What is a Symmetrical network? What does it mean for broadband?
If you've had a little look at how much quicker is Connect Fibre? and the break down of our packages you've probably noticed that our upload and download speeds look identical. In other knowledge based articles you may have seen mention of our network being 'Symmetrical'. So let's break down what that means:
- A Symmetrical network is one where the upload and download speed are the same. e.g. our Turbo package is 500Mbps download and upload speed.
- An Asymmetrical network is one where the upload and download speed are different. (And usually the upload is a fraction of the download speed.)
There is much more to broadband than just focusing on download speed. At Connect Fibre, we've prioritized giving you brilliant hardware with our Wi-Fi 6 Router and our network is symmetrical to ensure you get brilliant service from both hardware and network, combined. This is because a robust upload speed is just as important as a download speed to support you in everything you do online!
What is an upload speed?
Upload speed is the speed that data is transferred from your device to the internet. On the surface you may initially be thinking "but that's not me, I don't upload anything to the internet." And you may be right! But there are a few instances where we do transfer data to the internet, but don't realise because it is such an intuitive part of our daily experience.
On the surface our upload speed may not seem as important because the majority of providers supply an upload speed at a fraction of the download on an asymmetric network. But this does not account for the change in how we are starting to use the internet.
Uploading to social media, uploading YouTube videos, calling through WhatsApp or FaceTime, personal back-ups through iCloud or Google Drive, Ring Doorbell, Google Nest, cloud-based CCTV, sending files, and emails are all reliant on your upload speed and will be faster and more efficient with a robust upload speed.
Even if you are not necessarily using your upload speed to its full capacity currently, at Connect Fibre we believe that the greatest benefit this has is to ensure you are future-proofed. As technology advances and our data usage changes, there is security in having a symmetrical network that can tackle anything.
As more of us are working remotely a symmetrical network also provides reliability. Having an upload speed that matches your download speed avoids an internet bottleneck that may occur when there is a lack of available bandwidth.
A faster upload speed has advantages for video calls through services like Teams and Zoom, VoIP calls, for sharing larger files quickly, sending emails and, of course, uploading to cloud-based services. Reliably accessing the cloud is dependant on high upload speeds, so a symmetrical network helps ensure the cloud is always available.
And last but not least, if you are a gamer, or if you have gamers in your life, you already know how frustrating an experience it can be to have lag or delay during game play. The advantage of a symmetrical network for gamers is avoiding lag and delay as the upload speed isn't restricted like an asymmetrical network is. In addition to this you'll also find streaming to services like Twitch are smoother during game play and uploading your footage to YouTube after game play takes a fraction of the time it did!
In short having symmetrical speeds keeps you better connected and makes the service work best for you. Matching your download and upload speed, on our Turbo 500Mbps package, for example means you can allow for smooth back ups while your family catches up on Netflix and games. It also keeps in mind that how we use the internet is evolving all the time and it ensures we are future-proofed and if our usage changes, our broadband can keep up with those new needs and demands.
For more information on our speeds do check out How much quicker is Connect Fibre? and for a handy guide on our packages take a look How do I choose the Right Connect Fibre package for me?