In this day and age, it is not uncommon for internet service providers (ISPs) to offer different speeds. It’s important to understand the difference between upload speed and download speed, as well as the difference between the packages that Virgin Media offers.
Before signing up for a new internet service, regardless of which one you choose, always check your upload speed before you commit to an ISP. This is accomplished by looking at user forums and asking your friends and family how their experience has been so far.
If you’re not happy with the bandwidth you’re currently getting, consider switching broadband providers. If your broadband supplier’s bandwidth specs aren’t good, you may find that a better package will give you faster upload speeds.
Table of Contents
- Why are Virgin Media upload speeds so slow?
- Some People Think That Virgin Media’s internet speeds are not as fast as advertised
- Why are upload speeds important?
- How to increase your upload speed
- Why are Virgin Media upload speeds so slow?
- Why is Virgin Media upload slow?
- Virgin Downloads Take a Long Time
- Closing off: What is next
Why are Virgin Media upload speeds so slow?
If you need to upload something right now, you should consider uploading at off peak times. Uploading at off peak times has much quicker speeds than uploading at peak times. This is because the peak time is the most popular time for people to upload, and uploading at peak times is very slow.
Think about it like a congested highway – the more traffic there is, the slower you can go. Add larger, slower moving vehicles and accidents to the mix and you have the internet at peak time.
People often bash the service for having very slow speeds, but that is annecdotal. It is also worth noting that dissatisfied customers are far more vocal that happy ones. It’s hard to believe that VM’s upload speeds are slower than biggest competitors.
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However, VM is trying to compete with other broadband providers like Sky and BT, which also provide very good upload speeds. In order to do this, Virgin Media needs to be able to compete with these other providers on price as well as service.
This means that Virgin Media needs to offer broadband packages with better upload speeds than their competitors. However, this is very difficult to do. In order to be able to offer better upload capabilities, VM would need to build a much more efficient network. This is something that Virgin Media is currently struggling with.
However, it is important to note that many users still regard Virgin Media as one of the fastest broadband provider in the UK. This is because Virgin Media has purpose built infrastructure and the one of newest networks in the UK compared to legacy providers.
Some People Think That Virgin Media’s internet speeds are not as fast as advertised
This is a perception that is easily debunked however. VM promises that it will deliver speeds of up to 50Mbps for downloads and up to 5Mbps for uploads, on their M50 package. The speeds that you achieve will rely on a few different factors, including the distance from your nearest data centre and how many devices you have connected to the router in your home.
Upload speeds are important because they affect how quickly your devices can contact a server with a request, and how fast you can send information. Slow upload speeds can make gaming and browsing the internet feel unresponsive and sluggish.
- Virgin has been able to speed up their network and bring faster speeds to their customers by upgrading to DOCSIS
- With this upgrade, they can deliver speeds at a 10x ratio compared to DOCSIS
- This means that you’ll get more speed than you could with DOCSIS
- This is actually pretty amazing. They’ve already seen the results of this upgrade with most Virgin Media customers offering anecdotal accounts of improved performance.
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Why are upload speeds important?
For businesses (specifically work from home employees), it’s crucial to have a good upload speed as it can mean the difference between success and failure when sending out valuable communications and accessing online resources like cloud computing platforms and email.
If your business relies heavily on video conferencing, you’ll need a fast upload speed to ensure that you have a good connection with your colleagues as well.
The average upload speed in the UK is getting faster, according to Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog. That’s the average speed for all internet users, not just those using mobile phones or smart devices, so that is good news for everybody!
How to increase your upload speed
The easiest way to improve your upload speed is to look at installing a wireless access point / router with Quality of Service (QoS) or similar traffic management technology. Most modern mesh routers offer these features while being easy to install and maintain. Check out our affiliate links below for our recommendations.
If you don’t want to replace your existing hardware then you can contact Virgin and ask them to upgrade your package to one with a higher upload speed than what you currently have.
Why are Virgin Media upload speeds so slow?
This is often stated as fact, but it is not necessarily true for all users as everyone has different experiences with this ISP. Virgin Media has a range of broadband products available including Virgin Media Business Broadband, Virgin Media Business Internet and Virgin Media Business Voice. These offerings have been designed with you in mind- meaning that there is a package out there for your needs and budget.
If you want to watch Premier League football online, you need a fast broadband connection. However, if you’re paying a lot of money for your broadband connection, you may be disappointed with the performance of your broadband if the match does nothing but buffer and load- interrupting the action.
Fortunately, there are ways to improve your broadband speed.
For example, upgrading your router can help. Making sure you have a good connection to the router is also helpful. You can accomplish this by ensuring that your connectors are plugged in tightly, and that there is no undue strain or tension on them.
Why is Virgin Media upload slow?
If your internet feels a little too slow for your needs then take a moment to consider what a gigabyte of data actually is.
A gigabyte is equal to 1024 megabytes (MB) or 1,048,576 kilobytes (KB).
One GB of data would let you do the following:
- One and a half hours of video at standard definition
- (8 hours of music at 320kbps)
- You can send/receive approximately 1000 emails
- Send almost 1.5 million WhatsApp messages (without images or video).
They have made huge strides in improving their network infrastructure over the last few years and the speeds they can provide are much higher than those you can get from other ISPs.
However, the speeds on offer are not necessarily fast enough for all users. Luckily they offer packages for all needs. For more information check out their current offerings in this article.
Virgin Downloads Take a Long Time
If you still find that your download speeds are going slow then you have to perform a few tests on the following:
- WiFi: Check your WiFi devices and see if your speeds are slow or faster than a direct connection to your router with an Ethernet cable.
- Ethernet: Plug in an Ethernet cable to your computer or laptop and see if you are getting better speeds while plugged in. If so then you might have a misconfiguration on your WiFi network, bad signal, or channel interference. For more about how to fix this then be sure to check out our 5 Common and Annoying Virgin Media Problems article for more information.
- Connection: Sometimes we exhaust all of our troubleshooting and technical abilities at home and we need to get extra help. Call Virgin Media for additional testing to be done on your line. Sometimes a reset of your port can fix issues at the data centre or exchange, which is a quick fix. Failing that, they might have to send out a technician once you have frustrated all of your other options.
Closing off: What is next
In conclusion, if you want to have the best internet experience, you need to check the ISP’s website and see what they offer. There are a few things you need to consider before signing up with an ISP.
First of all, you need to know the terms and conditions of their services. This includes the type of equipment they provide, the data transfer limits, and the pricing structure. You should also ask about the different options that they offer.
You may be able to get better deals by bundling your services with your mobile phone service provider.
Thanks for reading and we will see you next time.
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