If you’re shopping around for a new internet provider, you might be asking yourself what’s a good internet speed. Speed and price are the top two reasons why people switch internet providers. While the cost of service for most is to determine whether or not it fits into the family budget, internet speeds can be much harder to determine especially if you’re not familiar with internet terminology. The caveat is what a good internet speed is for you, might be too much or not enough for your neighbor. To ensure you subscribe to a plan with sufficient internet speeds, you’ll have a little homework to do. Here’s what you need to know when determining what is a good internet speed for you.
Understanding How Internet Speeds Are Measured
Before you look at any more internet plans, it’s helpful to understand how internet speeds are measured. Internet speeds are measured by how much data can be received or download speeds and how much data can be sent or upload speeds. When researching internet plans you’ll see speeds listed as “Mbps” or in some cases “Gbps.” This abbreviation refers to how many bits per second and is measured in the metric system. This might not mean a lot to you, especially if you don’t know the metric system very well but let’s dive in deeper to what all of this means.
Download Speeds
The download speeds you will be receiving is what most internet providers are advertising to you from their plans. For most households, your download speed is most important because it’s being used the most often. You’ll use it for streaming TV, downloading music, and surfing the web.
Upload Speeds
Upload speeds aren’t usually advertised because the number is much lower unless you’re subscribing to a fiber internet provider. While it’s still important, you’ll download much more often than you’ll upload to the web. You’ll use upload speeds for sharing selfies, video calls and automatic backups for your devices.
Assessing Your Internet Speed Needs
The FCC has defined broadband internet or high-speed internet with minimum download speeds of 25 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. However, for most households today, these speeds simply don’t cut it. This is why you should take a real look at how you and everyone else in your home uses the internet. From there you’ll have the best estimate of what internet speeds are good for you. Here is a chart that breaks down common internet activities and their recommended internet speeds. Just keep in mind the more of these online activities your family engages in, the faster your internet speeds should be for a good experience. Internet speeds isn’t something to scrimp on unless you like waiting around instead of doing what you love to do online.
| Online Activity | Recommended Internet Speeds |
| Web Browsing | 10 Mbps |
| Checking Emails | 10 Mbps |
| Social Media | 25 Mbps |
| Working From Home | 25 Mbps |
| Attending Classes From Home | 25 Mbps |
| Shopping Online | 25 Mbps |
| Listening To Music Or Podcasts | 25 Mbps |
| Streaming TV | 25 Mbps To 100 Mbps |
| Online Gaming | 100 Mbps |
How To Save Money On Good Internet
While assessing your internet needs, you might find that you need faster internet speeds than you originally thought you would. That’s not surprising since studies show that households today have as many as 11 internet enabled devices connected simultaneously. However, just because you need faster speeds that doesn’t mean your internet bill is going to take over the family budget. You can save money on good internet service simply by only subscribing to a plan with internet speeds you’re actually going to use. Blazing fast internet is great, but paying for more than your family will use won’t make your online experience that much better. So save your money and choose an internet plan that meets your needs first.