Attachment Upload Guide – MetricWise Support

MetricWise Attachment Upload Guide

MetricWise users may upload attachments to customer contacts or contracts. Retrieving scans of contracts or digital photos from MetricWise is much more convenient than pulling a customer folder.

Upload Speeds

MetricWise servers have the capacity to hold thousands of scans of customer folders, but uploading files can greatly impact the performance of your Internet connection. Uploading a file of a few megabytes can completely choke a small upstream connection for minutes, preventing other users from accessing MetricWise or any other Internet sites.

Check your upload speeds by visiting a site such as http://speedtest.net. MetricWise servers are located in Raleigh. Connect to the appropriate spot on the map, note your upload speed, and consult the chart below.

Upload Times for Various Upload Rates

	500 kb/sec	1.5 Mb/sec	5 Mb/sec	24 Mb/sec	44 Mb/sec
Time to upload a 3MB file	48 seconds	16 seconds	4.8 seconds	1.0 seconds	0.5 seconds
Typical for connection type	DSL*	T1, cable *	fast cable *	fiber optic	T3

* Internet service providers advertise typical speeds, not minimum guaranteed speeds. DSL speeds decline as the distance between the modem and the central office increases. Cable modems typically offer higher, more consistent speeds, but their bandwidth is shared among subscribers on the local loop. More subscribers in a local area can lower performance.

Internet Connections

Fiber Optic connections are fast and inexpensive, but have limited availability. Upload speeds range from 4Mb/s to 35Mb/s and can cost less than $100 per month. Fiber is a great value, but the service is not widely available. Check for Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Qwest Fiber or other services in your area.

Cable and DSL are the most popular Internet connections for home and business users. These connections are asymmetric, meaning that download speeds are typically much faster than upload speeds. Cable is typically faster than DSL, but providers offer varying tiers of service of both technologies.

T1 and T3 connections are leased lines that offer guaranteed bandwidth with symmetric upload and download speeds. A T3 line is a bundle of 28 T1 lines. T1 lines cost about $800 per month; T3 lines cost around $3000 per month.

Workarounds for a Slow Connection

Unfortunately there’s no way around the physical limits shown in the chart above. However, if you need to upload files but don’t have the budget or access for a fast connection, there are a few compromises that might allow you to upload attachments without disrupting your Internet access:

reduce file sizes by scanning in black and white instead of color
reduce file sizes by increasing PDF or image compression
upload only before or after busy times of the day, or on the weekend
carry the files on an external drive to a location with a faster connection

Attachment Restrictions

Attachments must be under 4MB per file and be of file type PDF, Word, Excel, or an image file.