Speed is a critical issue for any user who has to do any online work.

In this article, you will get the answer to the most common question people ask .i.e. what speed internet do I need. How fast does my internet need to be?

Some topics covered in this article are:

• What speed internet do you need for online gaming?
• How fast of internet do you need?
• It’s Units
• What to keep in mind while choosing any connection plan?
• Factors affected in this regard.

The modern era is the era of networking and technology.

People tend to build higher networks.

Your ISP measures the online connection speed in Mbps (Megabit per seconds).

It affects a lot of factors. Similarly, it also depends on many things.

Internet speed comparison has a significant effect on what you want to do on the internet.

Speed is a very significant decision when choosing any internet package.

As your uploading and downloading speed may affect several factors.

It can be a severe headache for you if your uploading and downloading speed are slow.

For every user, the speed requirements will be different depending on his/her needs.

Also, read Why Is My Internet Slow? How To Fix Slow Internet Speed?

Measurable Units:

Let us discuss some of the quantifiable units.

They are:

• Kbps
• Mbps
• MBps
• Gbps

1. Kbps: It stands for kilobits per second. It is used for slow speed DSL.
2. Mbps: It stands for megabit per second. Nowadays this unit is mostly used.
3. MBps: It stands for Megabytes per second. This is not for residential areas
4. Gbps: It stands for Gigabyte per second. Their cost is very high, that’s why they are not much used in connection plan/services.

The speed is measured in Mbps, which is megabit per second.

One megabit is equal to 1 million bits.

Let us first discuss Mbps, i.e., what Mbps is?

• Mbps denotes speed.
• The more you have it, the faster your internet will be. It refers to data transfer rate.

Difference Between Mbps and MBps:

Don’t get confused between MBps and Mbps.

They both are different.

In MBps ‘B’ is BYTES and MB refers to file size, while in Mbps ‘b’ is bits and ‘Mb’ refers to downloading and uploading speed. 1 byte is equal to 8 bits.

Still confused???

Ok, no Problem.

Consider these examples:

EXAMPLE #1:

If you have 8 Mbps speed, then you can download 1 MB file.

EXAMPLE #2:

If you want to download a 50 MB video and your internet speed is 16 Mbps

16Mbps(speed) / 8 (BITS) = 2 MBps

50 Mbps(size of video you want to download) / 2 (speed in MBps) = 25 seconds.

Thus it will take approximately 25 seconds to download that 50 MB video with the sped of 16 Mbps.

This shows downloading time depends on the speed and file size.

A higher Mbps results in faster downloading.

So you should choose a higher Mbps when considering any package/service in this regard.

Some Common Terminologies:

Before determining speed let us look at some of the standard terminologies.

These are:

• Streaming
• Downloading
• Uploading
• Bandwidth
• Packets
• Network Latency

1. Streaming:  This term is used when you are doing any work online such as watching videos. It keeps streaming from some other places.

2. Downloading: Downloading means the transfer of data from one place to another. You download movies. Educational stuff etc.

3. Uploading: It means the copy of data from one place to another. You upload pictures. Videos games etc.

4. Bandwidth: It specifies how much data can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.

5. Network Latency: This measure the time to transfer a packet of data from one place to another.

6. Packets: On the internet, the data you send/receive is broken down into bytes by your network. These are called packets.

What Kind of Internet Speed Do I Need?

Before deciding this first see in which unit you measure it.

One more thing to keep in mind is your online work.

Get the speed according to your requirements.

How Many Mbps Internet Speed Do I Need?

• For high video streaming online, 10 Mbps-40 Mbps will be enough
• If you want to download with a large number of devices connected with each other than 40+Mbps will be suitable.

It may also vary from time of the day.

Means at a specific time you may be having significant streaming, at some time of day your it may go slow.

What Speed Internet Do I Need for Online Gaming?

For online gaming 10-20 Mbps will be enough.

It would be quite enough for you to play games comfortably at this speed.

What is Good Internet Speed?

You may use the online speed checker to be aware of your current internet pace and how fast it needs to be.

Don’t neglect this vital thing considering it as useless, because it may affect your work online.

How Fast Does My Internet Need to Be?

You will have to also pay higher for high speed.

So it can be costly for you.

• Try to be with that is according to your needs only.
• Another way to check it is on the website of your ISP.

Do read Why is My Internet Not Working But Connected?

What Speed Internet do I Need for Streaming Video?

This one is the most common reason for which people use it.

People have now moved from television to watching videos online.

For a smooth flow, it demands high speed.

Minimum online speed for streaming is 0.5 Mbps but if you want to watch in HD, it may require up to 5 Mbps, and for the high ultra high definition you may have internet with 25 Mbps or more.

Some Other Factors That Affect/Get Affected by the Internet Speed:

Many factors affect it and a lot many that are affected by the change in it.

Some of these are:

Factors That Get Affected:

• You may have a high speed, i.e., you can download a higher amount of data but from the site, you are downloading has some restrictions.
• The remote server may have limited download speed.
• A good speed may result in a better web browsing also.

You can also read The Ultimate Guide to Network Web Server

Factors That Affect:

• Bad cables may also affect your speed.
• Your streaming speed may also depend on whether you have wireless internet or Ethernet.
• It may also depend on your location.
• It may also vary because of the number of users.

To know about WiFi read Learn About WiFi Internet Connection

Conclusion:

Before asking the question, what speed internet do I need, You must keep in mind about your requirements when choosing any plan.

If you demand high speed than your requirements, then you may be paying high amount than what is required to pay, and if you choose a low rate, then you may have difficulties in working online and may be struggling all the time.

You would also love to read Here is What You Should Do For Your Internet Problems