With more people working from home and streaming tv services. Internet speed has become increasingly important. Internet speed can vary from provider to provider. Location of your residence can also affect the speeds. There are many details you should be aware of before selecting a provider. Check out our recommendations and key points on the best SPEEDS for your NEEDS!
Best Internet Speed for Working from Home
When working from home speeds of 25-50 Mbps are sufficient for most people. For example, sending an email will only use about 2 Mbps. Larger emails with attachments will obviously use more, but should still not exceed 5 Mbps. Streaming video conference calls is another common practice for most remote employees. The Houston Chronicle estimates that in general Skype and Zoom calls will require at least 1.2 Mbps of download speed. Most internet speed plans offered around the country will easily be able to satisfy your working from home needs.
Average Single-Family Home Internet Speed
The recommended internet speed for each family can vary depending on needs. Some common things to consider are:
- How many family members will be using the internet at the same time in your home?
- How will they be using the internet (For Business, Streaming TV, Gaming, Homework)?
- How many devices will be on the internet at once?
Most average internet speed plans in urban areas are around 100Mbps. This speed should be plenty for your typical family of 4. Easily allowing children to access the internet for homework. Another child or spouse the ability to be streaming tv on an Apple TV or Roku, at the same time. Sometimes even faster speeds (1G) are available for a minimal price increase.
Best Internet Speed for Gaming
Many households these days have children playing on Computers, PlayStations or Xbox gaming consoles. Gaming uses the most internet bandwidth of any activity due to the high-resolution picture quality. In addition, many multiplayer games these days use the internet to connect with other users around the world. Below we will break down the internet speed or speed(s) that work best for gamers:
- BEST (1G)
- Good (100Mbps)
- Average (40 Mbps)
- Below Average (20 Mbps)
- Poor Experience (12 Mbps)
Gaming with Satellite Internet
Some users may find they’re able to play certain games with some minor screen freezing. However, “if it’s an online shooter or sports game, there may be a problem. In fact, some of these games may actually block users on higher-latency networks such as satellite”, per ViaSat.com. The internet speed with satellite can vary a lot as well. Home location and availability of the satellite dish signal also plays a big part in satellite speed. These speeds can be as low as 12Mbps and up to 100Mbps. If you’re in a rural location it’s best to check with a knowledgeable source for your best options.
Best Internet Speed for Streaming
Streaming tv has become very popular in the past 5 years. Many residents are “cutting the cord” and moving away from traditional cable tv options. You may think that you need very fast internet when streaming tv from devices like a Hulu, Apple TV, Roku, or DirecTV Now Device. However, most of these devices will stream perfectly fine on an internet plan as low as 20 Mbps. These devices usually consume around 3-4 Mbps when in use. In households with multiple members, streaming tv on multiple devices at the same time will use more bandwidth. You may want to make sure your speed is at least 40 Mbps minimum.
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