How much internet speed do I need?

Speed per activity

Individual activities use less than most people expect. Problems usually come from many activities at once, or from a weak Wi-Fi signal rather than the plan itself.

• HD streaming: about 5 Mbps per stream
• 4K streaming: about 25 Mbps per stream
• Video calls: 3–5 Mbps up and down
• Online gaming: under 10 Mbps, but low latency matters more
• Large cloud backups: as much upload as you can get

Add them up, then add headroom

Total your busiest realistic hour, then add roughly 50 percent of headroom. Most households land comfortably between 300 and 500 Mbps.

Buying far more than that rarely feels different unless your router and devices can keep up.

If it feels slow, check Wi-Fi first

An old router, a modem in a closet, or a large home with one access point will cap real-world speed long before the plan does.