What is a decent download speed? Fix slow issue with easy tips

Sep 13, 2022 - Views: 1391

Rating:4.6 - 55Votes

What is a decent download speed? 

Let's face it, most people require an internet connection, and they require one that is trustworthy. 

However, have you ever questioned what download speed you actually require? 

Because we all use the internet for a variety of purposes, a decent download speed is not the same for everyone. 

We'll explain “whats a decent download speed” and what your connection needs are in this post.

Let’s dive into it.

What is a decent download speed?

What is a decent download speed?

What is a decent download speed?

No doubt about it: Everyone wants to own high-speed internet. 

It is considered the significant heartbeat of their houses. 

A decent Internet connection keeps everyone connected well, both work and play.

However, do you know what exactly “decent” speed is?

What is a download speed?

Download speeds influence how fast information may travel from the internet to your home. 

Whether you’re pulling up a webpage, or viewing Netflix,... all that information is coming from a server someplace and moving across your connection into your house. 

Download speed is likely to be the most crucial element for almost all online activities.

The amount of data delivered through a link in a predetermined period of time is known as bandwidth or download speed. 

A connection with more bandwidth will speed up file downloads.

Download speeds

Download speeds

What does "decent" really mean?

Most internet activities require a download speed of at least 25 Mbps.

However, this is an outdated definition, especially when applied to families with more than one person (which is most households). 

As a result, this rule of thumb is more effective for evaluating your internet speed requirements:

Divide the number of devices in your home by the speed plan you're thinking about getting. 

The output of that calculation should be between 25 and 40 Mbps. 

For example, if you have a family of four and only use one device at a time, a plan with a speed of roughly 100 Mbps will be enough.

What does "decent" really mean?

What does "decent" really mean?

If everyone in your home uses numerous devices at the same time, you might pick a somewhat speedier plan. 

If each member of your four-person home uses two devices at the same time (say, a smartphone and a laptop), choose a plan with a speed of 200 to 300 Mbps.

Suggest required internet speed for common internet activities

What is a reasonable download speed?

Keep in mind your download speed requirements are entirely dependent on your usage.

Moreover, the required network speed for each device in your home is different. 

A speedier plan is required if you have many devices online at the same time.

Here are some speed suggestions for you.

Activities

Minimum

Recommended

Email

1 Mbps

1 Mbps

Web browsing

3 Mbps

5 Mbps

Social media

3 Mbps

10 Mbps

Streaming SD video

3 Mbps

10 Mbps

Streaming HD video

5 Mbps

25 Mbps

Streaming 4K video

25 Mbps

100 Mbps

Online gaming

5 Mbps

100 Mbps

Streaming music

1 Mbps

5 Mbps

One-on-one video calls

1 Mbps

25 Mbps

Video conference calls

2 Mbps

50 Mbps

How to troubleshoot a slow download connection?

Even if you pay for fast internet, you may still encounter network congestion, throttling, and equipment bottlenecks, all of which can slow down your connection and cause long load times, buffering, and other difficulties.

What is a normal download speed currently?

Let’s do a download speed test on your connection. 

This will display the exact speed you're experiencing. 

Perform a few tests over a period of a few days, altering the times of the tests.

Through those tests results as well as your real online experience, you can know whether you get slow issues or not.

Many internet speed tests are available online, including Ookla speedtest, MySpeed, and Fast...

Before going into effective fixes to slow download connection, take a look at some possible causes.

Causes of slow download speed

Causes of slow download speed

Now, it’s time to learn how to solve internet issues.

Here are a few tips for troubleshooting a sluggish connection and increasing download speed.

  • Make restarting your router a habit. This enables them to "refresh" and delete previously saved data.

  • Improve your router. To get the fastest internet speeds, look for a high-quality, long-range router.

  • Get a Wi-Fi extender. If you are experiencing slow internet connections in particular regions of your home, you will most certainly require a Wi-Fi extender to give a more constant Wi-Fi connection across the house.

  • Increase your security. Other users may have discovered a technique to steal your connection. Use strong passwords and WPA2 security.

  • Change your Wi-Fi channel from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz. A 5 GHz channel contains 23 overlapping channels, whereas a 2.4 GHz channel has 16, which might enhance speeds.

Change to use 5GHz for a faster network

Change to use 5GHz for a faster network

Take a download speed test after applying the 5 tips above.

Do you get some positive changes?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is a good Internet speed for Netflix?
  • 0.5Mbps – Required speed

  • 1.5Mbps – Recommended speed

  • 3.0Mbps – SD quality

  • 5.0Mbps – HD quality

  • 25Mbps – Ultra HD 4K quality

2. What is a decent Internet speed for Zoom (download/upload)?
  • 0.6Mbps – HD 480 Video calls

  • 1.2Mbps – 780 video calls

  • 0.05Mbps – Screen sharing

  • 1.5Mbps – Video calls with up to 3 people

3. What is a decent Internet speed for YouTube?
  • 2.5Mbps – Recommended for non-HD

  • 4Mbps – Recommended for HD

  • 15Mbps – Full HD

4. What is a reasonable Internet speed for online gaming?

As a general "good internet speed," most video game console manufacturers recommend at least 3 Mbps of download speed and 0.5 Mbps to 1 Mbps of upload speed.

Moreover, what you’re looking for when it comes to gaming is a low ping. 

Generally, you want the ping to be less than 100ms. 

However, an ideal ping rate is under 50ms if possible.

5. What is considered poor download speed?

Less than 15 megabits per second is considered slow speed. 

Speeds of around 25 Mbps are adequate for streaming high-definition video; 

Speeds of more than 40 Mbps are ideal for streaming a large amount of video and playing video games.

Ending words

Now, we’re at the end of this post. You must have gotten the answer of What is a decent download speed. If you are experiencing some slow troubles, try out the 5 painless fixes suggested above to have better online moments. Try them and tell us which one is the most effective way for you in the comment box.

Rating:4.6 - 55Votes

4 Comments

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  1. Jacob Scott

    I’m downloading a game off of Steam. At first, the download speed was decent even when I was playing a game in the background. The download slowed a lot after I’d finished playing a different game and has stayed that way even while not playing it?

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    1. MySpeed

      In fact, no Internet connection is stable. Also, if there are other people in your house then that might interfere as well

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  2. Eleanor Kelly

    Is a download speed of around 7 MB/s a decent speed for downloading something like Fortnite?

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    1. MySpeed

      Fornite isn't the largest download, compared to games like call of duty. So you can download it with that Internet speed

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