How Fast Do I Need My Internet to Be?

Nowadays, virtually every home has internet access. In fact, most people even have access to the internet while on the go, courtesy of smartphones, mobile data packages, and public Wi-Fi. But for the sake of this page, we’re going to discuss your home internet. Consumers often ask, “How fast do I need my internet to be?”. The answer depends on what you intend to use the internet for.

Are you a casual user who only needs the internet to surf the web? Do you stream a lot of TV shows and movies? Are you an avid gamer? Your answer will determine what your recommended internet speed should be. As a rule, internet speeds of 70 – 100 mbps (megabits per second) are ideal for most households. These speeds can handle most common activities, such as web surfing, streaming and video chat. And these speeds can comfortably handle several users at once.

In some situations, such as home offices or gaming, where upload capacity for files and reaction times are important, faster is better. And you must also consider factors such as upload speeds, latency, location, and your Wi-Fi network. Remember that your speed will usually be around 20-50% lower than advertised due to wireless interference and will drop the further you move away from your router.

Will Faster Internet Speed Stop Buffering?

Yes and no – first, let’s understand what causes buffering. When you stream content, your device buffers the video. In other words, it plays the video ahead of what you’re watching so that it plays without interruption. Buffering occurs when the video you’re watching catches up to the point the file is being streamed.

By upgrading your internet speed, your device will be able to buffer much faster, staying well ahead of the point at which you’re currently streaming. However, even with super-fast internet, videos might still buffer. This could be a DNS issue, poor signal strength in your cable line, or could be to do with poor bandwidth allocation on the streaming service’s end.

If it’s a DNS problem or an issue with your cable strength, you should contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP). If it’s on the streaming service’s end, there’s not much you can do besides check back later or find an alternative source.

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How Fast Do I Need My Internet to Be for Netflix?

Netflix is one of the world’s biggest and most popular TV and movie streaming services, with around 222 million subscribers as of June 2022. Netflix offers a choice of paid tiers, with the standard option streaming in standard definition (SD). The next plan offers high definition (HD) content, and their top tier streams content in glorious 4K.

For streaming in SD, a minimum speed of around 3mbps is all you need, and this is more than enough for basic tasks, such as checking emails and browsing the web. If you wish to push things further and upgrade to high definition, you’ll need to be running a connection of at least 5mbps. And for 4K, you must have a minimum of 25mbps.

However, these values represent the basement-level requirements. Consider how many users will be accessing Netflix on the same connection, the times you’ll be accessing the service, and your tolerance for buffering. We recommend upping these speeds for a smooth experience in scenarios where multiple users are accessing Netflix simultaneously on the same connection.

For streaming HD content, you want to be going for at least 25mbps; for 4K content, you’re looking at anywhere from 40-100mbps. And if you’re considering playing competitive online games and/ or downloading very large files, you might consider going as high as 200mbps minimum.

Nowadays, it’s very easy to find great deals out there, and the higher speeds are becoming much more affordable, making those dream home cinema setups much more accessible.

Check Out our Installations Services  

So, if you want to upgrade your entertainment setup with a brand-new, state-of-the-art home cinema system, look no further than Abacus Aerials. We deliver a competitively priced service and high-quality installations that satisfy a wide range of requirements. This is thanks to our impressive range of installation materials.

We’ll tailor the setup to your requirements, and we can even test your current internet connection to ensure that it’s fast enough to support your new setup. If an upgrade is required, you’ll be pleased to hear that we offer network installation services, ensuring that your visual and audio experiences are unaffected.

To learn more, call our team now on 07780 186085.

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