Often times we ask ourselves whether our internet speed is good enough for our needs. At the end of the day, we all want to know if the product we’re paying for is worth the money. Let’s find out how good your current internet connection is.
How much internet speed do I need?
It entirely depends on your needs. Each person has their own browsing habits, apps, and purposes of use. With that said, there is a general consensus on what is the necessary speed for every type of online activity:
- Checking and responding to emails: 1 Mbps
- Working from home via Zoom and Google Meet: 3 Mbps minimum
- Streaming 1080 videos on YouTube, Twitch and watching HD movies on Netflix: 5-25 Mbps minimum
- Streaming 4K content on Youtube and Netflix: 40-100 Mbps minimum
- Playing competitive fast-paced multiplayer games: 50-100 Mbps minimum
- Torrenting, working with big files: 100-200 Mbps
It’s also important to keep in mind the number of active users connected to your network and their needs, so you can find the ballpark figure for your internet plan.
What is a good internet speed?
In most cases, 25 Mbps and more is considered to be an average number that would satisfy most users’ needs. However, take into account what are you planning to do online so that you have enough speed to make your experience less stressful. With 25 Mbps you’ll be able to watch content on YouTube in 1080p without buffering and you’ll be able to play online games well enough. However, don’t expect to have a seamless experience with 4k content or multiple torrent downloads running simultaneously.
What is the difference between upload and download speeds?
Here’s the simple breakdown:
- Upload speed refers to how quickly your internet connection can transfer data from your device to the internet. It will determine how long it’ll take to upload a video to YouTube or a file to a file sharing website. Upload speed is usually lower than the download one.
- Download speed shows how quickly your device can retrieve data from the internet. Download speed determines how long it’ll take your device to download content and files from the internet, and how fast it’ll open websites.
How to check your internet speed?
There is a plethora of speed-check websites offering users one-click tests. The most popular are Speedtest by Ookla, and Fast.com. These are incredibly simple yet effective tools to find out how fast is your internet speed at the moment. With one click you’ll get the information on the upload and download speeds you’re at right now. Make sure, pause the downloads or torrent trackers for the duration of the test. Also, if you want to see how much your internet connection loses in terms of speed by transferring the signal through a Wi-Fi router, simply connect the ethernet cable to your PC to see the raw speed digits. By checking the speed of your Wi-Fi router, the result won’t represent the accurate speed of your internet connection provided by the internet service provider. Keep that in mind.
Besides download and upload speeds, most speed-check websites also provide users with an information about their latency, which is extremely important for anyone who plays multiplayer games, let alone esports titles like CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota2, etc. High latency numbers can single-handedly destroy any fun from playing a multiplayer game.
How do I check my internet connection on my phone
There is a Speedtest app for both Android and iOS. There are countless alternatives on both operating systems and you can also download them from third-party vendors like APKPure. If you don’t want to download the speed-check apps on your smartphone, you can just open the Speedtest or Fast.com websites in a browser of your choice to conduct a test.
How to improve my internet speed?
You can increase internet speeds by following some of these actions:
- Contact your ISP and upgrade your current internet plan
- Use an ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi
- Change a provider for a better one
About us
We at ZoogVPN hope these tips were helpful! If you’re currently looking for a secure and affordable VPN solution, look no further than ZoogVPN. We offer everything you’d expect from a premium services for a fraction of their prices, just by cutting out the unnecessary advertisement costs. ZoogVPN can also help you avoid throttling if your current ISP is messing with the network, essentially boosting your internet connection speed. Join us today!
- Arsène MaliceArsène is a Kyiv-based staff writer for ZoogVPN, covering everything tech-related from VPN news and social media trends to cybersport events and geek culture. He’s written for several music magazines, and crypto and tech-oriented websites. He tries to keep his finger on the media’s pulse with varying success. You can catch him djing, playing volleyball, and rage-quitting a ranked game in League of Legends.
