What Internet Speed Do I Need?
Today everyone is spending more time online than ever before. With the increase in the number of users and devices connected to the internet, knowing what internet speed you need has become highly essential.
With a rise in the demand for gaming, streaming, browsing, and downloading, determining which internet plan is suitable for you and your family may get tricky at times. The first thing you need to resolve most of your connectivity related issues is an internet service provider that prioritizes its customers. For example, Wave customer service provides 24/7 assistance to its subscribers to ensure all their problems get sorted at the earliest.
Once you have shortlisted ISPs famous for providing the best customer service, it is now time to find out what internet speed you need. So, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- What Internet Speed Do I Need?
- How to Determine Internet Speed You Need?
- How Do You Use Your Internet?
- Recommended Internet Speeds for Common Internet Activities
- How Many People or Devices Are Connected to Your Internet At the Same Time?
- Bottom Line
How to Determine Internet Speed You Need?
Always remember that your internet speed needs depend on two factors:
- How do you use your internet?
- How many people or devices are connected to your internet at the same time?
We have discussed these in detail below:
How Do You Use Your Internet?
Every person uses the internet for different purposes. It allows you to browse the web, stream videos, listen to music, play games, send emails, and much more. Different activities consume different bandwidth. Streaming your favorite movie in 4K needs higher speeds than watching it in SD or DVD quality. Also, playing games online requires more speed than checking your emails.
Recommended Internet Speeds for Common Internet Activities
We have put together a list of the minimum recommended internet speed estimates for some of the most common online activities. However, please note that all these recommendations are for a single device only.
| Internet Usage Purpose | Minimum Internet Speed Needed | Recommended Internet Speed |
| Sending and receiving emails | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Browsing the web | 3 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Checking social media accounts | 3 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| Streaming online video (Standard Definition) | 3 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Streaming online video (High Definition) | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| Streaming online video (4K) | 25 Mbps | 35 Mbps |
| Playing games online | 3–6 Mbps | 25 Mbps |
| Streaming music | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Conducting one-on-one video calls | 1 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Conducting video conference calls | 2 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
How Many People or Devices Are Connected to Your Internet At the Same Time?
The second factor you must consider is how many people or devices are connected to your internet at the same time. Most people often overlook smart home devices that keep eating data in the background, so try to include those as well.
For instance, you share an apartment with a roommate, and both of you have your own smartphone, gaming console, smartwatch, and laptop. If all eight devices are active simultaneously, you would want sufficient internet speeds to cover all eight connections at the same time. But if only three of them are connected at once, then a slow speed may work fine too.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, selecting the internet speeds you require is not as easy as it seems — or as effortless as internet service providers want you to believe. In fact, you may not get what you are paying for. Therefore, you need to analyze your internet speeds from time to time to understand what is happening during connectivity loss or slow down. If you don’t see promised speeds consistently, it may be time to reach out to your service provider.
