How to choose the right home internet speed and test your connection
Engadget outlines practical speed targets for households and the factors that can make real-world performance fall short of advertised rates.
The internet speed a household needs depends on the number of users, the services they run and how often they transfer large files, according to an Engadget guide. It recommends 100 Mbps as a minimum for one or two people, about 300 Mbps for larger households or frequent large-file transfers, and 500 Mbps or more for power users.
Download speed measures data sent to a device, while upload speed measures data sent from it. Ping, or latency, measures the round-trip delay in milliseconds and is particularly important for gaming and video calls, where slower response times can affect the experience.
The guide notes that service requirements vary. Netflix recommends at least 5 Mbps for 1080p streaming and 15 Mbps for 4K, while Disney+ recommends 5 Mbps for HD, 8 Mbps for live content and 25 Mbps for 4K UHD. Zoom cites around 4 Mbps upload and 3 Mbps download for 1080p video calls. Multiple activities running at once can require substantially more bandwidth.
The Federal Communications Commission’s 2024 broadband benchmark is 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. Fibre connections typically offer more closely matched download and upload speeds than cable, while rural 5G and satellite services can have higher latency and slower speeds than cable or fibre.
Consumers can compare their service with actual performance using Speedtest.net, Cloudflare’s speed test or Meter.net. Results can vary with the time of day, test server, network activity and whether the device uses Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so repeated tests can provide a more useful average.
Wi-Fi limitations, distance from the router, walls, interference, network congestion and VPN use can reduce speeds or increase latency. Older or incompatible modems and routers can also limit performance, meaning an advertised plan speed may not be achievable on the user’s equipment.
