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How to Improve Upload Speed | Our Detailed Guide to Causes and Fixes

If you're having a difficult time uploading your documents, well, there is a good chance you can get faster internet services with just one click in the settings. With these steps, you will experience higher upload speeds, analyze and manage your documents in time.

Check Your Router’s Firmware

It is crucial to check your router's firmware whether it is up-to-date. If you are using a D-link device, D-links suggests all firmware upgrades should be done over a wired connection to prevent any problems from happening during upgrading.

Login into the router by entering its IP address; it will direct you to the login page. By default, there is no password, so you should be able to leave this area blank and click on the Login tab. If you have set up a password, you need to enter it to access the configuration.

Once you've logged in, click on the management tab at the top; on the drop-down menu, click upgrade. Scroll down to where it shows the upgrade manually, click on the select file button, select the new firmware that we just downloaded and click upload. Click Ok for it to get updated.

When you log in again, your firmware will be present to ensure everything is working at optimal capacity.

access to my router

Update Drivers

Your broadband service might experience shortcomings as a result of slow drivers. Download and scan for installed killer software components. Suppose you find irrelevant drivers you did not install, disconnect from the internet service or wi-fi, and press remove killer software. It is going to take a while, and when it is done, restart the computer.

Once the computer has restarted, extract the INF package download, navigate to your device manager, and select network adapters to choose your killer adapter, browser to update the driver. Your average upload speed is back. If you perform an upload speed test, the download speed details are more significant than before.


What’s Using My Bandwidth?

Login into your broadband internet service to see lists of devices on your network, and depending on your router, you might be able to see how much bandwidth each one is using. You can monitor bandwidth speeds and networks to kick out.

Slow upload speeds come as a result of another device using a lot of bandwidth like;

  • Streaming Netflix at high resolution
  • Downloading files
  • Online gaming
  • Using BitTorrent to download a movie

Why Is My Upload Speed So Slow?

Your internet service provider - see best internet providers here -  delivers comprehensive internet service, making you have no issues streaming Netflix, but you seemingly have a slow upload speed of a video or photo. Internet service providers pull this off by using different frequencies for each type of data so that a service does not conflict with another.


Internet Service Provider

The Internet provider decides how to dedicate each service, and in the case of the internet, that section gets further division into upstream and downstream data. The slow upload speeds result from the idea of downloading far more than upload speed has stuck more to this very day.

While an internet provider does allocate more upload speeds of about 10mbps these days, it is still relatively lower than download speeds.

monitoring router traffic

Connection Bandwidth

Download speeds and upload speeds are usually not the same. A user's internet service consumes bandwidth using file-sharing software or a downloading application that slows upload speeds. Close or pause any other software running if you need to upload data and wait until loading is complete.

If you upload data directly to someone else, his or her internet connection is the limiting factor. Even if your internet provider is broadband, the upload internet speed will be slow if the person is operating under a modem.


Networking Hops

Your data has to pass through the server many times before its final destination. These hops might pass packets slower than usual. The easy way to determine hop count is to open Command Prompt and type tracert. Execute the command, and the last digit displays the total hope count.

Hop count plays a part in determining the speed of data through a website. A high hop count through a path performs better than a low hop count in a different pathway only if the routers along the pathway are fast.

network graphic illustration

Company Firmware’s Restrictions

If you're a worker experiencing slower upload speeds, then there is a great chance your company is restricting internet connection speeds. The company throttles the connection speed to accommodate every worker and ease the cost of ethernet services (see also the best Ethernet splitter for internet access across all your devices).


An Outdated Router

If it cannot maintain a steady internet connection, this might require a replacement. Using an old technology router may slow upload speed as some features are missing (check out the best current modem-router combo).


Many Users

Sharing your router password with other users might slow down wireless internet download speeds. Having many users on your bandwidth will slow loading uploads, web browser download speeds, and upload speeds.

one man multiple devices

Cookies and Malware

Clean up cookies as they contribute to the lagging of web browsers. Update every version of the router's drivers to remove malware that cookies could have. Fix your web browser history by cleaning it to make it easier for your computer to access new data.

Software like spyware and viruses operating without your knowledge on your computer background transfer large data packets to unknown sources. Not only do they compromise your privacy, but also slow wi-fi upload speeds, downloading speeds.

To do away with this, purchase an up-to-date antivirus, run a full scan, then restart your computer system to update your drivers automatically.

all the data

What Affects Upload Speed?

