When you surf, do you feel like you're watching grass grow? Maybe things are moving slower than your Internet service provider promised.
Now, your ISP might not be at fault. There are a lot of connections on the Internet. They're handled by routers. A slow or very busy router could be at fault.
Regardless, you should check your speed. And that's easy to do. Just use this week's Cool Useful Fun Freebie, Speedtest. You'll get your download and upload speeds in a jiffy.
You'll probably find your upload is the slower of the two. In fact, it might be MUCH slower. That's OK.
You generally need a fast upload if you're operating a server. Otherwise, you're mostly sending commands to click things on the Internet.
If you upload tons of big files, a slow connection is irritating. Talk to your ISP. Maybe you can get another plan. Expect to pay more.
Caveats aside, you might have a legitimate beef. Maybe you're paying for 4 Mbps for downloads, and getting 1 Mbps. If that happens consistently, ask why. Perhaps you need a lower-cost plan. Or maybe you need a new ISP.
Speedtest is a nifty service. It's quick, and it won't cost you a dime. Also, it stores your records over time. So you can watch it for trends.
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