explanation of relative download rates

Download Rates:

Usually measured in bits.

A 56k dial up modem is capable of downloading at a max of 56,000 bits/second, or 56 kilobits/second. (actually the max is 53,000 bits/sec as regulated by FCC line speed controls)

56,000 bits (b) = 56 kilobits (kb) = 5.6 kilobytes (kB) (these are approx figures)

Same applies to broadband and LAN transfers.

When downloading from the internet, one clicks a link and the download immediately begins. However, there is a lag between the start of the download and the displaying of the Windows download manager dialog. One chooses a location where to save the file and click OK. The download, having already begun, is being cached. When the file download window apperas, showing transfer rate, the high fiigure seen is called "burst rate ", and then the rate returns to the actual rate of packets of data received in present time.

The high figures you reported as seen are false, they are burst rates.

 

one more point:

The ISP via the servers and routers can "allow a certain burst rate" of data. For instance, a cable connection of 1.5 megabits has a max download rate of about 180 kiloBYTES/sec. But some ISP's may allow that initial rate to exceed the maximum for the first few seconds of data transfer. Inother words, they control the transfer capacity rate with a "timer" used at start of transfer, rather than a general fixed cap on the transfer rate.