Before moving to your server, your computer or phone is the crucial device to consider first. Most internet users do not achieve the uploading speed they desire even with the internet plans from internet service providers.

Your Computer System

If you are still operating using an old computer, your old wi-fi technology is the limiting factor on connection upload and download speed.

Too many open tabs on your browser can misconfigure connection settings, slowing things down. Software like dropbox running on the background and BitTorrent will make your data upload speeds slower.

best travel router

ISP Network

ISP technology impacts internet connections through DSL, cable (see best Ethernet cables review), and fiber. Some ISP's throttle or slow down BitTorrent traffic; try shutting them to improve data upload. However, an ISP can also slow your upload speed after reaching a certain edge.

DSL

The distance between your phone and internet providers matters. Shorter distances support advanced variants of DSL that have high potential speed.

Cable

Cable sharing internet connections decreases sufficient speed for each user. Cables offer faster connection speeds over long distances (see the best Ethernet cable picks for PS4).

Fiber

Fiber offers better options for connecting us to the internet. Google Fiber and Verizon Fios service providers provide the best connection pathway to your door. If you find a reasonable price for a fiber connector, purchase it as most users do not use it.

white router

Protocol

When you download or upload a file from a site, the protocol you use affects the upload speed. TCP/IP is the most reliable protocol but cannot convey large files over long distances. A UDP comes in as it transmits files more effectively over long distances than a TCP/IP.

Wireless Network(s)

Wireless networks can interrupt upload speed. One of the most common factors being signal interference often appears inexplicably, dropping your connections down. If dropping persists, uploads will fail.

Connecting your computer to a wired connection is a way to identify whether your wi-fi causes a problem in connection (these top wi-fi extender reviews may come in handy).

good internet

Increase Upload Speeds

These will help speed up overall browsing, optimize gaming (click here) , minimize video buffering, and reduce ping and lagging.

Updating Windows & Network Drivers

Updating your Windows version helps repair and fix any driver issues you may have and provide excellent speed for your computer. Test your adapter and wi-fi code to ensure you are running on the best version of Windows.

Apply any updates which pop up Windows Update. Ensure you're running the latest network driver.

Optimization

Download the latest software and run as administrator, navigate to the bottom right-hand side, click on custom so you can edit all the options.

On the connection speed slider, drag it to the maximum Mbps and modify all other network adapters (also, see our top Ethernet adapter for Switch comparison). Disable any power-saving feature you might have, then configure the settings.

Flushing Out Your DNS

It will help clean up old browsing cache from older sites, cookies, and other data that lowers uploading files. Optimize the DNS settings to find out what services can increase data loading speeds.

Conclusion

Finding a solution for devices with laggy or low upload speeds is relatively easy these days. However, if a service provider cannot fix your wireless connection, it could be the best scenario to change your wired connection to another internet plan or provider.

With just one Google search click, free tutorials that guarantee quick upload speeds and wi-fi speed test is found online. The first people to consider are the internet service providers, avoid strangers that offer ethernet service connection at all costs.

FAQs

1. What is a good upload speed?

Generally speaking, 5 Mbps is a good upload target. While cable internet can have upload speeds ranging from 5 Mbps to 50 Mbps, asymmetric DSL (ADSL) typically only offers rates of up to 1.5 Mbps. Even ADSL's 1.5 Mbps is more than adequate for the majority of online activity to run smoothly.

2. Why is my upload speed so slow but download is fast?

Your upload speed being significantly slower than your download speed is very typical. The best download speeds are what modems are made to provide because this is what the majority of us use and rely on the most. Nevertheless, despite the decreased upload speed, it should still be adequate for daily tasks.

3. Does upload speed matter?

For video conversations, downloading large files, or live streaming video, upload speeds are important. It's essential for folks who routinely exchange large files over the Internet and rely on cloud storage.

4. Is 40 Mbps upload speed good?

A reasonably frequent internet package is 40 Mbps, however it is typically the least expensive choice. This is due to the fact that it is considerably slower than the global average pace.

5. What is a good upload speed for gaming?

You ask, "How fast should my Internet be for gaming?" As a general rule, "excellent internet speed" is defined as at least 3 Mbps (or "megabits per second," the unit of measurement for how much data can be transmitted in a second) of download speed and 0.5 Mbps to 1 Mbps of upload speed.

About Dusan Stanar

I'm the founder of VSS Monitoring. I have been both writing and working in technology in a number of roles for dozens of years and wanted to bring my experience online to make it publicly available. Visit https://www.vssmonitoring.com/about-us/ to read more about myself and the rest of the team.

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