What is a good speed for the Internet

If we talk about complex online tasks, watching movies and so on, then, of course, this indicator will already let you down. This can only mean one thing – it is recommended to use larger packages. It is best if there is a speed of 20 Mbps in reserve.

What should be the speed of the Internet in 2023

We have selected the optimal speed parameters for working and surfing the Internet, online games, watching movies and soap operas. Here's how to find the optimal speed for you without paying extra.

The speed of the Internet is measured in megabits per second (Mbit/s or Mbps), the download speed in megabytes per second (MB/s or MB/s), 1 MB/s = 8 Mbit/s. That is, a file of 30 MB at a speed of 30 Mbps will be downloaded not 1 second, but 8.

Incoming and outgoing speeds, ping

Incoming speed affects the download speed from the Internet to your devices, outgoing speed – vice versa, from the device to the Internet. Ping is the delay of the server's response to your request. Ping value is especially important when playing online. The lower the ping – the better, for a good response it is important that the ping is less than 100 milliseconds. When gamers say that they are "pinging", it means that their internet is slow.

You can check your real internet speed right now with Speedtest.

What affects the speed

The speed indicated by your ISP in your tariff is not your actual speed. The real speed will depend on many factors – the load on the provider's network at the moment, your connection type (wired or Wi-Fi), the number of devices connected to the router, and your distance from the server.

Number of devices

Speed depends on how many devices you connect to your home network and how you use those devices. Here is a table that recommends speeds for specific tasks.

Type of Internet connection

There are several options for connecting to the network, the most popular of them:

• Wired connection – the Internet provider's cable directly or from a router is connected to a computer, laptop or TV;
• Wireless connection – devices are connected via Wi-Fi to a router or other Internet distributing device;
• Mobile Internet – provided by a provider with a SIM card.

You can read more about each type of connection here: 10 Types of Internet Connection. Choosing the best option

We recommend using the wired type, it is the most stable and reliable. The only disadvantage is the wire itself. In the normal operation of the Internet, the indicators vary from 90% to 110% of your tariff plan.

Usually such a connection is used on:

If you connect the cable, no one uses the Internet except you. The provider gives the necessary speed and the router works correctly. The real speed is equal to the tariff plan. Average rates are 95-110% of it

More convenient type of connection – wireless, in which the signal is transmitted via Wi-Fi, but you need to consider the functionality of the router, its distance from the devices and the range of frequencies.

The characteristics of the router directly affect the speed of the Internet – the frequency range of the Wi-Fi module (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz), the number and gain of antennas, the transmitter power, etc. They are important to check before choosing a tariff, if the bandwidth is lower than the speed declared by the tariff, then you will not be able to take full advantage of the offered speed value.

What is speed and how is it measured?

Speed shows how fast data is transferred from and to your computer. It is measured in bits.

Movies, games, pictures, and audio files are specified in bytes, so you need to be able to do a little math to know how many bits per second you are comfortable with.

How to calculate what is considered a good internet speed for your home

1 byte is 8 bits. Similarly, 1 megabyte is 8 megabits.

To understand how fast data is transferred in megabytes, a more common unit of measurement for multimedia files, you need to divide your Internet speed in Mbps by 8. This tells you how many megabytes your computer can send/receive per second.

For example, your Internet speed is 12 Mbit/s. In megabytes, that's 1.5 Mbytes per second. A DVDRip movie weighs about 700 MB. It takes 466 seconds or 7 minutes (700/1.5) to download it.

What to do if you don't know the speed of your tariff

Perhaps you didn't pay attention to the declared data transmission rates when you signed a contract with an operator.

To find out what your speed is, enter the name of your service provider in the form below. The service will show you your provider's rates with their costs and speeds. Just choose yours based on your monthly payments.

Find a provider by name.

It's best to choose a rate that fits your needs. To do this, you need to determine:

You need to know this because sufficient speed for chatting on messengers is much less than necessary for watching movies. In addition, data transfer is affected by the number of devices connected to the same network. And if all the devices are used to watch HD videos, the speed on each of them will be much lower than the one stated by the provider.

Let us tell you how many megabits per second you need for different purposes.

• Skype call – 0.1 Mbps
• Video call in Skype – 0.3 Mbps
• Skype video conferencing – 2 Mbps
• HD video in Skype – 1.5 Mbps
• Media transfer (photo, video) – 12 Mbps
• Mail, social networks – 2 Mbit/s
• Streaming music – 2 Mbps
• Streaming HD video – 10 Mbps
• Online gaming – 25 Mbps

It should be understood that the recommended values are approximate. This means that a slow connection may be enough, but you may need a faster connection. For example, some games require more than 50 Mbit/s, while others run well at 10.

