Slow FTP speed - troubleshooting

This guide will help you troubleshoot slow FTP download speeds and collect the information our support team may need to investigate the issue.

If your FTP speed has always been slow, or the problem persists for longer than 24 hours, follow the steps below.

Step 1 – Check Your Traffic Usage

Verify that you have not exceeded your monthly traffic limit.

If your traffic quota has been exceeded, your outgoing bandwidth may be limited, which also affects FTP download speeds.

Step 2 – Compare Different Transfer Methods

Try downloading the same file using different protocols and applications.

• If you are currently using SFTP (port 22), test FTPS (port 21). ```
• If you are currently using FTPS, test SFTP.
• If both protocols are slow, try using a different FTP client.
• If the problem persists, download the same file using Direct HTTP Access, available in the Client Area. ```

Record the download speed for each method.

Step 3 – Test Your Download Speed

Download each of the following test files individually and note the download speed for every location.

http://speedtest.ams1.nl.leaseweb.net/1000mb.bin

https://ca.seedhost.eu/1G.file

https://nl.seedhost.eu/1G.file

https://fr.seedhost.eu/1G.file

https://seedhost.eu/1G.file

http://mia.seedhost.eu/1G.file

http://dal.seedhost.eu/1G.file

http://sea-us.seedhost.eu/1G.file

http://lax.seedhost.eu/1G.file

http://sin.seedhost.eu/1G.file

On Linux or macOS, you can test the download speed directly from the terminal using the commands below:

wget http://speedtest.ams1.nl.leaseweb.net/1000mb.bin
wget https://ca.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget https://nl.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget https://fr.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget https://seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget http://mia.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget http://dal.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget http://sea-us.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget http://lax.seedhost.eu/1G.file
wget http://sin.seedhost.eu/1G.file

Windows users can use the same commands if they have WSL or another Linux environment installed.

Step 4 – Run a Speed Test

Visit speedtest.net and perform at least three tests using servers located in the Netherlands.

• Do not use the automatically selected server.
• Select three different servers located in the Netherlands.
• Use Single Connection mode instead of the default multi-connection test.

Since our servers are located in the Netherlands, these results provide the most useful comparison.

Step 5 – Contact Support

If the problem persists after completing the steps above, please open a support ticket and include the following information:

• How long you have been experiencing the issue.
• Whether you have changed any FTP client settings.
• Your download speeds using SFTP, FTPS and Direct HTTP Access.
• The FTP client(s) you tested.
• The download speed achieved for each file listed in Step 3.
• Please provide the share links to your Speedtest.net results from at least three different servers located in the Netherlands.
• Your internet connection speed and the download speed you expect to achieve.

Notes

• Comparing SFTP, FTPS and HTTP download speeds helps determine whether the issue is protocol-specific.
• Testing files from multiple locations helps identify possible routing problems between your ISP and our network.
• Providing all of the requested information allows our support team to investigate the issue much more efficiently.