Internet

How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?

A very common question that comes to every internet user is how much internet speed do they actually need?

The answer to this although quite simple, still requires a bit of research and basic knowledge regarding internet and its usage.

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However in this article we have made the task quite easy for you, all that you need to know in order to determine how much internet speed you actually require, has been explained here.

What Basically Is Internet Speed?

Internet speed is determined by the amount of data packets that are transmitted to your device through the World Wide Web or in much simpler words the actual speed at which the content travels from the World Wide Web to your browsing device.

The speed of internet is measured in MBPS that stands for megabits per second. If you own a 1 MBPS connection, a 1MB file will take total of eight seconds to download. T

he bigger the bandwidth of your internet connection the better the internet speed, bandwidth determines the maximum speed at which you can download data from the internet.

Types of Internet Connections:

 There are various kind of internet connections available in the market with different bandwidths and speed, including DSL, cable, Fiber optics and 5G internet services.

  • DSL: Stands for Digital subscriber line. It requires 2 lines so that your telephone is not engaged when your computer is connected with the Internet, also there is also no need to dial a phone number to connect.
  • Cable: Cable offers an internet connection using a cable modem and functions over cable TV lines.
  • Wireless: Wireless also known as a Wi-Fi connection, does not require telephone lines or cables to connect to the internet. In its place, it uses radio frequency
  • Fiber Optics: it is the future of broadband. It requires fiber-optic technology in order to provide the fastest speeds available today. Out of all these the Fiber internet connection is the most secure, most used and efficient internet connection.
  • 5G Internet Service: While 5G internet services is the fifth generation wireless technology and is the latest wireless option for your home and cellular devices.

Although internet speed is measured in MBPS, it still might vary because of variations in the upload and download speed provided by different internet service providers.

Upload Speed refers to the speed at which the data is sent to the internet from your device. While the Download Speed is the rate at which your own device downloads data from the internet.

Exactly how much internet speed do I actually need?

A slow internet connection can be a serious mood spoiler when you are busy binge watching 4K Ultra HD on Netflix or browsing the internet while streaming your favorite song in the background.

The main goal for everyone is to have sufficient speed to cater the needs of their household usage efficiently while making sure that you are not paying extra charges than your actual need.

Factors that Determine Your Internet Speed Requirement:

In order to determine how much speed is actually required a few factors need to be considered beforehand:

Factors to Consider:

  • The number users that is determined by the number of people connected with the Wi-Fi in your home.
  • Types of activities done over the internet like how much browsing, uploading and downloading is done.
  • Patterns of simultaneous internet usage by household members.
  • Cloud storage usage and how much online gaming is done (these activities require a good uploading speed from your internet service provider).
  • The number of devices connected to the internet, as in today’s world of smart appliances there are a lot of appliances that can be connected to the internet as well.
We found while searching the internet is that a standard connection with 20 MBPS download speed and a 5 MBPS upload speed is sufficient for most of the families. This is actually a cheap option for your pocket.

Basic Internet Speeds Chart:

This below mentioned chart can help you understand how much internet speed basic activities done over the web require:

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  • Web browsing or checking your email : 1-5 Mbps Min
  • Online Gaming : 1-3 Mbps Min
  • Video calls: 0.5-1.5 Mbps Min
  • HD video streaming: 5-25 Mbps Min
  • Standard Video streaming: 3-4 Mbps Min
  • Frequent large file downloading : 50 Mbps and above
  • Playing online competitive games that require streaming 4k content : 0-100 Mbps Min
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However you need to be aware of the fact that it is not guaranteed that you might be getting the same speed as your internet service provider is claiming. Some ISP claim ‘up to’ 25 Mbps speed which means that it might not be a complete 25 Mbps.

Also the browsing speed is impacted by the variations in upload and download speed provided by your internet service provider and also by the amount of internet usage simultaneously by more than one users.

However there are few quick tips available over the internet that can help you boost the speed of your Wi-Fi for an enhanced internet experience using the same internet connection.  

Not sure how if you are actually getting the speed your internet service provider is claiming? Don’t worry use free internet speed test calculators available online. Speed tests are extensively available over the internet and they can help you ascertain the speeds you are currently receiving. Because obviously no one wants to pay for the speed they don’t actually use.

Even if you don’t have the time to go through all these details, we suggest 25 Mbps internet connection is the best option to go for as for most of the households this speed is good enough to meet their speed requirements.

Internet Speed Requirements for Your Workplace

Above we have only focused on the speed requirements at your home only, however what if you need to understand the speed requirements at your workplace? That is both efficient and meets the need of your employees.

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This is quite simple too, below are the few factors that you need to consider in order to determine the internet speed requirements at your work place:

Internet Speed Requirements:

  • Number of employees connected to the internet at your workplace is an important factor to consider while determining your internet speed requirements.
  • The type and number of devices that will be connected with the internet connection determines the speed requirements.
  • Keep in mind the future needs and requirements that includes room for expansion of your workplace or business.
  • The kind of activities that are performed at your workplace, for example, if your business is related to IT then a much higher internet speed connection would be required.
These are the basic factors to consider however these might vary from workplace to workplace.

Basic Workplace Activities and its Internet Speed Requirements:

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  • Standard Video streaming: 3-4 Mbps Min
  • Web browsing or checking your email :0.5 to 5 Mbps Min
  • Video Streaming : 51.5 Mbps (Low Definition) to 25 Mbps (Ultra HD)
  • Audio Streaming or VOIP : 0.1 to 0.3 Mbps Large Files downloading
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Not sure how if you are actually getting the speed your internet service provider is claiming? Don’t worry use free internet speed test calculators available online.

Speed tests are extensively available over the internet and they can help you ascertain the speeds you are currently receiving. Because obviously no one wants to pay for the speed they don’t actually use.