The Best High Speed Internet Service Providers. With varying coverage, cost, speed, and connection type, there's no one best internet provider for everyone. It's common for internet service providers to offer significantly more download speed than upload speed. Depending on the discrepancy, you might be able to stream at top speed but. Answers.com ® Categories Technology Computers Internet Broadband Internet What is a good MBPS connection speed? Is 512 mbps a good download speed? In 2012, this speed would be considered.
Your Internet service provider probably wants to sell you a faster Internet connection. Pay more money every month and you'll get faster Internet speeds. It sounds simple, but do you really need those speeds, and when would they be useful?
How Fast Is Your Connection Now?
RELATED:How to Test Your Internet Connection Speed or Cellular Data Speed
If you're curious about what Internet speeds you're getting from your Internet service provider (ISP), run a connection speed test. For the most accurate results, don't just head to the website and click the button. First, be sure nothing else is already using your Internet connection.
You can also check the speed tier you're paying for using your account on your ISP's website, or by looking at your monthly bill. There's a good chance your ISP offers even more expensive plans. If you'd like to pay more for a faster Internet connection, your ISP will be very happy to let you do so—assuming the infrastructure is in place to offer it to you in your area.
RELATED:Why You Probably Aren't Getting the Internet Speeds You're Paying For (and How to Tell)
The trouble is, you may not actually get the speeds you're paying for in the first place, depending on your ISP, the infrastructure in your area, and your neighbors. That's why the speeds are advertised as 'up to' a certain speed.
Will You Notice a Faster Connection?
Bear in mind that getting a faster Internet connection won't actually speed up everything you do online. In many cases, speed is limited by the site you're connecting to. If you visit a website, it won't necessarily max out your Internet connection to deliver you the web page. If you download a file from somewhere, the download speeds may be slow because the site is slow–not you're connection. But, overall, you'll probably experience faster downloads with a faster connection.
On the other hand, streaming videos from a service like Netflix or YouTube won't necessarily get a benefit from faster speeds. Yes, at low speeds you'll be forced to use lower quality settings and perhaps wait for buffering. But, once you get to a certain speed, you'll be able to stream high-resolution video. Going beyond that speed won't get you 'smoother' video.
On the other hand, remember that your connection is shared between all the people, devices, and apps on your house. So yes, you may not need a faster connection to watch Netflix on the highest HD quality setting. But you might need a faster connection if several people wanted to watch Netflix in HD at the same time or if you wanted to use Netflix at high-quality while downloading a large video game or other large file at the same time.
How Much Bandwidth Do Streaming Services Use?
Download speeds can increase dramatically with faster connections. There's no theoretical limit—it's all up to what the remote server can provide. But, if all the files you want to download already do so quickly, you don't necessarily need more speed.
RELATED:Should You Get an 'Ultra HD' 4K TV?
For streaming, you only require a certain amount of speed. For Netflix HD streaming, Netflix says it will take 5.0 Mbps (Megabits per second). Other services—from YouTube to HBO Go—should require a similar amount of bandwidth for their HD, 1080p streams. If you're using Netflix's 4K UHD stream, that requires 25 Mbps. Music streams require much less bandwidth than video streams.
Take all this into account. If you're using a Netflix HD stream, upgrading from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps won't really help you—Netflix's bitrate is the bottleneck, not your internet speed. But upgrading from 5 Mbps to 15 Mbps would definitely give you some wiggle room, allowing you to handle multiple streams or a stream and some downloads without problems.
And, of course, if you have multiple devices in your home that often simultaneously stream content, you'll need to take this into account as well.
Upload Speeds Matter, Too
Your Internet connection has two speeds that matter. The most important is download speed—the speed you can download something from a remote server. ISPs normally trumpet and promote their high download speeds.
The other is upload speed—the speed at which you can upload something to a remote server. This is often dramatically slower than the download speed in an equivalent plan, but it can matter. For example, when syncing files to Dropbox, uploading photos to Facebook, putting videos on YouTube, or having a Skype video call, your upload speed can make a difference.
RELATED:How to Find the Fastest ISP in Your Area
Your Internet service provider probably wants to sell you a faster Internet connection. Pay more money every month and you'll get faster Internet speeds. It sounds simple, but do you really need those speeds, and when would they be useful?
How Fast Is Your Connection Now?
RELATED:How to Test Your Internet Connection Speed or Cellular Data Speed
If you're curious about what Internet speeds you're getting from your Internet service provider (ISP), run a connection speed test. For the most accurate results, don't just head to the website and click the button. First, be sure nothing else is already using your Internet connection.
You can also check the speed tier you're paying for using your account on your ISP's website, or by looking at your monthly bill. There's a good chance your ISP offers even more expensive plans. If you'd like to pay more for a faster Internet connection, your ISP will be very happy to let you do so—assuming the infrastructure is in place to offer it to you in your area.
