Most Americans know they need internet access for work, school, and recreational activities. They also know how to secure online services from one of several Internet service providers (ISPs) in their area. But they may not truly understand how different levels of internet service work, or exactly how much speed they need to conduct their online activities successfully.
As you might imagine, the internet speed you need is tightly related to the scope of your online activities. But how exactly are you supposed to match your internet speed to your online activities?
Finding the Right Internet Speed
What is good internet speed, anyway? Today, you can splurge on incredibly fast online services, but you don’t necessarily need them. As long as you can conduct all your regular activities without noticing any slowdowns or interruptions, your internet speed is likely sufficient.
The real question is, what is the minimum internet speed you can get to accomplish all of your online activity goals and make sure your household keeps running without interruptions?
For most solitary users, 40 Mbps would likely be more than enough for all the basic functions that the Internet has to offer. At the other end of the spectrum, if you have many users engaging in high bandwidth activities simultaneously, you’ll need at least 500 Mbps, and preferably more.
To determine the right speed for your needs, we’ll explore a number of common online activities based on the bandwidth they require. The more bandwidth they require, the faster your internet speed should be.
High Bandwidth Activities
The highest bandwidth activities are ones that demand lots of data in relatively short packets of time. Streaming in 4K, for example, is typically a high bandwidth activity. It’s especially demanding if you have multiple users streaming at this quality level at the same time. Downloading and uploading large files and backing your device up to the cloud can also be very intensive.
Medium Bandwidth Activities
Medium bandwidth activities are slightly less demanding, but you’ll still need a reliable and fast Internet connection if you want them to run smoothly. Medium bandwidth activities include things like HD streaming, video conferencing with multiple people at high quality, and online gaming. Although these activities are somewhat bandwidth intensive, they can be done with a slightly slower internet connection.
Low Bandwidth Activities
At the bottom of this list, we have low bandwidth activities. These are activities you can do on even the slowest modern internet connection, usually without much interruption. Examples include streaming music, hosting a standard or low definition video call, checking your email, or browsing the web generally.
Number of Concurrent Online Users
Your online activities are going to be complicated significantly by the number of concurrent online users attempting to use connection. A single person can enjoy even the highest bandwidth activities on a relatively modest internet plan, but once they start sharing that plan with other users, they’ll begin to notice slow down.
As you might imagine, you’ll need to multiply the speed demanded by your online activities by the number of people who want to partake in those activities at the same time.
Other Factors to Consider
There are some other factors to consider as you look for the right internet speed as well:
- Download and upload speeds. Many people prioritize download speeds when choosing internet service packages, which is reasonable, but you can’t afford to neglect upload speeds. Upload speeds play a crucial role when live streaming video, such as in a video conference call, and when backing up your data to the cloud.
- Ping. Ping is a measure of how fast a signal travels from one point to another on the internet. Regardless of how fast or slow your overall internet speed is, high ping can be disruptive for activities like online gaming or video conferencing.
- Peak hours. You may also want to factor peak online use hours into your equation. If you have many users attempting to use online services during peak hours for your service provider, you may run into bandwidth or reliability issues more frequently.
Choosing the Best Internet Speed for Your Needs
Fortunately, more than 97 percent of us have access to lightning-fast internet. If you’re willing to pay for it, you can get the best online service package available. But if you’re looking for the right balance between costs and benefits, you should first estimate what type of internet speed you need. From there, you can find and purchase the perfect internet service package.
Matching your online activities to the need and level of internet service you need does demand some upfront work. However, do you have a better understanding of you and your family’s (or business’s) needs, you’ll have a much easier time selecting the right fit.
