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You can change Backblaze settings and your computer's settings to help optimize your backup speed. By default, Backblaze automatically tests your connection to the data centers, then uses performance settings to maximize your backup speed while avoiding major impacts to your regular computer usage.
You can test your connection to the Backblaze data centers using this Speed Test. If you are not able to back up at the speed shown by the Speed Test, the most common reasons are:
- Other computers are on your network and using your bandwidth.
- Other bandwidth-heavy applications (such as videoconferencing, sync, remote desktop, and online gaming) are using your bandwidth.
- Comcast PowerBoost or other "temporary speed enhancers" fool the Speed Test into thinking you have more bandwidth than you do.
- Latency in the connection from your computer to the Backblaze servers. This can cause the overall speed to be reduced. Latency can be caused by general internet connection and geographic/network distance. For more information about how geographic distance can affect your speeds, click here.
Optimize Speed Settings
You can change Backblaze settings and your computer's settings to help optimize your backup speed.
- Backblaze can upload only while your computer is on, so you can disable your computer's sleep settings. If you have a laptop, ensure that it is connected to power and the lid is open when the computer is not in use so that the Backblaze backup can continue in the background.
- If you have a faster internet connection and you want to maximize Backblaze's utilization of your bandwidth, you can disable the automatic threading/throttle setting and slide the manual throttle setting to the right to back up faster.
If you set the threads too high, it can use all available bandwidth of the network and can cause timeouts and other connection issues across the network. Start with fewer connections and go up accordingly. - You can set your Backblaze schedule to continuous.
- If possible, you can hardwire your internet connection rather than using Wi-Fi.
- If applicable, you can keep all of your external drives connected.
Note
These options may use more bandwidth. While the strength and speed of your internet largely contribute to the speed of your backup, there are other factors that can impact your speed. These factors include the overall size of your backup as well as the number of files in it, your proximity to the Backblaze data centers, and the individual path that your ISP must take to get there.
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