In the early days of the internet, cable internet providers supported broadband network speeds as low as Kbps 0. These speeds have increased over the years by a factor of with improvements in internet network technology. These modems worked well when cable internet providers offered service plans with 10 to 15 Mbps or lower data rates. Many cable internet providers sell plans for service that runs faster than 38 Mbps typically, 50 Mbps for downloads.
Consumers can also buy modems if they prefer. Cable speed varies depending on usage patterns. A single cable line connects to many households, and the total available network bandwidth is shared among subscribers in that locality. If several of your neighbors access the internet simultaneously, it's possible that cable speeds for you and them will decrease during those times.
Otherwise, the causes of slowdowns are similar to those of DSL or other high-speed internet services:. If your cable internet isn't performing as you expect, the service provider's connection may or may not be the cause. Perform some basic internet troubleshooting before contacting your service provider.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Likewise, video streaming resolution affects how much internet speed you use—standard definition Netflix has a minimum requirement of only 3 Mbps, but streaming in 4K could easily use up 25 Mbps. If you have multiple connections going at the same time, you also want to make sure you have enough bandwidth for every connection to run smoothly simultaneously—otherwise your network will slow down when multiple people get online.
Even though every internet provider has its own range of internet plans, there are a few common speed ranges you might find as you shop. With 25 Mbps, you could stream one show in 4K if there are no other internet connections. A speed of 50 Mbps can handle 2—3 video streams plus some extra online activity. Most families would be amply covered with a Mbps internet connection. Unfortunately, the faster your download speed, the more expensive your internet will be.
But you don't need to go broke to get the speed you need! Check out our internet deals and discounts to get fast internet for cheap. But upload speed—the speed at which you can send data to the internet—is also important. Many internet providers advertise download speeds but keep upload speeds a little more hidden because they can be much slower than download speeds. So if your internet plan says Mbps, your upload speed would be 10 Mbps.
The exception to these asymmetrical speeds is usually fiber internet, which tends to be more generous with upload bandwidth than other types of internet. With a fiber internet connection, you would usually get equally fast upload and download speeds.
Different types of internet connections can affect your speeds in a few different ways, mainly in speed or distance limitations, network congestion, or high latency. Fiber internet is the fastest type of internet currently available. Notably, fiber internet connections give you much faster upload speeds than other types of internet.
Cable internet is also a fast connection type with top speeds up to 1, Mbps. A few notable cable providers are Xfinity, Spectrum, and Cox. DSL internet can handle top speeds around Mbps, but it usually performs slower than that because the wires carrying your internet data are older and more prone to interference over long distances. Satellite internet is usually the slowest type of internet due to its high latency. Think about it: all the information you send and receive has to go to space and back.
Satellite internet providers are HughesNet and Viasat and soon to be Starlink. Latency is the time it takes for any data—like a word file, a YouTube video, or an email—to get from its original source to its destination. If your latency is high, it means data is taking longer to transfer from the web to your phone or computer.
You can reduce latency by moving closer to your router or finding an optimal location for your router. Sometimes, restarting your router can also be helpful. If your router is old, you might even need to replace it to solve latency issues. Fiber internet like Google Fiber and Verizon Fios is the fastest internet type on the market.
Fiber isn't available in every area though, so you might have to settle for cable internet which is still pretty speedy compared to DSL internet and satellite internet. If you're paying for fast internet, but you still get a lot of lag and buffer when you game online or stream video, make sure you're getting your money's worth using this handy internet speed test.
Also, you should shop around. There might not be much competition in your area, but most people in the US have access to at least two internet options. For more detailed suggestions on how to improve your network speed and performance, see our guide to getting faster internet. Sometimes a simple restart of your computer, modem, or router is all you need to get your internet speed back to normal. Restarting clears out the bugs of a fatigued machine and sets things back to normal.
Most people use Wi-Fi to get internet on their devices, but you can get slightly faster speeds by plugging your computer directly into your router using an Ethernet cable. That reduces the chance of signal interference and creates a more direct link. Your router distributes internet signals to devices throughout your house. So the best place for a router to be is somewhere centralized, away from too many obstacles like walls, furniture or metal appliances.
If the router is hidden away in your bedroom closet, try moving it to the living room. Routers get outdated after many years of use as firmware standards improve and faster speeds become more readily available. You might be limited to a slower connection type like DSL or satellite instead of fiber or cable or there might be a cap on the bandwidth you can get. According to data collected from our internet speed test , the national average internet speed is Of course, this average is always changing, and that number might not reflect your internet experience.
Mbps stands for megabits per second. Internet providers use Mbps to measure bandwidth. One megabit is a million bits, each of which is a tiny piece of data. When your internet speed is 25 Mbps, for example, that means your connection is capable of transferring 25 megabits of data per second. The faster your internet connection is, the faster you can get your data.
Because tech language is weird sometimes, a megabit Mb is not the same thing as a megabyte MB. One megabyte is actually eight megabits. You usually use bytes to talk about file sizes and bits to talk about data transfer rates. Anything faster than 10 Mbps is a good enough internet speed for Wi-Fi, but you can have Wi-Fi with pretty much any internet speed. Just keep in mind that connecting by Wi-Fi can dilute your internet speeds due to distance, interference, or the number of devices connected to the signal.
Wired Ethernet connections take better advantage of your bandwidth. So if you have a slower internet connection, it might be better to connect your main devices with a wired connection for the best possible performance. How much internet speed do I need?
Residential Start Business Start. How many people in your household work from home? What video quality do you use for streaming TV and movies? I don't stream video HD 4K.
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