RELATED:Why You Probably Aren't Getting the Internet Speeds You're Paying For (and How to Tell)
The trouble is, you may not actually get the speeds you're paying for in the first place, depending on your ISP, the infrastructure in your area, and your neighbors. That's why the speeds are advertised as 'up to' a certain speed.
Will You Notice a Faster Connection?
Bear in mind that getting a faster Internet connection won't actually speed up everything you do online. In many cases, speed is limited by the site you're connecting to. If you visit a website, it won't necessarily max out your Internet connection to deliver you the web page. If you download a file from somewhere, the download speeds may be slow because the site is slow–not you're connection. But, overall, you'll probably experience faster downloads with a faster connection.
On the other hand, streaming videos from a service like Netflix or YouTube won't necessarily get a benefit from faster speeds. Yes, at low speeds you'll be forced to use lower quality settings and perhaps wait for buffering. But, once you get to a certain speed, you'll be able to stream high-resolution video. Going beyond that speed won't get you 'smoother' video.
On the other hand, remember that your connection is shared between all the people, devices, and apps on your house. So yes, you may not need a faster connection to watch Netflix on the highest HD quality setting. But you might need a faster connection if several people wanted to watch Netflix in HD at the same time or if you wanted to use Netflix at high-quality while downloading a large video game or other large file at the same time.
How Much Bandwidth Do Streaming Services Use?
Download speeds can increase dramatically with faster connections. There's no theoretical limit—it's all up to what the remote server can provide. But, if all the files you want to download already do so quickly, you don't necessarily need more speed.
RELATED:Should You Get an 'Ultra HD' 4K TV?
For streaming, you only require a certain amount of speed. For Netflix HD streaming, Netflix says it will take 5.0 Mbps (Megabits per second). Other services—from YouTube to HBO Go—should require a similar amount of bandwidth for their HD, 1080p streams. If you're using Netflix's 4K UHD stream, that requires 25 Mbps. Music streams require much less bandwidth than video streams.
Take all this into account. If you're using a Netflix HD stream, upgrading from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps won't really help you—Netflix's bitrate is the bottleneck, not your internet speed. But upgrading from 5 Mbps to 15 Mbps would definitely give you some wiggle room, allowing you to handle multiple streams or a stream and some downloads without problems.
And, of course, if you have multiple devices in your home that often simultaneously stream content, you'll need to take this into account as well.
Upload Speeds Matter, Too
Your Internet connection has two speeds that matter. The most important is download speed—the speed you can download something from a remote server. ISPs normally trumpet and promote their high download speeds.
The other is upload speed—the speed at which you can upload something to a remote server. This is often dramatically slower than the download speed in an equivalent plan, but it can matter. For example, when syncing files to Dropbox, uploading photos to Facebook, putting videos on YouTube, or having a Skype video call, your upload speed can make a difference.
RELATED:How to Find the Fastest ISP in Your Area
So, don't forget about upload speed when looking at Internet connection speeds. You may need to read the fine print here if you're comparing plans between different ISPs.
RELATED:How to Deal With Internet Bandwidth Caps
In some cases, there may be other benefits to higher Internet connection tiers. For example, if your ISP imposes a download limit on your Internet connection, you may have a higher limit if you pay for one of the more expensive connections. You may also get a faster Internet connection included if you sign on for additional services, such as landline phones and cable TV.
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Cable and ADSL are not the only options for getting online. Broadband (high speed) internet can be achieved a variety of ways. Here are four major broadband choices below. If you can average 10 to 25 megabits-per-second down speeds with your connection, you should have a smooth daily internet experience, whichever connection method you choose.
Cable Internet
What We Like
Cable internet is the fastest overall choice in 2016.
The best choice for heavy file sharing, heavy downloading, and sending/broadcasting your own streaming video.
A good choice for serious gamers, as latency is moderate.
A good choice for families, as multiple computers can easily share a single cable connection.
Available to most people in metro areas.
Many users already have a cable connection for their TV, so setup can be fast.
If combined with TV and VoIP telephoning, an all-in-one media bundle package can be a very attractive setup for your family.
What We Don't Like
The special modems can sometimes be quirky.
You may need to have the tech install booster devices if you do a lot of downloading.
Bandwidth can be high, but gaming latency can also be higher than DSL.
You will share your bandwidth speed with your neighbors. This means that if you happen to live next door to many serious downloaders and movie-streaming fans, your own speeds will decline sharply when they are online.
Speed
- Down speed (more is better): 25 to 100+ megabits per second
- Up speed (more is better): 2 to 8 Mbps
- Latency: (less is better) 150 to 500 ms, depending on your area
Cost
Note
Cable should be the first choice for 99 percent of urban users.
