Your Internet Speed or Bandwidth is how fast you can download information from the Internet. With the growing popularity of video streaming higher download speeds are necessary to have a smooth viewing experience especially if multiple viewers are watching different videos on the same connection.
What Internet bandwidth package should you subscribe to? Here is an overview of the speeds required for smooth viewing or listening experiences:
- Streaming SD (Standard Definition) Video (480p) – 3 Mbps
- Streaming HD (High Definition) Video (1080p) – 5 Mbps
- Streaming 4K Video (2160p) – 25 Mbps
- Streaming Music – 1-10 Mbps
Mbps stands for Mega bits per second. Taking into consideration the number of devices on your connection is the next step. Streaming TVs, laptop, tablets and cell phones will all require the bandwidth according to what they’re downloading. If a household or establishment only has 2 devices streaming at any given time and they are both capable of streaming 4K (25 Mbps) 50 Mbps may be plenty of bandwidth. If multiple devices will be used 100 Mbps or higher is recommended.
Another thing to consider for those playing multi-player online games is the upload speed. Since non-gamers only use the download side the upload side is generally ignored. If you are playing games and experiencing lags or buffering it might be time to consider upgrading your upload speed.
Buffering, that annoying scrolling wheel, is an indicator of less than optimal bandwidth. Buffering can also happen during peek usage times, when people are more likely to be home and surfing the Internet or streaming TV shows and movies.