Why is upload so slow compared to download?
Many home internet plans are sold by their download speed, and their upload speed is much lower. Sending a big file to the cloud runs at that lower number, so it takes far longer than downloading the same file.
A better plan or a cable to the router helps the upload itself. KEIBIDROP skips the second half: the file goes once, straight to the other computer, and the other person can open it while it's still coming in.
A speed test shows both numbers
Run a speed test and look at both results. If you see 300 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up, your upload is 15 times slower than your download, and every upload to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WeTransfer runs at that 20.
The upload speed sets the time
Time to upload at full speed, before any overhead:
| File size | 10 Mbps up | 50 Mbps up | 500 Mbps up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 13 minutes | 3 minutes | 16 seconds |
| 10 GB | 2 hours 13 minutes | 27 minutes | 3 minutes |
| 50 GB | 11 hours | 2 hours 13 minutes | 13 minutes |
With a cloud link, the other person starts downloading only after that, so they wait for your upload and then for their own download.
Things that help your upload
- Connect the computer to the router with a cable. Wi-Fi often loses a big part of the speed.
- Pause backups and sync apps while you send: iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive and Dropbox all use the same upload.
- Ask your provider for the upload number of each plan. Fiber plans often upload as fast as they download.
Skip the second half with a direct transfer
A direct transfer can't go faster than your upload, because the file still leaves your computer at that speed. What it removes is the wait on the other side. With KEIBIDROP the file goes once, straight to the other computer, and it shows up there right away. With the shared folder, or Play in a browser tab, they open the part they need first.
We measured it between our servers in Singapore and Europe (Timisoara, Romania), about 200 ms round trip on a 500 Mbps line: KEIBIDROP moved 10 GB in about 5 to 6 minutes (30 to 37 MB/s), five runs each way, through our relay.
Singapore and Europe are about as far apart as two computers get on the internet. Closer pairs, such as two cities in Europe, or Germany and the US, have shorter round trips, and there your own upload speed is usually the limit.
- Install KEIBIDROP from the install page. It's free for Mac, Windows and Linux, and there's an Android app too.
- Open it, press Copy next to your code, and send the code to the other person on WhatsApp, Signal, email or any chat app.
- They install it too, paste your code and press Add. Then they press Copy and send you their code. You paste theirs and press Add.
- You both press Connect.
- Drag the file or folder onto the window: a video, a PDF, a spreadsheet, an archive, a game, anything. It pops up on their screen and they press Save.
Private the whole way
Everything is encrypted from one device to the other, and the encryption is quantum-safe: it's built to hold up even against future quantum computers. On a direct connection the file never touches our servers. When a firewall, a hotel Wi-Fi or a mobile network blocks a direct connection, our relay passes along encrypted pieces it can't read.
Your upload speed is still the limit for a full copy. KEIBIDROP makes sure that copy happens once, and that nobody waits for it to finish before they start.
Both computers have to be on and connected while the file moves. If you need to turn yours off, ask them to press Save first, so the whole file is on their computer.
Teleport files: open them without downloading · KeibiDrop in your browser · Download KeibiDrop · Run it on a NAS · Google Drive upload taking too long · Source code on GitHub