What speed of home Internet do you really need?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out how fast your connection is required for videos, games, and other content.

What you need to know before choosing a tariff

How is internet speed measured?

Internet connection speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Despite the apparent similarity with the megabytes per second (MB / s) that Windows shows when copying files, these are completely different things.

Byte ≠ bit.

1 byte = 8 bits.

1 megabyte = 8 megabits.

1 megabyte per second = 8 megabits per second.

Megabit is a smaller unit of information and is used to determine the data transfer rate. A megabyte is used to indicate the amount of data. Nevertheless, people quite often confuse them and sincerely do not understand why, having a 100 Mbit tariff, they cannot download a 100 Mbyte file from the Internet in 1 second.

Although in reality everything is simple - just count the bytes and bits. Since there are 800 megabits in 100 megabytes, then at a speed of 100 Mbps, such a file will be saved in 8 seconds.

What is inbound and outbound channel

In tariffs, providers always prescribe the speed of incoming and outgoing channels. The first is responsible for downloading (receiving, download) and shows how quickly data gets from the Internet to the user. The second is for uploading (upload) and characterizes how quickly the transfer from the user to the Network is performed.

In most cases, the incoming speed is more important than the outgoing one. It affects the speed of opening sites, the quality of video viewing, downloading files and other scenarios when you do not give, but receive content.

With outgoing, everything is exactly the opposite. It is important for quickly sending large attachments by mail, uploading files to the cloud, publishing videos on social networks, and video conferencing. As a rule, we encounter such things in everyday life much less often.

For this reason, some ISPs provide high upstream speeds, but rather low outbound speeds. Fortunately, this is not so common these days.

How many users will there be

Also, when choosing a tariff, you should take into account the number of people who will use the Internet. Next, we will consider the optimal speed indicators for different needs, which are indicated per person. They, of course, need to be multiplied by the number of users.

If, for example, 5 Mbit / s is enough for basic work on the Network, then for two people you need already 10 Mbit / s, for three - 15 Mbit / s, and so on.

What is the recommended internet speed for different scenarios

What internet speed is needed for work

For regular surfing, sending mail, viewing social networks, collaborating on documents, 5 Mbps is more than enough. At the same time, it should be understood that sites are different, and pages with a large number of pictures and multimedia content may take a little longer to load.

What internet speed is needed for video calls

To participate in video conferencing, 5 Mbps is also enough. Note, however, that this requirement applies to both inbound and outbound speeds. If the latter is smaller, the quality of your picture may deteriorate, although you will see the interlocutors well.

What internet speed is needed for games

Almost all online games are optimized and do not require huge speeds. PUBG, Fortnite, CS: GO, Dota 2, WoT, WoW, only 1-2 Mbps is enough for multiplayer. If you take it with a margin, then 5 Mbit / s will be enough with your head. However, 50 and 100 Mbps will not be superfluous - for quick download of updates and installation of new games.

True, in the case of online games there is also such a moment as ping - the time it takes for a signal to travel from you to the game server and back. It is even more important than speed. The lower the ping, the lower the latency in the game.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out in advance even the approximate ping in a particular game through a certain provider, since its value is not constant and depends on many factors.

What internet speed is needed to watch videos online

All modern services automatically adjust to the connection speed, so you won't be left without series and films in any case. The only question is how good the image can be obtained.

At a speed of 10 Mbps, you can count on stable Full HD (1,080p) quality, with a 35 Mbps channel, the content will already be in 4K (2,160p).

What internet speed is needed for streaming

Game broadcasts are the most demanding for speed due to the fact that the video in real time has a considerable volume. Of course, for broadcasts, you need a good outgoing channel with a high upload speed.

For streams in Full HD, you need about 35 Mbps, for 4K - about 100 Mbps. And, of course, a certain margin must be added to these numbers if during the broadcasts you or someone from your family uses the Internet for other purposes.

What is the most optimal tariff

In 2021, tariffs of 100 Mbit / s are considered optimal. This speed is enough for any need, and the price of the service is the most profitable. Initial rates are much slower but cost almost the same. And the maximum, although they transmit data faster, will cost much more.

A speed of 20-30 Mbps can be recommended for a small family, grandparents and people who do not actively use the Internet. Tariffs from 300 Mbit / s and above, on the contrary, are justified only in cases where you need a really wide channel, for example, for streaming games, constantly working with cloud storage, or if you have a large number of devices and several users work at once.

If you want to accurately determine the really necessary speed, calculate how many family members need the Internet, take into account the needs of each of them, and then add a little more in reserve and round up to the nearest tariff.

This material was first published in September 2017. In June 2021, we updated the text.