Uploading files makes broadband unusable on Sky

ClarkeKent

When I upload a file to a server, it totally disables any internet browsing till the upload has completed. But if say, Twitch is running on one of the computers, that stream continues without issue.

Just done a speed test and we get 12mbs download and 1mb upload. So, in theory, the 6mb file I upload should take 5 seconds but probably takes around 30-45 secs.

I have been a Sky Unlimited broadband customer for many years. We stream Twitch for 6/8 hours a day and download probably 70GB files per month. I also watch lots of Youtube in the evenings. So would class ourselves are a med-heavy user.

I read a few threads that Sky doesn't throttle broadband. But wondering now whether our connection is being throttled?

Chickabiddybex

It's pretty normal for uploading to kill your download speed. Your best bet would actually be to have throttling on your upload, so it doesn't get to maximum and mess everything up. Some routers have settings to do this, otherwise you can get software that does it. I haven't done it myself so I can't help much more than this.

aerostar

Your upload speed is "bits per second" not "bytes per second"
Your file size is in bytes.

So for simplicity sake there are 10bits to a byte, actually it is 8, but there are some overheads, so for ease I used 10!, there are 1000bytes to a meg, so 6meg would be 6 million bytes x 10 to get to bits, then divide by 1 million (your upload speed) and you get your approximate file transfer time which in this simple case comes to 60secs.

The above is just a guide and not necessarily exact.

So your quoted times are about right.

System

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

It's pretty normal for uploading to kill your download speed.

Really it isn't and most certainly not to the point it stops any use of the internet at all whilst you are doing it.

AndyPix

ClarkeKent wrote: »

12mbs download and 1mb upload. So, in theory, the 6mb file I upload should take 5 seconds but probably takes around 30-45 secs.

Your upload speed is 1 megaBIT a second (8 bits= 1 byte)
Your upload speed therefore is 1 million bits per second


Your file is 6megaBYTES
1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes
1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes


so your file is 6x1024x1024 bytes = 6,291,456 Bytes = 50,331,648 bits


So your file will take 50,331,648/1,000,000 seconds to upload


ie your file will take 50.33 seconds to upload


(It always impresses me to think that this technology we take for granted can communicate 50 MILLION 1's and 0's in less than a minute !! - And that is considered slow too !! )

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

It's pretty normal for uploading to kill your download speed..

No - no it isn't.

emptybox

On an ADSL connection (may be different on Fibre?) uploading will greatly affect your download speed. To a larger extent than the numbers suggest.

You can't look at the numbers and say if the OP has a 12 Mb/s download speed and 1 Mb/s upload than there will still be 11 Mb/s speed on downloads available while uploading. It doesn't work that way.
The 1 Mb/s upload will be basically using the whole connection.
However, because of the way the connection works, it shouldn't completely kill any other activity. You should still be able to bring up web pages etc. Just slower than before.

Depending on what app you are using to upload, you may be able to set it so it isn't using all the available bandwidth.

Not sure how Twitch works, but it could have a lot buffered already, so a short upload wouldn't stop it streaming.

AndyPix

emptybox wrote: »

It doesn't work that way.
The 1 Mb/s upload will be basically using the whole connection.
.

No


When you are uploading, you are actually downloading too because the reciever has to send ACK packets back so your machine knows to send the next packet.


So when you are uploading, and then try to download something , the reverse has to happen.
Your computer has to send an ACK packet for every packet that it receives, and as your upstream is already maxed out with the upload in progress it has to wait to do this.


However this is all managed by your computer, so although you will see a decrease in download speed when you are uploading, it should in no way kill your download speed to any great extent


Something is wrong there

were

I think I know what ClarkeKent means, I too am on ASDL and get about 1.7 down and 0.7 up at the router

If i have a torrent say I download openoffice and only openoffice, i get 1.4M units of speed (the question is not about bits vs bytes).

If I now decide at the same time to share my new Mint torrent and give it limitless bandwidth, this will upload at 62k, but my download will fall to about 13-120k. if I pause my downloads I still get 62k up, but my web pages have to be refreshed a lot due to timing out.

I thought that is was because adsl was half duplex, but thinking about things it may not be?

My sweet spot is about 14k up, and 1.2m down

Raxiel

I've noticed this.

I have Sky Standard Fibre, and get the full 38 down, 10 up
When I have my Acronis Cloud backup running, everything grinds to a halt. It definitely got a lot worse over the last year or so. I assumed it was updates to Acronis causing it.

Thinking about it though, I'm not certain its the connection that's the problem. If my phone is connected to Wi-Fi it behaves normally. Suggests to me that it might be a router issue (I have the Sky Q router).

I think I'll have to do a proper test with my Wife's PC (also on Ethernet) tonight while a backup is running.

It's frustrating because I used to be able to leave the backup as unlimited even when I was on the machine and it would just use the 'spare'. I can throttle it (and will have to do so more than i already have by the look of things) but that means It will take longer to finish when there's a lot to upload when I'm not using the PC and leave it set to 'shut down when finished'.

were

Raxiel wrote: »

I've noticed this.
If my phone is connected to Wi-Fi it behaves normally. Suggests to me that it might be a router issue (I have the Sky Q router).

Wifi is different, it is only half duplex (it can either send or receive, but not both at the same time), unless you have one of the new mimo devices that support multi-channel

Raxiel

were wrote: »

Wifi is different, it is only half duplex (it can either send or receive, but not both at the same time), unless you have one of the new mimo devices that support multi-channel

Well I'll try and test it tonight. To clarify though, both PC's (including the one that experiences issues) are wired.