Determining the best Internet connection for your Smart TV

To be able to use all the options of Smart TV you will need to connect a wired home Internet. Using the router you will be able to connect all the necessary devices, including Smart-TV, in this case it will work as a laptop or smartphone. You can also connect by wire, but this can be inconvenient, although the speed will be the best. It is recommended not to save money on the router and not to choose the most inexpensive option if you plan to connect other devices in addition to TV. Its bandwidth must be adequate for the selected tariff. The best option is to use a provider's router or any model in the medium price range.

Two key factors determine the speed of the Internet: the number and quality of watched TV channels and how the TV is connected to the network (wired or Wi-Fi). With a wired connection, the highest quality video transmission is possible. It is not uncommon when it is impossible to connect the Internet without an auxiliary device (router), so you need to find a provider who will connect the Internet using Dynamic IP technology, which will allow you to avoid additional settings. It is also important that the ISP does not bind by MAC-address, otherwise there is a risk of having problems setting up the Internet connection on the TV. If possible, we recommend buying a router so you can connect other devices to the Internet and not worry that the TV will not be able to connect to the Internet. A mid-priced router is enough to get your Smart TV up and running.

How to find out what speed of the Internet you need to watch content on TV

Now let's consider the optimal speed parameters. Watching clips and clips on Youtube or TV shows in HD requires a different width of the Internet channel to pass the differing amounts of information. Ideally, to watch streaming video with 4K resolution you need at least 15-20 Mbit/sec, and this is also enough to watch various video programs of Full HD, Ultra HD and even 3D format. To ensure that all IPTV broadcasts are transmitted without interference and slowdowns, connect "Internet + TV" plan with a speed of at least 100 Mbit/s, because in addition to Smart-TV you're likely to connect other devices.

Of course, there are options when you may need a lower speed. A speed of at least 10 Mbps is sufficient to use the simplest SMART-TV features:

• Youtube clips in normal 360p, 480p or 720p quality can be watched at 2 Mbps, while 1080p or Full HD video requires at least 4 Mbps or higher.
• You can only watch movies or TV in HD quality at speeds of at least 7 Mbps or higher.

It may seem that many people without recommendations connect the Internet at 100 Mbit/sec, because it is the best option – great speed for an adequate price. But sometimes there are problems even with a good internet connection from a reliable provider. To understand and fix the problem of hanging movies or streaming, check out the information below.

What kind of Internet speed you need for work and other tasks

Text and mail

• 1 Mbit/s incoming, outgoing speed is sufficient.
• Text is the "lightest" of the types of content presented – 1 character weighs 1 byte. With a 1 Mbit/s plan, an article of 130,000 characters will load in 1 second.
• For text messages that you receive/send in messengers, as you understand, this value will be more than enough.
• It will take you 1 minute and 20 seconds to fully download a 10 MB email at a 1 Mbps plan. At 10 Mbps it will take 8 seconds. But such "heavy" letters are sent very rarely, they usually do not exceed 1 MB.

Audio – music, podcasts, books, voice messages

• Also 1-2 Mbit/s incoming speed with a stable connection is enough.
• Music, like any information, has a certain weight. Previously, you had to download songs before listening to them. Now there are quite a few services that allow you to listen to it online.
• On average, one song weighs 3-8 MB, goes for 2-5 minutes.

Photos – Instagram, VK, photostocks

To quickly display photos on Instagram, VK or photostocks, 5-10 Mbps incoming speed is enough. If the images are not optimized and have a large resolution, it will take some time to load – 2-20 seconds.

Every photo or picture on the Internet is a set of pixels. Depending on the resolution, format and detail, their weight and load time varies. A few examples:

Resolution: HD, 1280×720. Weight: 0.2-0.65 MB. At a 5 Mbps rate, the download time for 1 file is less than 1 second.

Resolution: Full HD, 1920×1080. Weight: 0.4-1.2 MB. At 10 Mbps the time to download 1 file is less than 1 second.

Resolution: Ultra HD (4k), 3840×2160. Weight: 2.2-3 MB. At 10 Mbps download time of 1 file less than 2.5 seconds.

What kind of internet speed do you really need?

It all depends on the tasks you will perform. Many people believe that high speed is needed for gaming, but that's not true. For most popular online games, a speed of 5 Mbit/s will be sufficient. But for watching video – more. And the optimal value depends directly on the resolution of the video. The dependence is approximately as follows.

