What Internet speed do you need?
You may need to upgrade (or downgrade) your internet speed. There is a speed that will suit you better than another, and we decided we'd take the time to help you find out what speed you need. We've made a list of what certain speeds can accomplish. Read on to find out what speed you need.
Since MB and Mb are confusing terms, we'll go ahead and explain them. MB stands for Megabyte, and a megabyte is used to measure the size of a file. Mb stands for Megabit, and a megabit is used to measure data transfer rates. However, both units can be used for both measurements. Now here's where it gets confusing, so to clear things up, one MB (megabyte) is 8 Mb (megabit). Therefore, if you have a 16Mbps Internet connection, you are actually supposed to receive 2MBps. The "ps" stands for Per Second, so you can download 2 megabytes of data each second. Now that you understand (if you don't, click here), we can continue and you can find out what Internet speed you need.
First off, we'd like to say that we aren't covering speeds below 1Mbps. That is just too slow to do almost anything, so we won't even bother talking about those speeds. If you do have that speed, please consider upgrading, unless you're satisfied with it (but you could probably get a faster speed for a better price if you search around).
We'll start with 1-5Mbps. This range of speeds is good if you want decent, low-cost Internet access. 1-5Mbps can do basic 'net stuff, but nothing too serious. For example, you can browse the web, stream videos in low quality, send emails, and stream music (but definitely not at the same time). You can't stream HD video, play MMORPGs, or even expect web pages to load instantly. However, don't turn away from this speed, because it is just about the cheapest plan you can get for Internet access.
Next comes 5-10Mbps. This is a basic, but not extremely slow, set of speeds. It's good for just about the same things as the previous tier, but you can do the same work a bit more quickly (no pun intended) than the slower tier.
After 5-10 comes 10-20Mbps. This is a great tier for individuals using social media, browsing Web 2.0 (like this site), and doing just about any average web task. It's not great for downloading large files, but that can be done. Overall, this is a great combination of value and speed.
Fourth comes 20-50Mbps. This is the internet speed sweet spot. It's fast enough to load websites almost instantly (provided the web server has a good connection too), files download pretty fast, and you can multitask and stream HD videos, play MMORPGs, and browse the web, all at the same time. This is a great tier for families with multiple simultaneous Internet users, as it should be able to cover a family's Internet needs.
Fifth comes 50-500Mbps. This is a large range of speeds, but they are all able to do about the same things. This is where your connection from the Internet may be faster than the website's connection to the Internet. This means that, although you pay for a high speed, you probably won't get that speed (unless the server also has a great connection). This is a great set of speed for small- to medium-sized businesses.
Finally comes anything above 500Mbps. This includes 1Gbps (1000Mbps), and more. This tier is still being rolled out in various areas, and it is not available in areas as large as the previous speeds. This fast of a connection is the new standard for what ISPs should provide, but not all providers can get that fast yet. Gigabit, or anything above 500Mbps, is very fast, and you should be able to do just about any internet task with this connection speed. This includes playing MMORPGs, video chatting, streaming multiple HD videos, and doing pretty much everything else. At the same time. Pretty fast.
In conclusion, the truth is that everyone's Internet needs are different, so one speed may suit you fine but be to slow for someone else. Generally speaking, though, 20-50Mbps is the perfect set of speeds for just about any average Internet user. Enjoy the Internet!
