How Much Internet Speed Do You Really Need?

learninmypc

Posts: 9,659   +724
Internet service providers always want to sell you a faster connection. But forget marketing: How much speed do you really need? The answer is more complicated than you might expect. Higher speed tiers aren’t always worth the money.

Internet connection speeds are usually measured in megabits per second, often written as Mbps. It takes eight megabits to form one megabyte, so if you have a 1000 Mbps connection (gigabit), it will take 8 seconds to download a 1 GB file. FULL ARTICLE
 
I am getting ready to deploy fiber in parts of my network. It is difficult from the small ISP standpoint to invest into higher speed options. I have a mix of standard fixed wireless and LTE and the cost of constant upgrades is staggering. That cost is also passed on to the end user. Maybe not everybody would use a gig connection at full capacity but the convenience of having it when you need it speaks for itself. On my 100 Mbps connection I average a fairly low amount of data use. However it is really nice to have most games download in under 30 minutes.
 
I live in a one-stoplight town and rely on Sattelite internet & phones... My maximum upload speed is slightly higher than the mud running uphill... Count your blessings!
 
I think that anything from 20 to 50 mbps is at the very least fairly decent.
Of course you could always have more and would be better, but if money is a concern, at least you can use the net and download stuff without major issues or slowdowns.
 
It really depends on the circumstance of my living and the cost like you said. I'm rooming with 2 other mates and we pay about $70 USD for 450 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up. At my house however, I had Comcast for about a year at $40 a month for 150 Mbps down, though the price went up to $55 after the promotion ended. Recently I saw a promotion with Centurylink in my area, they were offering life time pricing of $65 a month for 1Gbps up and down, so I jumped on that deal, though I haven't had to chance to use it much since I'm still away for school and my family is currently oversea.
 
It really depends on the current use. There are days were I'm constantly downloading large files or games which make me wish I had 1000Mbps but most of the time my general browsing is non significant.

For me probably 250Mbps is the sweet spot especially since it only costs 30 euros per month for a connection like that here.
 
Back