These are the Mbps you need. What to pay for and what not.

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As a result of the pandemic, networks are becoming increasingly important and home broadband, in addition to the usual streaming and gaming, has become a resource for work and school services. Here's how to know if you're paying too much or if you're actually getting the service you need.

The Mbps you really need

Internet connectivity is something that depends on each individual case. The number of devices and users connected in our homes is growing rapidly, and they demand more and more. Sometimes we enjoy incredible speeds and other times we wonder why our connection is so slow. Perhaps your video game stops when someone else in the house  is downloading music, or maybe the buffer needs more data just when the best part of that Netflix movie arrives.

What Internet speed do I need? Quick tips

  • Netflix says you need 5 Mbps to stream Full HD content and 25 Mbps for 4K Ultra HD content, but you'll need faster speeds if you want to connect multiple devices at once. The same goes for other streaming services and gaming casting platforms like Twitch.

  • If you plan to stream 4K video content and have multiple devices connected to your network simultaneously, seriously consider investing in plans with faster download speeds, such as 100 Mbps, which should work for most homes.

  • Consider getting Gigabit speed if you can. Data-intensive users need faster speeds and more bandwidth. If it's available in your area and you can afford it, Gigabit speed Internet plans are the best for home connections.

  • Use one of the speed test apps to check your Internet connection speed to determine if you're really getting the bandwidth you're paying for.

Are You Paying Too Much? 100 Mbps is Enough

Connectivity Efficiency

We know, all operators are saying to get a faster plan. But you may be paying more than necessary.

To select the best services, you must understand your bandwidth needs well. This depends heavily on the applications being used (streaming is largely download), but as users begin to do more things like video calls or sharing movies, upload also becomes very important. Similarly, upload speeds are critical for gaming or people who work remotely, as upload speeds affect things like screen sharing and video calls.

After the confinements, in which people have done everything from home, from work to school, having enough bandwidth for the whole family is more important than ever.

Some experts claim that the ideal measure is 20 Mbps per person. In an "average family" it is 20 x 5, that is about 100 Mbps. Companies like Movistar offer download speeds of 100 Mbps as a reference, so it should work very well for most cases as long as the internal connectivity in the house is optimized. (check out our article on How many Mbps do you really need?)

It is also true that the more bandwidth there is, the better, but up to a point. Many Mbps ensure that you have enough bandwidth when you need it, for example, if you have a large file to upload or you are doing sophisticated work.

That is why the Gigabit speed of 1,000 Mbps is an exponential increase over the reference of 20 Mbps per person, we are already at 200 Mbps per person, although it is a luxury that will not always be necessary in all cases.

Telecommunications engineer Carlos Delgado considers that "today in 2022 anything over 1 Gbps for a home user is likely to be excessive." "Only a few operators in Spain offer 10 Gbps.

As more people turn to streaming for their movie and TV viewing needs, bandwidth requirements become a bigger problem. If you want to stream 4K content to get the best image for your 4K smart TV, you'll need a connection of at least 25 Mbps. Lower resolution content is less demanding, but even streaming HD video at 1080p will require a plan of at least 10 Mbps for smooth performance.

And that's assuming you're only streaming to one device at a time. If there are more than one TV in your home, or if you want to watch in the living room while someone else watches on a laptop in the kitchen, bandwidth needs will grow accordingly.

And that's assuming you're only streaming to one device at a time. If there are multiple TVs in your home, or if you want to watch in the living room while someone else watches on a laptop in the kitchen, your bandwidth needs will grow accordingly.

Smart home devices also bring a new demand for bandwidth. It only takes a few devices, such as a smart thermostat, smart speaker, or smart lock, to start impacting your home's connectivity speeds, so don't forget to factor them into your calculation when considering how many devices you have. Most experts recommend adding an additional 5 Mbps to your plan for every 10 smart devices, although some products, like security cameras, will require much more.

The Cost of Connectivity

Internet Cost in South America, Latin America

Although there is a debate about how much internet speed is necessary, it is clear that Operators benefit from the desire for faster internet speeds. But they can also provide information about how much speed you really need by listing how many devices can connect to the network at any given time.

The worldwide average fiber connection is around 70 Mbps and has become the minimum speed among operators in much of the world. This allows us to browse, but also to stream 4K content without any problems. Countries like Poland, Romania, France, and Singapore even offer a higher minimum speed in their offerings (in France it is 200 Mbps).

South Africa has the most expensive 100 Mbps internet. There, that internet-only tariff costs 78.96 euros. It is surprising to find Iceland or Norway in the top 3 most expensive with 62.51 euros or 62.05 euros respectively. Lower down in the ranking we find countries like the United States with 45.23 euros, Great Britain with 39.78 euros, or Portugal with 30.11 euros.