TV cable internet is arguably the best choice for urban residents. Depending on your location, you can get blazing fast download speeds of 30 to 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps).
Cable internet is a service offered by your television cable provider, and the type of cable hardware they use supports these phenomenal connection speeds. The one major downside is that cable internet often shares your download speeds with your neighbors, in the same way, your hot water tank is shared across your whole house. If you happen to live near 2 or 3 hardcore file downloaders in your neighborhood, you will see your download speeds drop to as slow as 5 Mbps during simultaneous heavy usage.
Windows 10 iso download keeps failing. Cable internet requires special modems, and a hard line will need to be either wired to your house, or your existing TV cable will be spliced to bring the internet into your home.
DSL: Digital Subscriber Line
What We Like
Very convenient for users who already have telephone subscriptions.
Available in more rural areas than cable.
No sharing of bandwidth with your neighbors: your speeds should be very constant through each day.
Perhaps the best choice for gamers, as DSL commonly has lower latency than cable.
What We Don't Like
The monthly price should be cheaper than cable internet, so watch that you are not gouged.
ADSL speeds are considered slow by modern standards.
Not the best choice for heavy downloading and file sharing.
Not always the best choice for families, as many ADSL providers limit the number of computers to 2 for addressing reasons.
DSL has a few variants: ADSL, ADSL2+, and VDSL2, in order of increasing speed.
Speed
- Down speed: 1.5 to 15 Mbps for ADSL
- Up speed: 128 kbps to 1.0 Mbps for ADSL
- Latency: (less is better) 75 to 400 ms, depending on your area
Cost
Example: Here is TELUS' ADSL internet.
Note
ADSL should be the second choice for most users, after cable internet.
ADSL, or often just called 'DSL' for short, is a type of telephone connection made for internet signals. If you already have a telephone hard line in your home, it can be quite quick to enable internet DSL for your computer.
ADSL achieves speeds that are not as fast as cable but can be quite fast for most users: 8 to 15 megabits per second. Unless you are a hardcore downloader, this is plenty fast for daily Internet and gaming needs.
ADSL does require special modems and small devices called microfilters.
3G/4G Wireless Cell Phone Internet
Speed
- Down speed: 0.4 to 50 Mbps
- Up speed: 0.2 to 6 Mbps
- Latency: (less is better) 250 to 800 ms, depending on your area
Cost
What Is Considered A Good Download Speed 2017
Example: Here is Rogers 'Rocket Stick' 3G/4G internet.
Note
While this is the third choice for metro users (after cable and DSL), 4G is the first choice for travelers and rural residents. 4G and its HSPA+ technology are getting better, and we can expect to see 100 Mbps wireless speeds as a standard in a couple of years. If the 4G providers manage the target market well, 4G wireless will become the worldwide standard in internet connectivity within a few years.
3G and 4G are named for '3rd generation wireless' and '4th generation wireless' networking. They are essentially cell phone internet connections. Both 3G and 4G wireless use cell phone towers and cell phone signals to provide your internet connection.
3G download speeds are significantly slower than wired cable and DSL. Expect a 3G connection to average 1 to 4 megabits-per-second down speed, and even less up to speed. 4G connections, however, are much faster at 14 to 42 Mbps down speed, and easily rival cable and DSL connection speeds.
As a 3G or 4G user, your wireless modem will likely be a 'dongle': a small device that will connect to your laptop USB port. As long as you are in a cell phone coverage area, you should get wireless Internet with the same reliability that you get cell phone service. You will only get to have one computer on the internet at a time with your dongle, so this is not a good choice for families with several machines. But as an individual traveling user, 4G is an excellent way to get online.
Satellite Internet
Speed
Good Upload Speed
- Down speed: 0.5 to 1 Mbps
- Up speed: less than 1 Mbps
- Latency: (less is better) 800 to 2500 ms, depending on your area
Cost
- $100 to $250 per month, plus $300 to $1000 for the satellite dish, plus installation fees
Note
Don't even bother looking at this satellite choice if you can get cable, DSL, or 4G.
Satellite is prohibitively expensive and should be the last choice for any private user. But if you live in a remote area with no cell phone coverage, a satellite may be your only choice. Satellite internet is available as a down-only connection (you cannot send emails or file share; you need to use a telephone modem to do that), or as a full two-way connection which is much more expensive.
Installation of the satellite dish on your home will cost you over $1000, plus the time and effort to do the install. And monthly subscription costs are often $100 to $250, depending on your provider.
What Is Considered Good Download Speeds
Down speeds with satellite internet are 0.5 to 1 megabit-per-second, and up speeds are much slower. Latency is very poor, often 800 ms and worse.
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