Good Download and Upload Speed: How Much Internet Speed Do You Need?

Wonder what a good download and upload speed is?

In this blog, we provide a complete guide on the required internet speed for different types of online activities and how to test internet speeds.

Download vs upload speed: What’s the difference?

Download speed refers to how fast your internet connection is able to pull down data from the internet. 

Upload speed refers to how fast your internet connection is able to send data from your devices to the internet.

Upload vs download speed

When you sign up for an internet package, your Internet Service Provider frequently advertises download speed. For most types of internet connections, download speeds are far faster than upload speeds as the majority of your activity depends on them. 

What’s a good download and upload speed?

What are good upload download speeds is dependent on individual needs and the number of devices connected to your Internet. For example, your internet speed can be good for web browsing and video conferencing, but it’s not sufficient enough for online gaming. 

According to the FCC, for general usage that don’t take much bandwidth (Email, VoIP Calls or social media), a person would need only 0.5 - 1 Mbps.  student needs 5 - 25 Mbps. Those who want to stream videos would only need between 3 and 25 Mbps depending on video resolution. 

For video conferencing, you only need 1-1.5 Mbps to take a personal video call and 6 Mbps for HD video teleconferencing. 

What is a good download speed and upload speed?

What is a good upload and download speed for gaming? You’ll need at least 3-4Mbps to play online Multiplayer games or play with most consoles. A family with a gaming system may require a minimum of 10-25 Mbps, but may additionally require an additional 1-10 Mbps of bandwidth to handle other concurrent functions. For example, if you have 12 mbps upload speed, you would have a smooth gaming experience.

These speeds will maintain gaming sessions free of lag and crashes, and to ensure a smooth gaming experience that does not interfere with other devices in the house that are connecting to the internet at once.

How about streaming? For a buffering-free experience, you need at least 3 to 4 Mbps to stream standard definition videos, 5 to 8 Mbps for high definition video streaming. If you want to stream Ultra HD 4K videos, you’ll need at least 25 Mbps.

What are fast download and upload speeds?

As defined by the FCC since 2015, download speeds of at least 25 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps are considered fast for most of today’s households. However, it doesn’t mean these speeds can support all your activities. Fast internet speed for you is determined by the way you use the internet at home.

What are fast download and upload speeds?

Any speed of 100 Mbps or higher is called "fast." A Gigabit speed or service is defined as anything close to or equal to 1000 Mbps. You can only access them in places where service providers have networks in place to support these speeds.

These speeds are often allocated for corporations or high-traffic, high-demand networks such as university campuses. The amount of speed required by your home is probably less than you believe.

How can I know what my internet is?

Don’t know what your current internet speeds are? Take an upload download speed test using handy tools online such as Speedtest.net, Gospeedcheck.com, Fast.com.

These tests all do a great job of checking your Internet connection (Download, Upload, Ping), by which you can know how bad or well it is performing and whether you need to upgrade your internet plan. 

Test upload and download speeds

Speed test results

There are two common cases when you receive the download & upload speed test:

1. Upload speeds slower than download speed

You may ask yourself “why are upload speeds slower than download?” Fortunately, this is completely normal. As most of our activities consume download bandwidth, it is typically designed to be much faster than upload for most types of internet connection (Except fiber optic). So if you find high download speed low upload, don’t be too worried.

2. Low download high upload

Slow download fast upload ethernet is a rare but possible case. So “why are my download speeds slower than upload?” You ask. There are various reasons for this. It could be a configuration issue on your Pc, your older router, or a network problem with your ISP. To solve the problem, try some troubleshooting steps such as restarting your computer resetting your router, or contacting your ISP.