What Broadband Speed Do I Need In The UK: Secrets Behind It

Mark Dalio March 6, 2023 3 0

Do you ever feel like your internet could be running faster? Need help streaming movies or downloading music? It could be because you’re not getting the right broadband speed for your needs. Understanding what broadband speed do I need can be daunting – do you need a faster speed, or is your current speed enough?

How do you know what’s best for you? This article will help you better understand what broadband speed do I need to make an informed decision. I will discuss how to measure your current speed, and tips for choosing the right speed for your needs. So, let’s get started!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) On What Broadband Speed Do I Need

1. What is the ideal broadband speed for home use?

A 25 Mbps or higher download rate is usually adequate for most online activities. If you have more than one person in your household, I suggest a minimum speed of 40 Mbps. If you enjoy streaming Ultra HD content, it is advisable to have a faster connection.

2. Is 50 Mbps fast enough for Netflix?

If you like streaming Netflix, select an internet plan with at least 50 Mbps download speed. This will allow multiple devices to connect and another person to get online without experiencing slow download times when watching Schitt’s Creek.

3. Is 100 Mbps fast enough for Netflix?

Even if many people use the same network to stream movies or programs to their gadgets, 100 Mbps should be adequate to prevent buffering problems. For instance, Netflix requires a minimum of 5 Mbps for viewing High Definition videos and 15 Mbps for watching 4K/Ultra HD videos.

What You’ll Need

If you want internet access at home, you’ll require an Internet Service Provider (ISP) & a router to connect to the ISP. ISPs often offer a router with their service. As a result, more than one computer or device can utilise the broadband connection simultaneously.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Introduction

Generally, an individual requires 10 Mbps bandwidth for web access. If they watch 4K videos or play online games, this figure doubles to 20 Mbps bandwidth.

Most people comprehend that the higher the speed, the quicker you can transfer data and the better your streaming content will be.

Many people need help determining which broadband speed is the most suitable for their family’s needs. Consequently, they need help selecting a broadband plan with superior internet speed to fulfil their requirements.

The velocity of your online household connection is essential. If it’s not quick enough for the number of people you reside with, and the tasks you carry out on the web, you’re likely to confront annoying delays and connection problems. These issues will become more intense when everyone attempts to access the internet simultaneously.

You will pay more than necessary if your internet connection is more powerful. It’s vital to assess what speed of broadband you will require.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Good Internet Speed

A good internet speed will provide enough data to support your entire family’s online activities, such as social media, video streaming, and gaming, without interruptions.

In the UK, a decent internet speed is usually 70 Mbps, although the current average download speed across the country is 50.4 Mbps.

The speed of your internet connection varies depending on its usage, with 15 Mbps to 100 Mbps rate or even higher. Additionally, the ideal rate of speed will depend on your geographic location and the type of internet connection available to you.

Countryside locations tend to have slower internet speeds than cities. Thus, a good internet speed in a rural area may be below what you typically find in a city. People living in rural locations can access higher speeds with mobile broadband.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Measurement

Internet speed is gauged in terms of ‘megabits’ or ‘megabits per second’, and is reported as a numerical value plus ‘Mb’ or ‘Mbps’.

Mbps is the customary gauge for assessing the speed of an internet connection. This is what ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use to describe the velocity of their services.

The usual rate of a standard broadband connection is around 11 Mbps, while fibre optic broadband connections generally have speed levels between 30 Mbps and 80 Mbps. Ultrafast fibre optic connections can reach a maximum of 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps).

Essentially, downloading with a 10 Mbps connection will enable you to receive 10 megabits of data every second. The same holds for the rate at which you can upload data.

A 30-minute TV show is roughly 280 megabits, and if you have a 10 Mbps connection, it will take 28 seconds to download the whole thing before watching it.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: For More People In The Household

Your broadband connection is like a motorway. The greater the number of lanes available, the higher the vehicle capacity to move simultaneously. The same applies to your internet connection.