Note that in this case we are talking about one device and one stream. Typically, apartments have several devices connected via routers, so you need to take into account the nuances of sharing. Practice shows that the speed of 100 Mbit / sec is sufficient to meet the needs of a family of 3-4 people.

Check the speed of the Internet online – how to do it?

The first thing you should start with is to test your connection. This is done very simply:

High network latency indicates that your device is too far away from the router. If you are connected via a LAN cable, that might be the problem. Sometimes there are failures on the ISP side. We wrote more about ping in this article:

The Internet speed check system automatically detects the closest server to you in order to collect the most accurate data.

What is considered an acceptable internet speed?

Generally, the developers claim that 1 Mbit/sec. – is already good. If the ping is within 40 ms. However, in practice, this is disastrously insufficient. The fact is that in parallel with the game work and other services: Steam Overlay, voice chat, third-party applications for communication, messengers, etc. All of this also requires internet. Therefore, 1 Mbit/sec. – Is very little. Let's put it this way: it would be great if your test results showed at least 25 Mbit/s. for downloads and at least 5 Mbit/s. – For "uploads". This will be enough for most games.

What do I need to do to get the high reading back?

First, the user will need to determine which party is causing the low speed: the ISP or the subscriber himself. If it's not your ISP, you can try to figure out what's causing the drop and fix the problem. There is also an option to use the following tips in combination.

Will help to achieve acceptable speeds:

• Changing the location of the router;
• Switching to a different frequency;
• reducing the quality of the viewed video;
• downloading an ad blocker;
• checking your computer, tablet or smartphone for viruses;
• disabling automatic software updates;
• Turning on turbo mode in your browser;
• checking the network cable.

If the subscriber uses a router, you should make sure that the device is installed in a suitable location. It is recommended to place the router in the center of the apartment/house. This will evenly distribute the signal in the room and achieve a stable connection. If the living space is large and the router is installed in the last room, there may be a weak signal on the other side of the apartment.

You can change the frequency in the router's settings. Most devices work in the 2.4 GHz band. Modern devices are designed to work with 5 GHz. This frequency is less busy, and its use allows you to enjoy better quality high-speed Internet. That's why it's worth choosing the 5 GHz.

If you lower the quality of the content you're watching, the video freeze will disappear. You can close unused programs and tabs that require an internet connection. Having an ad blocker will also reduce the traffic consumption.

You should periodically check your system for viruses. To do this, you can use free online programs. You should always get rid of unnecessary large files and programs. This will optimize the system performance.

What is a normal speed for computers

What is considered normal Internet speed at home, depends on what exactly it is needed for. The most optimal options are as follows:

• 30-60 Mbit/s – quite a normal option for normal users. With these figures you can easily watch videos, download pictures and even play online games (but not bulky). For example, with such figures a film weighing 1.5-2 GB will be downloaded in 15-20 minutes. For comparison, similar speeds are set now on mobile Internet standard 4G.
• 60-100 Mbit/s is a very good indicator. This range is set at an increased cost from Internet service providers, but it is also a pleasure to use such a network. It provides the ability to play even the most advanced online games (if the computer itself allows it).

How did the optimal speed change

Of course, such figures of 60-100 Mbit/s, and sometimes even higher, became available relatively recently. Those who lived through the period when the Internet first appeared in Russia must remember that one could not even dream of such rates before.

The most remarkable thing was that when the so-called unlimited packages appeared, the first Internet providers had one very interesting condition: the maximum speed that a client could use was set only until a certain number of Gb were downloaded (used). Often it was 10 GB. After the limit was reached, the download speed dropped sharply to a minimum. In fact, the Internet became almost useless.

How much was optimal in the 00's, 10's and now

At the beginning of zero's it was possible to run the Internet only with a special modem. Accordingly, the speed of these connections was very slow. At the same time an indicator of only a few kilobytes per second was very expensive. Therefore a global network was not often used.

Fiber optic connection – what speeds

The speed of downloading and transmitting information over fiber-optic lines theoretically has no limits. In practice, however, it can be as fast as 10 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s. At the moment it is the highest speed transmission option. However, there is a significant disadvantage – the cost of such connections.

Important! Fiber optic lines can be used at home, but on the condition that there is no possibility to connect a conventional Wi-Fi network. As practice shows, such high-speed lines often do not justify themselves due to their high cost.

What is considered a normal speed for the home Internet

Many people who have seriously thought about connecting to the global network, do not know what the data transfer speed should be. In fact, everything depends on the connection technology and tariff used.

For example, if the network is connected via fiber-optic cable, data can be transmitted at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s. However, the provider can limit it depending on the paid tariff plan.

