Many companies are starting to realize some of the benefits this way of working offers. Working from home is the future, but when teleworking, the internet connection at home becomes much more important: How many megabytes do you need to telework from home?
What internet speed is needed for teleworking?
Aside from a computer that can meet work needs, one of the most important things for teleworking is the Internet. To work from home, not much is needed; with a computer and an internet connection, we are good to go.
In many cases, the most basic fiber optic connection is sufficient. In fact, sometimes even a fiber optic connection isn't necessary. Basic office tasks such as checking or sending emails, browsing web pages, or modifying a drive consume very little internet speed, and about 15 Mb/s is enough to perform them.
Can you telework with ADSL?
The short answer is yes, but it depends. In Spain, fiber optic still doesn't reach all areas, and this is noticeable when working. For example, if we need to load many pages and download content, ADSL can cause problems if we don't have good connectivity optimization at home. A good way to optimize an ADSL connection is by wiring with Ethernet (somewhat technical) or with Plastic Optical Fiber (much simpler).
Minimum speed for teleworking with Fiber Optic
If you have fiber optic at home, that's already a good starting point. Obviously, if a lot of internet is needed for work, the easy thing would be to recommend the maximum possible speed, which today is 1GB. This way, not only will we be able to browse at maximum speed from a laptop, but all devices in the house will also be able to be connected to the network without much bandwidth loss. But the truth is that this bandwidth is even excessive if we consider the speeds actually required.
To consider: The number of connected devices
If we are not the only ones connected to the Internet at home, the bandwidth is distributed among each device connected to the network. Every mobile, computer, tablet, video game console, or smart device, and this is usually done via Wi-Fi and takes a portion of the available network speed.
If, in addition to the laptop, we have mobiles and a "Smart TV," the speed each device receives will be reduced depending on the router's configuration.
Even more to consider: The connection method
Whenever possible, it's ideal to connect the computer or laptop directly to the router via cable: it's the most stable and highest-speed connection. If you need to rely on Wi-Fi, the speed will always be reduced, and you might experience disconnections. The truth is that having a cable connection can be a problem depending on how your house is set up.
There are modern homes that come with conduits for Ethernet cables, in these cases, a wired connection is simple as the internet is distributed uniformly from the connectivity box. The truth is that this is a very rare case and very few people implement it, largely due to lack of knowledge.
Conclusion
Optimizing performance is key to avoiding high internet rates. In reality, with speeds of 100 or even 50 Mbps, we can handle almost all uses if we have a wired connection to our workstation.
In homes with a large number of connected devices or with very high data upload and download demands, we might need high-speed fiber optic plans, such as 600 Mb or 1 Gb. However, we must emphasize that these speeds are necessary due to the large amount of data lost along the way and the lack of good optimization, as explained in this video.
An investment in good connectivity is essential not only for teleworking but also for the performance of all home equipment and for the future.