To find Spain, we have to go down to the options that cost 29.95 euros per month. Although it may seem like a reasonable price, it is far from the lowest. For example, in Argentina it's 20.28 euros for 100 Mbps, in India it's 15.11 euros, in China it's 10.43 euros, in Russia it's 6.96 euros, and in Ukraine it's 5.60 euros, the country with the cheapest 100 Mbps internet of all analyzed.

In Mexico, the average price is around 29 dollars, while in Peru it's around 40 dollars. Colombian households, for example, have to spend around 25 US dollars per month to have fixed broadband. On the other side of the border, Panamanians pay more than double, around 66 US dollars per month, for the same service. Nevertheless, the most accessible price on the continent goes to Argentina, where the average cost of broadband does not exceed 20 US dollars per month.

So, how can you tell if your network needs a boost? It's important to look for "quality of experience" metrics, including load times, the number of connectivity failures, and connection cuts. It's also important to use online speed-checking tools, such as Ookla Speedtest or others, to see at what speed you start experiencing issues.

What about Online Gaming?

If you're an avid gamer, playing online with friends can be one of the things you enjoy the most. And having faster internet is really important for that.

In its support forums, Microsoft offers a useful reference document to help you know how fast your internet speeds need to be to accommodate online gaming. According to the document, you need a download speed of 3 Mbps or better and an upload speed of 0.5 Mbps or better. Your ping rate (a measure of the delay your internet connection causes in online gaming) should also be below 150 milliseconds.

Sony and Nintendo recommend the same speeds.

Twitch and Game Streaming

Las necesidad de internet para casters de twitch

When it comes to streaming games with friends on Twitch, you'll need faster connectivity, according to Microsoft and other gaming companies. According to Twitch's streaming guidelines, you'll need a bit rate of at least 2.5 to 4 Mbps to play at 720p and 30 frames per second. Then it goes up to 3.5 to 5 Mbps for 720p at 60 fps.

If you want to stream at 1080p and 30 fps, you also need 3.5 to 5 Mbps, and 1080p at 60 fps requires 4.5 to 6 Mbps.

The good news is that internet speed is improving. A 2020 study by internet speed testing company Ookla found that average download speeds increased by 19.6% for fixed broadband home connections between 2019 and 2020.

Gigabit speed connections, once limited to specific neighborhoods in only the largest cities, are now more available than ever.

How Fast is My Internet?

Before making an informed decision about your internet speed, it's important to find out how much speed you're actually getting right now. And there are many sites to find out.

Popular tools for measuring internet speed are Ookla Speedtest and Fast.com by Netflix. You can access them from any web browser for free. Even better, you can also get dedicated smartphone apps for those same tools, with free apps for Ookla Speedtest (Android/iOS) and Fast.com (Android/iOS).

Similar tools are also provided by various broadband companies, if you want to use a tool that is specific to your internet service provider.

Movistar

Vodafone

Orange

Pepephone

Ookla Speedtest

Regularly verifying your connection speeds will not only give you a good idea if you're getting the services you're paying for, but also how suitable your connection is for uses such as 4K streaming or online gaming.

What's Going on with 5G? Is it Worth Using at Home?

Wireless operators, including Movistar, Orange, and Vodafone have already introduced 5G connectivity into their networks and coverage has been extended to major cities. As wireless 5G technology begins to roll out nationwide, there is a push to use the faster 5G speeds for home broadband as well as mobile connectivity.

The potential speeds promised by 5G are an incredible leap forward, with download speeds ranging from 150 Mbps to over 1 Gbps in some tests. That's a huge improvement over 4G, which ranges between 30 and 60 Mbps. That's also fast enough for some to consider using a 5G connection to meet all their home internet needs instead of traditional cable broadband. However, there is still a long way to go before 5G at home becomes a viable option.

There is also the issue of price, as most operator data plans are still geared towards mobile operators and come with data limits and restrictions that are not as flexible as current fixed broadband. For now, it will take quite a while to switch the whole house to 5G.

Summary

Ultimately, deciding on the internet speeds we need is not as simple as it seems, nor as simple as operators want us to believe. According to experts, we must consider the number of devices that will be simultaneously connected to our network and exactly what we want to do with our connection. The way data is transmitted in your home is also very important, and currently, wiring connections is the most efficient way.

If you are only looking for streaming and web browsing, you probably won't need much, and the 20 Mbps per person rule will still be in effect for quite some time. But if you're looking to stream 4K video, play online games, and connect multiple devices, you'll need more bandwidth, so you'll have to pay more and it is highly recommended to avoid using wifi repeaters to avoid having a high Ping.

And what you pay for may not be what you get. You should periodically analyze your network speeds to see what happens during slowdowns or loss of connectivity, as well as regular usage. If you're not getting the speeds you're paying for, it may be time to call your service provider or check the optimization of your internal connections.

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