ISPs most often set the following speed limits:

• 35 Mbit/s. This is enough to cope with basic tasks. You can easily open any sites, watch streaming video and download medium-sized files. Perfect for a single device.
• 70 Mbps. This speed will be enough to use the Internet not only on a personal computer, but also on other devices. You can simultaneously use the Internet on your PC, smartphone, TV, laptop.
• 100 Mbps. This is the most common option, which is most often chosen when connecting the Internet. This speed is enough for any task.
• More than 100 Mbit/sec. These rates should be used only if you often have to download large files or connect to the Internet a lot of devices.

Additional information! If you are not satisfied with the speed of the home Internet, you can call your provider and connect a more expensive plan.

What does the download and upload speed depend on?

After you understand what it's better to connect the Internet in your apartment, it's necessary to know why the data transfer rate can vary. It all depends on the method used to connect to the Internet.

Wired Internet

Most people opt for a wired connection to the network and connect high speed cable Internet at home. In this case, the speed of information transfer depends largely on the client's equipment.

For example, if you use a fiber optic connection, the speed will be much higher than with twisted pair. The fact is that these types of cables differ in bandwidth:

• Twisted pair. It has only 4 cores and therefore when using such a wire, the transmission is limited to 100 Mbps.
• Fiber optic. This is a higher quality cable, with which it is possible to provide speeds of about 1 Gbit/sec. Currently, most ISPs use this type of cable to connect to the Internet.

Important! To take advantage of a high-speed connection via fiber optic, you will need to use special equipment equipped with a gigabit port. Therefore, when choosing a router, you should pay attention to whether it can operate at a speed of 1 Gbit/s.

In addition to the cable used, there are other factors that can affect the speed of the network. These can include the following:

• Mechanical damage to the Ethernet wire. Sometimes even minor damage to the cable will cause the data rate to begin to deteriorate. Therefore, if the Internet network starts to perform worse, you need to check the integrity of the wire.
• Quality of communication line. Sometimes the Internet is slow because of problems with the communication line. In this case, you will have to wait until it is restored.
• Server load. There are situations when servers are overloaded and this leads to the fact that data starts to be transmitted slower.
• Quality of the equipment used by the provider for organizing network nodes and connecting homes. If the cheapest equipment is used to connect subscribers, it can have a negative impact on the speed of the Internet.
• The software used. If the Internet is working poorly only on a personal computer or laptop, it means that there is software installed on the device that affects the speed of the network. Some programs may be downloading something in the background, and because of this the data transfer is degraded.

What affects the actual speed, the main factors

Every smartphone owner has had to deal with problems with slow Internet on both iOS and Android. There are many reasons why the Internet on your phone can be slow, which is why this situation is such a common problem. Here are a few reasons for slow data.

• Too many apps or active tabs. High internet connection requirements for data transfer will lead to overall slower speeds. Even the fastest mobile data plan cannot handle dozens of tabs and apps in the background. If the speed of the 4 G internet you're using is slow, this could be the reason.
• Poor connection. If reception is poor (no "bandwidth"), connecting to a mobile data service will not have the desired effect. Also, if the consumer is on an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, they are competing with many other users for bandwidth. Either way, there may be a better option for achieving faster Internet.
• The cache is full. The browser stores data in a cache, which allows frequently visited websites to load faster. Although this technology should speed up your browsing experience, the cache can also slow down your phone if it becomes too full.
• You need to reset your network settings. Your phone's network settings can be the cause of a slow Internet experience. Sometimes these settings can confuse a person and they will have a much slower mobile connection (or even experience a disconnect).

Is there any way to increase the speed

Now that it's clear why things can be slower than usual, we should look into how we can increase the speed of the mobile Internet. When everything is restored to its usual values, you can go back to watching content and playing games anywhere.

Real 4G Internet speeds of domestic carriers

As shown by Speedtest measurements in Russia, MTS has the highest average 4G Internet speed (up to 56 Mbps), which is an excellent indicator.

It is very easy to check the speed of your operator, and it takes less than a minute. You should close any open tabs or programs, games, applications, etc. They can affect the measurement of Internet speed at a particular point in time. It is better to use Chrome or Firefox, these are the fastest browsers. Then go to speedtest.net and click START. After a while the service will show the speed. It is better to measure several times, at intervals of 5-10 minutes, then the readings will be averaged and more realistic.

Today, 4G communication standard is actively implemented by all operators. Ordinary users need to know that the speed of the Internet in this network is significantly higher. Therefore, it makes sense to pay a little extra for the appropriate rate.

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