Paying for internet that's too slow — or way more than you need? Just tell us how many people are in your home and what they do online, and our free bandwidth calculator tells you the minimum Mbps your household actually needs. No more guessing, no more buffering, no more overpaying for speed you'll never use.
| Type | Bandwidth |
|---|---|
| Modem / Dialup | 56 kbit/s |
| ADSL Lite | 1.5 Mbit/s |
| T1/DS1 | 1.544 Mbit/s |
| E1 / E-carrier | 2.048 Mbit/s |
| ADSL1 | 8 Mbit/s |
| Ethernet | 10 Mbit/s |
| Wireless 802.11b | 11 Mbit/s |
| ADSL2+ | 24 Mbit/s |
| T3/DS3 | 44.736 Mbit/s |
| Wireless 802.11g | 54 Mbit/s |
| Fast Ethernet | 100 Mbit/s |
| OC3 | 155 Mbit/s |
| Wireless 802.11n | 600 Mbit/s |
| OC12 | 622 Mbit/s |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1 Gbit/s |
| OC48 | 2.5 Gbit/s |
| USB 3.0 | 5 Gbit/s |
| OC192 | 9.6 Gbit/s |
| 10 Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 | 10 Gbit/s |
| 20 Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.2 | 20 Gbit/s |
| 40 Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3 | 40 Gbit/s |
| 100 Gigabit Ethernet | 100 Gbit/s |
Common wired and wireless connection types with their maximum theoretical bandwidth
| Generation | Technology | Down (Mbit/s) | Up (Mbit/s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2G | GSM CSD | 0.0096 | |
| CDPD | up to 0.0192 | ||
| GSM GPRS (2.5G) | 0.056 - 0.115 | ||
| GSM EDGE (2.75G) | up to 0.237 | ||
| 3G | UMTS W-CDMA | 0.4 | |
| UMTS HSPA | 14.4 | 5.8 | |
| UMTS TDD | 16 | ||
| CDMA2000 1xRTT | 0.3 | 0.15 | |
| CDMA2000 EV-DO | 2.5-4.9 | 0.15-1.8 | |
| GSM EDGE-Evolution | 1.6 | 0.5 | |
| 4G | HSPA+ | 21-672 | 5.8-168 |
| Mobile WiMAX (802.16) | 37-365 | 17-376 | |
| LTE | 100-300 | 50-75 | |
| LTE-Advanced Moving Fast | 100 | ||
| LTE-Advanced Stationary or Moving Slow | up to 1000 | ||
| MBWA (802.20) | 80 | ||
| 5G | HSPA+ | 400-25000 | 200-3000 |
| Mobile WiMAX (802.16) | 300-700 | 186-400 | |
| 5G | 400-3000 | 500-1500 |
Evolution of mobile network generations from 2G through 5G with typical speeds
Think of bandwidth like a water pipe. The bigger the pipe, the more water can flow through at once. Bandwidth is the size of your internet pipe. It's measured in Mbps (megabits per second).
A bigger number means more data can travel to and from your devices at the same time. So if you have a 100 Mbps plan, your pipe can handle 100 megabits of data every second.
But here's where people get tripped up. Bandwidth is NOT the same as speed. Speed is how fast data travels. Bandwidth is how much data can travel at once. Think of a highway: bandwidth = number of lanes, speed = how fast cars go.
The short answer: it depends on what you do. But let's break it down by activity.
5-10 Mbps is plenty for one person. But with a family, you'll need more.
Netflix HD: 5 Mbps | Netflix 4K: 25 Mbps | YouTube 4K: 20 Mbps | Disney+ 4K: 25 Mbps. Two people streaming 4K? Double those numbers.
Surprisingly, gaming only uses 3-10 Mbps. What matters more is latency (ping) — how fast data gets to the server and back. Low latency = no lag.
Zoom, Teams, and Meet need 2-4 Mbps for HD. But upload speed matters here — most plans give way less upload than download.
Video calls + cloud apps + downloads = at least 25-50 Mbps for one person. More if multiple people work from home.
This is the question nobody answers well. Here's the truth: your WiFi router matters just as much as your internet plan. A cheap router might struggle with 10 devices. A good router can handle 30+.
For a typical family of four with phones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs, you're looking at 15-20 devices. You'll want at least 100-200 Mbps for that many devices.
So if your internet feels slow even though you have a fast plan, your router might be the bottleneck.
Mistake #1: Confusing Mbps with MBps
Internet speeds = megabits per second (Mbps). File sizes = megabytes (MB). There are 8 bits in a byte. So 100 Mbps downloads about 12.5 MB/second. That's why browser downloads look way lower than your plan.
