

A lag in online gaming can have consequences, for example, but when browsing the web, it isn’t as important.Ī ping test is a request for a response that’s sent to a host to measure the latency, or time elapsed, in the response. When considering the quality of your broadband connection, another important measurement is latency-an important benchmark when it comes to gaming and streaming because of its ability to impact gameplay or buffer times. Other important measurements: latency and ping It depends on the amount of internet users in the family who are also using the bandwidth in your home. A household who has a gaming system might need a minimum of 10 - 25 Mbps, but might also need an additional 1 - 10 Mbps of bandwidth to support other functions that are occurring at the same time.

There are many factors to take into consideration when determining what speeds are “good” for your specific situation. It’s used when determining internet bandwidth speeds. Mbps stands for megabits per second and is a unit of measurement for the amount of data that can be transferred every second. For example, if your household is located in a rural area, chances are you might have a cap on the maximum speeds available for your household because of the networking infrastructure built in your area.Īccording to the FCC, a student would need anywhere between 5 and 25 Mbps, whereas a person who streams videos or browses the internet would only need between 1 and 8 Mbps. Good internet speeds are determined (and sometimes restricted) by individual needs and location of where your services are needed. What’s a good download speed and upload speed? Upload speeds for home internet are often about 1/10 th of the speed of your download speed. A user is more likely to utilize download speeds than upload speeds. Streaming videos, for example, use download speeds, whereas upload speeds are only utilized when a user is uploading a photo to social media. Download speeds are much more important than upload speeds for an average internet user as most of the activity you do depends on it. When purchasing internet packages, it’s often the download speed that’s advertised. Upload speed refers to the speed that your internet connection can allow data to be sent from your devices to the internet. In this blog, we break down the terms you’ll see from your internet service provider, discuss how to test internet speeds, and guide you to a smarter, more informed purchase.ĭownload speed vs upload speed: what’s the difference?ĭownload speed refers to the speed at which your internet connection is able to retrieve data from the internet. We all want fast internet, but sometimes we just don’t need the fastest service available. Have you ever wondered about what internet speed package you should choose for your household? Are you worried you’re paying too much for a package you aren’t using all of?
