What do the letters in internet speed descriptions actually mean? And how are you supposed to know if these numbers and letters are even giving you honest information about actual speeds? In this edition of Translating Tech, we talk to Ziply Fiber social media manager Megan VanDoran about how to read speed claims and how to know which ones are just marketing jargon.
Hi Megan. Can you start by giving us an overview of how internet speeds are measured?
I'd love to. Basically, internet speed is measured in megabits and gigabits. A megabit is one million "bits," and a bit is a unit of measurement determining how fast data travels between two points. It's written out as Mbps. Now we have gigabits, which are one billion bits.
That sounds really fast. Is it?
Well, don't be deceived by the millions and billions. Let's say an internet plan is advertised as 100 Mbps. That's the download speed, or the rate that the data comes to your device. Upload speeds tend to be slower, especially on cable or DSL, as compared to fiber-optic internet. Your 100 Mbps plan may end up being a low double-digit Mbps download and an even lower Mbps upload. That might be fine if you live in a small household and just check email. But as our online needs get more intense, with remote work, gaming, smart home tech, streaming and whatnot, that's actually a very slow speed, and you might find yourself waiting for pages to load.
Read more: What speed do I really need?
You said cable upload speeds are slower—why?
Cable is an older technology that relies on coaxial copper wires for data transmission. It's unable to move data as quickly or symmetrically as fiber, which uses these thin glass strands to transmit much higher loads of data at crazy fast speeds. So, if you sign up for a 100 Mbps plan with a fiber internet company, your upload speeds will match the download speeds. That will result in a faster, smoother connection. But it still may be too slow for your needs, especially if you live with multiple people and/or use the internet heavily.
For instance, I take photos for Ziply Fiber and outside of work, and my husband works in tech, and we work from home, so we actually need multigig speeds. Editing and uploading hundreds of photos in a timely fashion is not something I could do with a low Mbps speed plan. Also, it's important to note that speeds are always slower over WiFi. If you want the full blast of speed, you need to connect your device to the ONT (the fiber-optic version of a modem) with an Ethernet cord.
What does multigig mean, and how many people really need it?
Multigig means more than one gig. At Ziply Fiber, we offer 2 Gig, 5 Gig, 10 Gig and even 50 Gig. That's billions and billions of bits! Most people don't need speeds this fast, but if you're a tech enthusiast, a content creator or have a lot of online needs, like we do, it really makes a difference.
Is 5 or 10 Gig the same as 5G or 10G?
No, it's not the same. This is where marketing speak comes in. The "G" you might see advertised is used by cellular companies and it means "generation." It's a fancy way of saying that the technology is state-of-the-art, but it has nothing to do with gigabits.
You can figure this out by looking at their internet speed plans. Let's say a company offers cellular and internet plans and they tout them as 10G connectivity. If you look at the actual internet plan speed, you will see that it's maybe 1 Gig and usually less, like 300 or 100 Mbps. And remember, most of these companies are offering cable, so these are just the download speeds, not upload.
Read more: Fiber vs. 5G
Is there a chance G will catch up to Gig?
Wireless technology operates totally differently than fiber, because it relies on radio frequencies. It's not even comparable. Again, G refers to a concept, as in "generation," and not a physical speed.
If I even wanted 10 Gigs of speed, could I get it?
Yes, you can get it through Ziply Fiber! Even if you don't need that much speed, we have plans for every lifestyle, from basic email user to full-throttle gamer-streamer-creator. Check out our plans on our website.
About Megan VanDoran
As Ziply Fiber's social media manager, Megan looks after all things related to social media that impact our customers, alongside her favorite co-worker, Biscuit.