Mistake #2: Not Accounting for Multiple Users
50 Mbps seems fine because Netflix needs 25 Mbps. But if your partner streams and your kid games, you're suddenly using 60+ Mbps. Always add 20-30% buffer for multiple users.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Upload Speed
Most plans give 10-20% upload vs download. A 100 Mbps plan might only have 10 Mbps upload. Fine for browsing, terrible for video calls or streaming gameplay.
Using our calculator is super simple. Just follow these steps:
Tell us how many people live in your home.
Select what each person does online (streaming, gaming, working, etc.).
Add any smart home devices you have.
Hit calculate and we'll tell you the minimum speed you need.
We even add a little extra buffer so you don't have to worry about slowdowns during peak hours.
Sarah lives alone. Netflix 4K, some gaming, works from home. She needs about 50 Mbps — plenty of room without paying for gigabit speed she'll never use.
The Johnsons have two kids streaming YouTube and playing Fortnite. Both parents work from home. Smart TVs, phones, tablets, security camera. They need at least 200 Mbps.
Mike and two roommates all game online and stream gameplay. They need 300+ Mbps — streaming gameplay uses tons of upload bandwidth. Plus a good gaming router for low latency.
When you hit your bandwidth limit, things get ugly. Video buffers. Games lag. Downloads take forever. Your router starts prioritizing some devices over others. It's like a traffic jam on your internet highway.
Some routers have Quality of Service (QoS) settings that let you prioritize certain devices. So your work laptop gets first dibs on bandwidth while your kid's gaming takes a back seat during your Zoom meeting.
Bandwidth is how fast you can use the internet at any moment. A data cap is how much total data you can use in a month. Think of bandwidth like the size of your straw, and data cap like the size of your cup.
You can have a big straw (fast internet) but a small cup (limited data). Most home plans don't have caps anymore, but some do. Streaming 4K can easily use 1 TB/month — check your plan's fine print.
Before you buy a new plan, test what you already have. Use a speed test like Ookla or Fast.com. Run it a few times at different times of day. If you're getting close to what you're paying for, your plan is fine. If way below, call your provider.
Also test WiFi vs wired. If wired is way faster, your WiFi is the problem, not your internet plan.
Here's a trick most people don't know: upgrading your router can sometimes fix slow internet without paying for a faster plan. A modern WiFi 6 router handles more devices with better range. If your router is 3-4+ years old, it might be time.
Also, put your router in a central location. Don't hide it in a closet or behind your TV. That kills your signal.
Back in the 1990s, people were thrilled with 56 Kbps dial-up internet. That's 0.056 Mbps. Today, that same speed wouldn't even load a single image. We've come a long way. With fiber internet, gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps) are now affordable for many homes.
Here's something most people don't know: you should never use more than 80% of your bandwidth for extended periods. If you're consistently hitting 80% usage, you'll experience slowdowns and packet loss.
So if your household uses 80 Mbps during peak times, get a 100 Mbps plan. That extra 20% is your safety net.
Bandwidth = how much data can travel at once (pipe size). Speed = how fast data travels (water flow). People use them interchangeably but they're different.
Add up what each activity uses: 4K streaming = 25 Mbps, gaming = 5 Mbps, video calls = 3 Mbps. Add 20% buffer. Our calculator does this automatically.
Old router, too many devices, someone downloading huge files, or ISP throttling. Run a speed test to check what you're actually getting.
For most families mixing streaming, browsing, and gaming — yes. If everyone streams 4K simultaneously, go for 200 Mbps.
SD: 3 Mbps. HD: 5 Mbps. 4K Ultra HD: 25 Mbps. Multiply by the number of simultaneous streams.
At least 3 Mbps upload for HD Zoom/Teams. 10+ Mbps for 4K calls. Most home plans have slow upload — check your plan.
No. Gaming uses only 3-10 Mbps. Low latency (ping) matters more. A good router and wired connection help more than faster speed.
Light browsing: 20-30 devices. Mixed streaming/gaming: 10-15 devices comfortably. Depends on what they're doing.
Mbps = megabits per second (internet speed). MBps = megabytes per second (file size). 8 bits = 1 byte. 100 Mbps = 12.5 MB/s download.
Upgrade your router to WiFi 6, move it centrally, use wired for important devices, limit background downloads, check for ISP throttling.
Internet slows down, video buffers, games lag. Some providers charge extra or throttle speed until next billing cycle.
Barely — enough for one person doing video calls and light work. For multiple devices or large files, get at least 50 Mbps with 5+ Mbps upload.
Run speed test on WiFi vs wired. If wired is much faster, your router is the bottleneck. Routers over 3-4 years old can't handle modern speeds.
At least 25 Mbps per 4K stream. Two simultaneous 4K streams = 50+ Mbps just for streaming. Add more for other activities.