The larger the bandwidth or faster the speed, the more data can be transferred in a single instance.

When multiple family members are doing activities that require a lot of internet usage simultaneously (like streaming HD video on Netflix or downloading big files), you must have more bandwidth to run these downloads together without lag.

When the available bandwidth is insufficient, the network will become congested, decreasing the speed for all users.

Consequently, it is advisable to acquire the maximum bandwidth if numerous individuals heavily use the internet in your residence.

Broadband users	Broadband type	Speeds
1-2 people	ADSL	10-11 Mbps
3-4 people	Fibre	30–60 Mbps
5+ people	Fibre	60-1000 Mbps
Gamers or streamers	Fibre	60-1000 Mbps

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: How Much Broadband Speed?

It is beneficial to evaluate your existing internet speed. You can test your internet speed by going to the website speedtest.net.

If your internet speed is much slower than the recommended rate, it can cause extreme lagging or stuttering when playing video games.

You must have adequate speed so that it can manage all the data usage in your home. The more individuals live in the house and the more you use the internet, the higher the speed requirement.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: For Video Streaming (Netflix/YouTube/Amazon Prime)

If you have a download speed of 10Mbps, it should take at most 28 seconds to download a 30-minute HD video.

When multiple individuals in residence are concurrently streaming videos, this can significantly hinder the connection’s speed.

The clarity of the video you’re viewing has a huge impact. If you usually view content in 2K or 4K in contrast to simply HD, then the quantity of data you’re downloading (and the speed you need) will surge significantly.

If you plan to watch high-definition 1080p video content from websites like YouTube and Netflix, ensure that your internet connection has at least 10 Mbps speed. If more than one person uses the internet in your household, opting for an even faster connection would be wise.

If you wish to stream 4K video without interruptions, you will need at least 25 Mbps of download speed.

It is essential to remember that when services like Amazon Prime Video specify the minimum speed of internet connection needed to watch their content, this only applies if only one gadget is streaming at a time.

When multiple individuals access the web to watch video simultaneously, the bandwidth requirement to prevent lagging will grow.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: For Gaming

When participating in online games such as Fortnite or FIFA, latency is the most critical factor, not the download speed.

When you or other players take action with your character, you are not transmitting or receiving a large amount of data.

Only tiny chunks of data are exchanged between participants when playing multiplayer video games online. However, downloading the game or any updates will require a large amount of data, which may be over one gigabyte.

The transmission rate for small data chunks is essential when playing a game. This rate is referred to as latency or ping.

British ISPs don’t specify an average latency for their plans due to various elements that can affect it, such as the placement of the game server and whether one is playing the game over WiFi.

Generally speaking, the faster your downloads occur, the lower your ping. The speed of your connection could be improved by other people using the same network.

If another person is streaming Amazon Prime in 4K and your internet connection is not fast enough, your gaming experience will be virtually unbearable.

Thus, if you are a serious gamer, you must have an internet connection with a minimum speed of 30Mbps, mainly if the other family members use a large amount of data.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: For Zoom Video Calls

When you’re using video-calling platforms such as Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams, the quality of your connection is more essential than the velocity of your internet connection. Just like a normal phone conversation, stability is critical.

It is advisable to be close to your WiFi router or connected to it using an Ethernet cable to minimise the possibility of delays or call interruptions.

It is essential to have a download speed of at least 15 Mbps to ensure smooth streaming of your webcam video. This level of speed is available with nearly all broadband packages.

Less traffic on the internet, while you are engaged in a video call can lead to instability problems unless you have a high-speed connection.

Check the Price on BT

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Upload Speed You Need

The upload speed, i.e., the rate at which you send files to the internet, is essential, particularly for people using social media platforms.

You need a fast upload speed if you frequently share content on social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This is particularly important if you live stream on websites like Twitch.

A minimum upload speed of 5 Mbps is generally required for social media, and 10 Mbps is recommended to stream video in real time.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: What Can Affect My Broadband Speed?

