How to Choose the Right Internet Speed for Your Home?
Is your internet connection down? Do you find that the loading of files is slow on your device? In short, the signal quality of your unlimited internet service no longer satisfies you? Don’t panic, we have the solution for you!
What is a good internet speed for a home?
No one can tell you for sure which internet speed is best for your home. It primarily depends on your needs and habits, but nowadays it is considered to be 15-25 Mbps satisfactory speed for most users.
In this article, we will discuss all the options in detail and help you choose the right internet speed.
How to check internet speed at home?
The best way to know the performance of your internet connection is to test it. To do this, you can use one of these internet speed test tools or simply the website of your local operator.
The test measures the speed of bandwidth by simulating the transfer of a file between your box and a server. Once the result is displayed, compare it with the theoretical speed of your operator. There are three important values to take into consideration:
- Test downloads: this is the data transmission rate from your supplier to your PC.
- Upload speed: this is the speed of sending files from your PC to your operator.
- Latency (ping): it indicates the necessary response time of the server. During tests, latency is expressed in milliseconds (ms).
The importance of good internet speed
The speed of your internet connection greatly influences the signal quality at home. In general, the faster the connection, the better:
- Online games: gamers need a powerful internet service to enjoy online games and get the best performance. Overall, players must have a download speed of at least 10 Mbps and a loading speed of at least 5 Mbps for most games to be playable.
- Teleworking: people who work remotely need good internet service at home to maintain contact with employees.
- Distance learning: students are increasingly using the internet service and residential telephony at home, given their multiple advantages: facilitating access to information, simplifying exchanges with educators, offering digital tools practices for continuing distance learning, etc.
- Streaming: fans of streaming videos also need a powerful unlimited internet service to watch their favorite movies and series online. A speed of 20 Mbps should be sufficient. Find more about the most popular streaming apps like Kodi.
Different types of Internet Access Technologies
In the telecommunication market, you can find many technologies used to access the Internet, but not all of them provide a very high-speed connection:
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
It is one of the most popular technologies for Internet connection. The technology allows digital data to pass independently of the telephone service, thanks to a filter connected to the telephone socket. It is an asymmetric technology: the data download speed is higher than the upload speed. Internet speed can reach up to 15 Megabit per second, but lines can sometimes experience weakening.
Coaxial cable
It is designed to transmit information only from the transmission center to subscribers. These subscribers can take advantage of fast internet speeds of up to 800 Megabit per second with almost all internet service providers. Soft and resistant, it is perfect for professional use.
Optical fiber
A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical fiber cable, is a flexible fiber made by drawing glass or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Allowing the transfer of digital information at the speed of light. It’s the fastest technology in the world. Its users can transmit large files over long distances, almost without loss, and with a very short latency time.
Satellite internet
Satellite internet has proven to be the only connection solution for rural or remote mountain areas. The technology offers unlimited internet, via a satellite antenna receiver, with speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 3.0 Megabit per second. These rates vary according to local internet providers.
As we see, there are many practical solutions to have internet access at home. Customers have the full liberty to choose the suitable technology for them, and for their activity.
What influences the internet connection speed?
There are many things that can impact the internet speed in your home.
- Connection mode: wired connections are not only faster but also more stable than wireless connections. People usually use technology because it is also easy to secure than wireless Networks. They reduce the risk of a data breach.
- IT equipment: the quality of the modem and IT equipment can impact the quality of the signal at home. If you, therefore, have old peripherals, this can contribute to degraded internet speed.
- Congestion: you could have slowdowns in the downloading level, in case of excessive use of the home network.
- The web browser and applications: a misconfiguration of the operating system or web browser can lead to a slower connection than expected.
Finally, to choose a good internet speed for your home, think above all about identifying your bandwidth needs. This step is essential before purchasing any package.
