How fast should my internet be

As 5G wireless technology starts to roll out across the country, there is a push to use the faster speeds of 5G for in-home broadband, as well as mobile connectivity. The potential speeds promised by 5G are an incredible jump forward, with download speeds ranging from from Mbps to more than 1 Gbps in some tests.

That's an enormous improvement over 4G, which ranges from Mbps. That's also fast enough that you could conceivably use a 5G connection to meet all of your home internet needs instead of traditional wired broadband. Once 5G speeds come to your area, the mobile technology could give your current ISP a run for its money. However, there's still a way to go before 5G in the home becomes a viable option.

First, 5G service needs to roll out to more of the country. It's offered in some cities, but rural coverage isn't wide spread, and networks are still being built out and refined. The hardware for in-home use is a little different, with exterior 5G antennas to pull in the signal, and 5G-friendly routers then divvying up the connection throughout the home.

These products are still in the early days, so don't count on ditching your cable just yet. There's also the question of price, as most data plans from carriers are still mobile-oriented, and come with data caps and restrictions that aren't as flexible as current fixed broadband. For now, we recommend waiting on switching your whole home to 5G. Ultimately, deciding on the internet speeds you need isn't as simple as it looks — or as simple as ISPs want you to believe. According to the experts, you need to think about the number of devices that will simultaneously connect to your network and exactly what you want to do with your connection.

If it's just streaming and web surfing you're after, you likely won't need much. But if you're looking to stream 4K video, play online games and connect multiple devices, you'll need more bandwidth, for which you'll have to pay more. And what you pay for may not be what you get. You should periodically analyze your network speeds to see what's happening during slowdown or connectivity loss, as well as regular usage.

If you aren't seeing the speeds you're paying for, it may be time to call your service provider. What internet speed do I need? Topics Internet. See all comments 1. What is good ping for gaming? Ping under 20 ms is considered excellent while ping measuring between ms is considered average.

Latency Though often used interchangeably with ping, latency is the measure of time between a request and a result. Latency rates reveal how much time it takes for a signal to travel to your internet destination server and back. Lower latency means lower lag time, therefore the lower the number, the better.

Latency is measured in milliseconds ms. Learn how to test latency on your network. Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over your internet connection within a specified amount of time. Bandwidth directly refers to the volume of information that can be sent rather than the speed at which it is sent. Bandwidth is expressed in megabits per second.

Learn more about bandwidth. Simply enter your ZIP code below to get a list of the different Internet providers in your area.

This sometimes hampers your Internet speed. Check with your ISP to ensure your equipment is up to date. In most cases, they upgrade your setup for free, although a monthly charge may apply. You can also consider purchasing your own modem and router to keep your monthly cost to a minimum. First, divide the speed you intend to get by the total number of devices your business or household intends to use.

The result should be in the range of Mbps. At that range, you should have sufficient speeds to perform all your internet activities stress-free. The best way to fix this is usually to call their customer care service, but sometimes the response time may be lousy, so here are some quick internet speed boost tips to help you out:.

Deciding on the internet speeds you require isn't as simple as it appears—or as simple as ISPs would have you believe. According to the experts, you should consider the number of devices that will connect to your network simultaneously, as well as what you intend to do with your connection.

To choose the best services or packages for your needs, you must first understand your bandwidth requirements. This is more dependent on the applications in use, but as users begin to do more things like video calls and movie sharing, upload becomes increasingly important. Upload speeds are also important for people working remotely from home, affecting things like screen sharing and online conference calls.

If you aren't seeing the speeds you're paying for, it may be time to call your service provider. How can you stay safe at home if you're a remote worker? Here are some easy tips to follow to stay secure. Keyede Erinfolami is passionate about using technology to improve productivity in daily life and work. When she's not writing, you can find her kicking ass at Scrabble or finding the best angles to take nature pictures.

Has a healthy relationship with the Oxford comma. However, streaming even one video in 4k HD may use up all of your available bandwidth. For that reason, if you like high-definition video and you have more than one device connected at a time, we recommend a speed of 50 Mbps or more. For instance, say you have a 25 Mbps down connection speed.

Your total potential speed is split across all of the devices connected to the network. Also, using WiFi will always be slower than a hardwired connection. Trying to stream over WiFi can produce less-than-stellar results. Use our bandwidth calculator to get an estimate of the speed you actually need to stream on multiple devices at home. Online gaming is one of the few activities that require a fast upload speed.

This is because the actions that you perform in-game are uploaded to a server for other players to view and interact with. Minimum internet speed requirements for gaming are usually Mbps if nobody else in the house is using up your bandwidth.

Unfortunately, slower internet plans such as these may not give you the upload speed you need for a consistently good experience. If you are the only one at home, a 25 Mbps internet plan is recommended for smooth gaming. Latency is a measurement of the amount of time it takes for data to be transmitted from one point to another.