Many factors affect your broadband speed:

Multiple Connected Devices

When multiple devices are connected to your wireless router simultaneously, your connection speed will likely decrease.

If you only surf the web and open emails, your internet connection will probably not be impacted. However, the entire network’s velocity will decrease if you frequently download files, upgrade applications, and stream HD videos.

An effective way to deal with this is to shut down applications or programs not currently utilised.

Home Layout

The positioning of your furniture, the density of your walls, and any nearby electronic gadgets can all interfere with or lessen the wireless signal sent out by your broadband router.

If you reside in an urban area, the numerous routers in the vicinity might disrupt each other, reducing your broadband speed.

If you want to optimise your router’s performance, configure it to use a different channel, depending on your router model.

Place your router in the middle of your domicile, not close to walls or entrances, and at an appropriate elevation to guarantee the strongest reception.

Distance From The Cabinet

If you’re experiencing slow speeds with either your standard or fibre optic broadband, it may be because your house is far from the cabinet where the fibre optic cables are connected.

It is conceivable that your regular high-speed internet is utilising extremely old or faulty copper cables.

If you are struggling with your internet speed, shifting to a fibre connection is a good idea. But if you already possess fibre and your connection is still slow, consider a 4G or 5G home broadband plan or a full fibre service if you are eligible for it at your residence.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Internet Speed You Can Get

People who do not reside in a rural area should have access to all of their internet service provider’s broadband options.

It is possible to experience internet speeds of 300 Mbps or higher. If you reside in a location where Hyperoptic is available, you can access even greater speeds.

Conversely, if you live in a remote area, you must enter your zip code on the supplier’s website to discover the available speeds. Even in the most isolated locations, the speed of a fibre connection should be a minimum of 20-30 Mbps.

If you require more speed than your current connection is providing, you may opt for a wireless dongle or MiFi. This will connect you to a 4G or 5G network and enable you to access more bandwidth, allowing an extra 10-20 Mbps download speed.

Which Provider Should You Go With?

If your download requirement is not more than 300 Mbps, you will have plenty of options when picking a broadband service provider.

Generally speaking, there are two types of Internet service providers:

Companies such as Sky, BT, Plusnet, and TalkTalk operate on the Openreach system, offering consumers access to BT’s infrastructure. Although each provider is separate, they do not provide the same service.

Apart from the Openreach network, there are two other networks: Virgin Media and Hyperoptic, which are not connected to BT’s system.

Before committing to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), it is wise to look into the quality of customer service they provide. If you are not satisfied with the speed of your connection, ensure that your provider can assist you in resolving the issue.

Apart from these factors, it is also essential to consider the duration of the agreement (shorter is better), the amount you are paying, and any other benefits that come with the plan, such as free landline minutes.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Provider With The Fastest Internet In The UK

If you need a high-speed internet connection, your options are limited since only a few companies in the United Kingdom can currently offer fibre broadband.

Essentially, there are three possibilities for ultra-fast fibre internet connection:

Virgin Media offers 362Mbps
BT offers 300Mbps
Hyperoptic offers 1000Mbps (1 GB per second). Limited network coverage, but it is constantly expanding.

Virgin is usually the best choice for households requiring high bandwidth unless the speed requirement exceeds 400Mbps. Although scheduling a technician to start the setup process might be necessary, they offer the UK’s most widespread super-fast fibre-optic service.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need: Do You Need Fast Internet To Make Phone Calls?

If you wish to make a phone call using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), it is necessary to have a faster internet connection.

VoIP technology enables users to transmit and receive audio data through an online platform like Skype, Viber, or Discord.

The connection speed is insignificant if you make phone calls through your landline. The important thing is that you need to have a reliable broadband connection.

Conclusion: What Broadband Speed Do I Need

An individual requires 10 Mbps bandwidth for web access. If they watch 4K videos or play online games, this figure doubles to 20 Mbps bandwidth.