.

Rural areas are more likely to remain using copper wire systems which are, unfortunately, much slower and more prone to service interruptions. Some very unlucky people may not even have access to copper and have to rely on 4G modems.

🔁  Location on the Internet

The Internet is simply enormous; you really can’t fathom how large it truly is. It comprised of an incredibly vast network of interconnected devices such as routers and your devices themselves.

How many of these pieces of networking devices data must travel through both to and from the destination service or server will affect your Internet speeds.

The speed and capacity of the network carrying data between these devices will also have an impact on the connection speeds you ultimately receive.

Even if you are subscribed to the fastest fiber package your ISP has on offer, you may still find it takes the same amount of time to download a file from the Internet when compared with someone on a slower copper-based connection.

The Internet itself will often be a limiting factor that affects your Internet speeds, but unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it. It is simply something we must all live with.

🔁  Time of Day

Another factor that can influence the internet speeds you receive is the time of day.

I’m sure you will have noticed that your connection to the Internet appears to be slow at certain times of the day as I certainly have.

Accessing the Internet is similar to traveling on the roads; there are times where it will be congested and the journey time will take longer, but conversely, there are times where there is very little traffic and you reach your destination faster.

During the early hours of the morning, Internet speeds are generally faster as fewer people are using it. Progress through the day and you’ll find these speeds drop gradually. Enter the evening and internet speeds will be at their worst; many people are at home after returning from work and start browsing the Internet.

Internet speeds can drop by almost half when tested in the evening compared to the early hours of the morning; the worst times to be accessing the Internet when you receive the slowest speeds will be between 7 pm and 10 pm.

If you are running speed tests, be sure to run several throughout the course of the day as I suspect you will see quite a substantial difference.

Also read | How to read upload and download speeds