All those who have forgotten what it feels like to live through commercials when watching your favorite movie or TV show, you might want to feel validated because you are not alone. A recent study concluded that during the 2024 global pandemic, an average U.S. citizen was subscribed to almost four different streaming services. Considering this information, it does not seem very far-fetched to say that streaming is the new mode of entertainment, and cable TV might get tanked completely if it does not introduce some new tricks real soon.
Streaming has taken all age groups and demographics by the storm, whether its children watching Boss Baby or teenagers mesmerizing with the brilliant performances in The Queen’s Gambit or adults learning strategies from House of Cards, everyone is smitten by the original content being produced by streaming services.
For all this entertainment, one key factor is your internet connection. You cannot afford to lose any time on account of slow internet especially if you are on a tight schedule. You need sufficient internet bandwidth to keep yourself moving and the speed you need roughly depends upon your usage and the number of devices connected to the internet.
In this article, we will help you figure out the internet speeds you require to stream videos on different platforms, seamlessly. Moreover, we would also advise on how to resolve some petty issues when it comes to the internet connection.
TAKE A SPEED TEST
Source:thesun.co.uk
The first thing you might want to consider doing is taking a speed test. You can easily get an idea of your download and upload speed by visiting sites like speedtest.net or Google’s speed test. If your internet speed is lesser than what you pay for, contact your internet service provider instantly, and resolve the issue.
If the problem persists, you might want to consider switching to a better internet provider offering good internet speeds with no cut-backs and data caps. For your reference, we would recommend you to check out great internet packages here.
DIFFERENT BETWEEN UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD SPEED
If you are a novice when it comes to internet speed and perhaps the concept of upload and download speeds is foreign to you, don’t worry because we have got you covered.
Upload Speed refers to the number of Mbps of data you can send from your device to the internet.
Download Speed refers to the number of Mbps of data it takes to retrieve data (text, audio, image, video, and files) from the internet to your device.
The bolded speed advertised on internet packages is usually the download speed and the upload speed is given at the end of the page in a much smaller size due to the difference between their numbers. Although, download speed is more integral for most users and it is typical for upload speed to be 1/10th of your download speed.
WHAT INTERNET SPEEDS DO I NEED?
Internet speeds are generally measured in megabits per second, famously known as Mbps, which translates to the amount of data that travels from transmitted to your home per second. Usually, an email contains rarely any data, and therefore the bit rate is not much of a concern. On contrary, a 4K video is brimmed with data, and to stream it, you would need a decent internet connection.
Mbps You Need
We have developed a generic table for you to understand the megabit per second you need.
| Purpose | No. of devices | Recommended Download Speed |
| Email, moderate video streaming, social networking, web surfing | One to Two | Up to 25 Mbps |
| Online gaming: multiplayer, 4K streaming | Three to Five | 50 to 100 Mbps |
| All the above and large files sharing, live video streaming | More than Five | 150 to 200 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| SD streaming | 480p | 3 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 720p to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Ultra HD/4K streaming | More than 4000p | 25 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| Streaming Library | SD/HD (480 to 1080p) | 3 Mbps |
| Live Streaming | SD/HD (480 to 1080p) | 8 Mbps |
| 4K | More than 4000p | 16 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| HD streaming | 720p to 1080p | 8 Mbps |
| 4K streaming | More than 4000p | 25 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| HD streaming | 720p to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| 4K Ultra-HD streaming | More than 4000p | 25 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| SD streaming | 480p | 1 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 720p to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| SD streaming | Up to 480p | 3 Mbps |
| HD streaming | Up to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| HD streaming | Up to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| SD streaming | 360p | 0.7 Mbps |
| SD streaming | 480p | 1.1 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 720p | 2.5 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| 4K streaming | More than 4000p | 20 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| HDX streaming | Vudu developed | 4.5 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| Video streaming | Up to 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Required Speed per Device |
| HD streaming | 720p to 1080p | 9 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Minimum Speed per Device |
| Video streaming | Up to 1080p | 1.6 Mbps |
| Quality | Resolution | Minimum Speed per device | Required Speed per Device |
| Video streaming | Up to 1080p | 2.5 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
WHY IS MY INTERNET SLOWER DESPITE MEETING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS?
More often than not, you would face issues despite meeting the minimum recommended streaming speeds and we would be sharing solutions for such issues in this section.
Fast internet needs to be accompanied by fast routers and/or modems. If your router or modem has gotten significantly old, it is perhaps time to get a new one. You might also want to place the router in a central location of your home so that the connection is strong in all corners of the house. It is also recommended to place the router on a high place like the top of a bookshelf and away from any obstructions.
You can also simply reboot your router and/or modem by unplugging the power connection for almost thirty seconds. Sometimes, it only takes restarting for these devices to function better.
For important videos that you cannot miss for a second like live sports matches, you should plug an Ethernet cable into your device for smooth streaming. Wireless internet is convenient, but a wired connection is faster and more stable relatively.
