Understanding Internet Connection Speeds
How is your internet speed measured?
Let’s start with the concept of speed, or bandwidth, as it’s sometimes called. Measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (Gbps), your internet speed is the amount of data that can be transferred every second over your Internet connection. Your speed determines the type of activities that you can do online and how quickly you can do them.
A connection speed of 1 Mbps, for example, allows you to browse web pages, but it’s not fast enough for you to stream videos on Netflix. If you tried to stream video at 10 Mbps, your video would be poor quality and would likely stutter or pause altogether. On the other hand, a speed of 1 Gbps – one thousand times faster than 1 Mbps – is blazing fast, allowing you to do almost anything, including letting multiple family members stream 4K video simultaneously.
Download versus upload speeds: CCT offers symmetrical internet packages (the same speed for upload and download). The download speed is the speed at which data travels from a remote location on the internet to your internet -connected device. For example, if you are watching a video on YouTube, the download speed is the rate at which the information in the video stream travels from the YouTube server to your computer or phone. The upload speed, on the other hand, is the speed at which data travels from your connected device to a remote location on the internet. For example, if you post a video or a photo onto a social media site like Facebook, the upload speed is the rate at which the information travels from your device to the Facebook server.
What factors affect connection speeds?
Your home WI-FI network is now as essential to everyday life as electricity and running water. We connect more devices than ever to Wi-Fi, including smart phones, tablets, laptops and a growing list of smart devices. We use them 24/7 for everything from video streaming and social media sharing to home automation and monitoring.
Sometimes it seems like we’re not getting the speeds we should be, such as when it seems to take forever to upload photos to a photo sharing site or when Netflix freezes just when we are getting to the best part of the movie. While it is possible that there is something wrong with your Wi-Fi setup or your Internet connection, there are other factors you should consider.
The first thing to understand about Internet speeds is that certain minimum speeds are needed to enjoy different types of online activities. Video streaming is the best example of this. The better the video quality, the faster your Internet speed needs to be to enjoy it. Streaming companies typically publish minimum speeds for the different levels of video quality. Keep in mind that these are minimum values, which means that even a slightly faster Internet package than the one recommended by your streaming service would likely give you better video performance. Be sure you choose an internet speed that’s fast enough to meet your needs for streaming AND when using multiple connected devices at the same time.
The device you’re using to connect to the Internet could be limiting your speed. Older devices are going to have outdated technology, resulting in slower connection speeds. Apple and Android-based smart phones and tablets have maximum Wi-Fi speeds that they are capable of supporting. If you connect using a smart phone that’s more than three years old, you may not get an accurate picture of the download and upload speeds you are getting in your home.
Another factor that can cause poor performance is interference from other electronic devices. Certain devices — like baby monitors, Bluetooth devices, microwave ovens and cordless phones — may share the same frequency as your Wi-Fi equipment. As a result, when these devices are in use, you may notice your Wi-Fi performance is getting worse.
Why does internet speed matter?
In the past, the internet was primarily used to download content, exchange emails and browse websites. Now more than ever, internet requirements have changed!
These days we are doing a lot more interactive online activities requiring not only faster download speeds, but faster upload speeds. From working and learning from home, gaming and streaming movies to video chatting and using smart home devices. Many of these interactive activities require information to travel up the internet connection away from your home, making faster upload speeds more critical.
No two homes are the same, so it’s important for you to consider how you use the internet on a day- to-day basis. This will help you pick the speed that will provide the best experience. To make it easier to determine what speed is best for your home, we have a simple internet speed calculator below.
How much internet speed do I need?
For the ultimate internet experience, you need to ensure you have BOTH the right download and upload speeds. To find out what internet speed package will fulfill your household needs, try our internet speed calculator below to reveal your download and upload Mbps requirements.