What Is Considered High-Speed Internet?

Posted by John Taylor on December 2nd, 2020

Generally, a 100–200 Mbps range of internet speed is considered to be ideal as they are capable of managing different uses such as video chat and streaming for around 2 to 5 users simultaneously. Internet plans with speeds of more than 200 Mbps and up to 1,000 Mbps ranges are measured as plans with speeds faster than average that is capable of supporting5 or more users at once.

Plans that have internet speeds of more than 100 Mbps download are said to be ideal for normal use. However, some factors such as latency and upload speed should not be neglected for cases such as gaming and home offices. This is because upload capacity and reaction time for these kinds of activities is very important.

The average WiFi speed you are most likely be getting around your home 20–50% lower than the advertised maximum download speed. This generally because of wireless interference and the distance between the router and the device you are accessing the internet on.

In urban areas, the average internet speed offered is usually around 100 Mbps. Although this speed might be higher in neighbourhood areas having fiber access in rural areas, 25 Mbps is considered normal speed, especially if they don’t have DSL or cable service. Rural locations fall short on satellite, which is known for providing 25 Mbps as the maximum speed currently. Below is the table that can help you understand the scenario better.

To know more about the ideal high-speed internet, go through the information provided below.

How Much Internet Speed You Actually Required?

Below you can find the information on general download speed requirements based on daily online activities:

• CheckingEmail and WebBrowsing:At least 1 to 5 Mbps
• Streaming HD Content:At least 15 to 25 Mbps
• Streaming 4K Content and PlayingOnline Games: At least 40 to 100 Mbps
• Stream 4K Content, PlayingOnline Games, and DownloadingLarge SizeFiles:At least 200 Mbps

Generally, an internet connection with more than 25 Mbps is considered an ideal internet speed, especially for average usage with a maximum of 3 people using the connection. A household with 3-5 users should go for an internet connection with a speed close to 100 to 200 Mbps range. Basically, a "good" internet speed connection is that which meets the requirements of the household without any sort of speed issue. This usually varies depending on the number of devices connected and the number of people using the connection at once.

The speed requirement of an internet connection depends on certain factors. These include

• The number of devices connected and in use at a single time.
• The number of people streaming video from services like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon prime, etc.
• Whether you or anyone else is using your home WiFi internet for online gaming.
• How frequently you send large files using your internet?
• How frequently 4k video streaming is carried out using your internet network?
• Do you find your internet connection to be lagging or find videos buffering now and then?

The above-mentioned factors are the ones that can help in identifying the ideal internet speed for your household. Once you find the ideal internet speed requirement for your home, a speed with a few extra Mbps can be considered a high internet speed for your case. For example, if you have WiFi internet that you mostly used for normal web browsing and email messages, you can consider it a fast internet connection even if you have only had10 Mbps. On the other hand, if you are using a 100+ Mbps connection but you have 10+ member consuming the bandwidth for different high internet usage task, you might consider your plan as a slow speed internet connection. Such users might want to better look for fiber options offered by Frontier Fios or AT&T Fiber.

Location Matters

It is to be noted that the range of performance you can majorly depend on your location. Rural areas in states such as New York and California usually have much lower speeds and limited options, when compared to the urban centers of these areas only.

So What Exactly is a High Internet Speed?

Considering the average requirements, it can be concluded that anything above 100 Mbps is a high-speed internet connection. And, if you getting anything close to 1000 Mbps, that internet plan is considered as a “gigabit” service.

Some of you may wonder why anyone would ever need a 1000+ Mbps internet plan for residential usage, well, the answer is quite simple: generally it is not required, however, the penetration of internet in different parts of our life is increasing with the time. Where earlier, it was being used in computers, laptops, phones, and tablets, it is now being leveraged in cars, homes, watches, etc. So, it would not be right to not expect gigabit-speed internet to become an average speed in the future.