Tools

Transfer speeds for FTP software

This article gives an overview on transfer speeds for FTP software programs and how these are affected by bandwidth use, and upload and download rates.

First published date

11/14/2018 5:25 PM

Last published date

9/30/2022 3:44 AM

Overview

This article gives an overview on transfer speeds for FTP software programs.

Product section

Serv-U Managed File Transfer & Serv-U FTP Server

Resolution

In most FTP software programs, transfer speeds are recorded per second in kilobytes (KB). Most internet connections are measured in kilobits (Kb) per second. One kilobyte equals 8 kilobits. For example, if an ISP has specified a 15000 Kb/s connection, the maximum transfer rate on that connection will not exceed 187 KB/s.

It is common for an ISP to provide different upload and download rates for a connection. A typical home DSL package may have a 1500 Kb download rate and only a 256 Kb upload rate, which causes a significant difference in upload and download speeds.

Bandwidth can also be used by other applications. A network running a web server, mail server, and FTP server will divide the total internet bandwidth between all these services. For example, if a web browser is opened while there are transfers, web browsing, and file transfer will be slower than normal.

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