How fast should my internet be?
How fast is fast enough? That depends on what your household uses the internet for.
If the members of your household often download dozens of gigabytes from the internet every day, the question of the right speed is easy to answer. More is more. But what if large amounts of data are downloaded or uploaded less frequently? How fast should your internet plan be?
Megabytes (MB) vs. megabits (Mb)
Before you start calculating what internet speed you need, you should be aware that MB and Mb are two different abbreviations. If the letter B is capitalised, it refers to a megabyte (MB). If it’s written in lowercase, we’re talking about megabits (Mb). Eight bits make up one byte – if you multiply the number of megabytes by 8, you get the number of megabits. In other words, if an internet connection offers 500 megabits per second, that’s equal to 62.5 megabytes per second. It takes about 16 seconds to download one gigabyte (GB) of data at this rate – assuming the server can handle that speed.
Internet providers usually give the speed of their plans in megabits per second (Mb/s, Mbit/s or Mbps) or in gigabits per second (Gb/s, Gbit/s, or Gbps).
Downloads vs. uploads
Many plans offer faster download speeds than upload speeds. For example, 500 Mb/s download speed, but only 50 Mb/s upload speed. There’s a reason for this – most users download more than they upload.
If you send an e-mail with an attachment every now and then, an upload speed of 10 Mb/s will do the job. But if you regularly upload videos to YouTube, back up large files to the cloud, or work from home on a virtual desktop, you shouldn’t settle for anything less than 50 Mb/s – preferably 100 Mb/s. The best choice might be a symmetrical tariff, where download and upload speeds are the same.
How much data do video streaming and similar services need?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of speed. It depends on what you use the internet for. Here’s a quick guide to the approximate data used by each device for various activities:
- Streaming Netflix, Disney+ or YouTube in 4K requires a download speed of up to 25 Mb/s.
- Streaming Netflix, Disney+ or YouTube in Full HD requires a download speed of up to 10 Mb/s.
- Video conferences (Zoom, Teams, etc.): for good Full HD quality (1080p), download and upload speeds of 5 to 10 Mb/s are recommended. However, these services automatically adjust their quality based on the available bandwidth.
- Music streaming: for lossy compression (e.g. Spotify Free), a download speed between 1 and 2 Mb/s will be enough. For lossless audio on Spotify Premium, Apple Music or Tidal HiFi, up to 9 Mb/s is required, depending on the resolution.
- Online gaming: some games require less than 10 Mb/s for downloads, while others may need up to 30 Mb/s. For uploads, 5 Mb/s usually does the job. The lowest possible latency is equally important. In other words, the time it takes for a data pack to travel to the server and back. A ping under 20 ms is ideal, and up to 50 ms is usually acceptable, but anything more than that can be frustrating in fast-paced games. This doesn’t include downloading the game before you start – more on that later.
- Web browsing, e-mail and social media: for text-only content, a download speed of 1 to 2 Mb/s is plenty. But if you watch videos on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, you’re better off with a download speed of 5 to 10 Mb/s – and if you upload videos yourself, you’ll need significantly more upload bandwidth.
So if one person’s streaming a 4K film on the couch while another’s participating in a video conference from their home office, that alone can require up to 35 Mb/s of download speed – even before anyone else in the household starts browsing the web or listening to music.
There are also special cases when it comes to online gaming. Let’s take Microsoft Flight Simulator as an example. Unlike other titles, you can stream vast 3D worlds in real time from the cloud when playing this game. If the quality is set to high, this can use vast amounts of data – download speeds can reach 180 Mb/s or more at their peak. Microsoft recommends a download speed of at least 50 to 100 Mb/s for a smooth flight.
Who does what in the household at the same time?
The key factor when it comes to internet speed is the total of all activities rather than any single one. A household of four people has very different needs than a single-person household.
Here’s an example of how download speed requirements might break down:
- Two people streaming simultaneously in 4K: 2 × 25 = 50 Mb/s
- One person playing a game online: + 10 Mb/s
- One person participating in a video conference: + 10 Mb/s
- One person working with large files in the cloud: + 50–100 Mb/s
- Someone casually scrolling on their smartphone: + 10 Mb/s
In this example, that works out to 130 to 180 Mb/s. So in this situation, a 200-megabit download plan that also offers at least 50 to 100 Mb/s upload speed would be a good choice.
And that’s not including another factor that’s often underestimated – large downloads. Downloading a new 100 GB game from high-quality servers can use as much bandwidth as the connection allows for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, if the router isn’t configured properly, others in the household may experience lag. That’s why many routers offer an option to prioritise real-time applications such as streaming or gaming – often referred to as quality of service (QoS). If you still encounter problems, you can schedule downloads for times when there’s less traffic.
A rule of thumb for everyday life
If you don’t feel like doing the maths yourself, here’s a rough guide:
- 1 person, occasional web browsing, streaming and working from home: 50–100 Mb/s download speed
- 2–3 people, multiple 4K streams, gaming and working from home: 200–500 Mb/s download speed
- 4+ people, lots of 4K streaming, power users, cloud-based work: 500 Mb/s download speed or higher
And don’t forget about upload speeds. If you work with the cloud a lot, or upload videos, you’ll need at least 50 Mb/s upload speed – preferably 100 Mb/s. In that case, a symmetrical tariff with the same download and upload speeds might be a good option.
How much of a buffer should you plan for? In practice, you won’t always reach the advertised speed – so plan for 10 to 30 per cent more. With fibre-optic internet, speed variations are usually minor, while cable internet can bring significant drops depending on the time of day. As for DSL, it depends on the length and quality of the line.
Finding the right speed for your needs isn’t rocket science. Take a look at what you and the people you live with do online, and don’t be blinded by big numbers.
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