downstream

Downstream denotes the direction of signal flow from the sending station to the receiving station. The downstream identifies the forward direction, which in a cable distribution network or a broadband network is the direction from the head-end to the computer connected to the network.

Directional communication, which is referred to as the downlink in connection terms, also applies to other wireline transmission technologies or wireless radio technologies. In terms of client- server communication, the downstream is the transmission direction from the server to the client.

In the case of Internet access, the transmission directions play a decisive role, since higher data volumes are normally transported via the downstream than in the opposite direction, the upstream. This is due to the fact that the subscriber surfs the Internet and downloads the individual websites from the web server to his web client, the browser. In the opposite direction, only mails are transmitted to the mail server in addition to the page requests. For this reason, most connection technologies are asymmetrical in terms of transmission rates. This applies to DSL methods and also to mobile technologies.