The cost of your internet plan depends largely on the internet speed you choose. It’s really frustrating when your internet is too slow, which is why people are quick to opt for the highest internet speed. However, this isn’t always necessary, meaning you often end up paying much more per month than you actually need to. That’s obviously a waste. What internet speed do you actually need for the activities in your household? We’ll tell you in this blog!
The difference between download speed and upload speed
When we talk about internet speed, we’re usually referring to download speed. This is the speed you’ll generally encounter most often. Among other things, this speed affects how quickly a webpage loads or how smoothly you can stream music, movies, and TV shows. In addition to download speed, there’s also upload speed. This is the speed at which you can upload files. Think, for example, of sending photos and videos on WhatsApp or uploading a video to YouTube. If you use DSL or cable internet, the upload speed is always lower than the download speed. If you use fiber-optic internet, both speeds are the same.
What speed do you need for what?
But what internet speed do you actually need at home? That depends on a number of factors. Do you work from home a lot? Are there multiple people working from home? How many people live in your household? How much does each person in the household use the internet, and for what purposes? Below, we provide a guide to the internet speeds you’ll need in various situations:
- 20 Mbps: This speed is sufficient for browsing the internet, sending emails without any issues, and streaming videos on two devices at the same time.
- 50 Mbps: This is the best speed for the average family. With this internet speed, you won’t experience any slowdowns even if everyone in the family is using the internet at the same time. If anyone needs to work from home, this is the minimum speed we recommend—especially if you use programs like Microsoft Teams frequently.
- 100 Mbit/s: If your family downloads a lot of content frequently, this minimum internet speed is recommended. Otherwise, you’ll find that downloads are much slower, especially if several people are downloading large files at the same time. If people in your household play a lot of online games, it’s also a good idea to choose a speed of at least 100 Mbit/s.
The difference between wired internet and Wi-Fi
There are two ways to connect to the internet at home: via an Ethernet cable connected to the router or wirelessly via a Wi-Fi connection. A wired connection is generally much more stable than a wireless one. Wireless internet speeds tend to slow down the further you are from the router. If you opt for an internet plan with a higher download speed, this isn’t always the solution to the problem. There are other factors that can affect the wireless signal. In some cases, for example, the signal from a home alarm system can cause interference. There are, however, other ways to improve the Wi-Fi signal in your home.
Choose the internet speed you really need
So our advice is to choose the internet speed you actually need. This can save you a lot of money every month. That’s definitely a nice bonus, especially these days!