What Internet Speed Do You Actually Need?
If you’ve shopped for internet lately, you’ve probably noticed something. Every provider seems to be advertising bigger and bigger numbers. 500 Mbps. 1 Gig. 2 Gig. Even 5 Gig.
It sounds impressive. But here’s the real question:
Do you actually need that much speed?
For most households, the honest answer is no.
Let’s break down what typical homes actually use and how to choose the right speed without overpaying.
What Do Most Homes Actually Need?
The average household usually falls somewhere between 50 Mbps and 300 Mbps, depending on how many people live there and how they use the internet.
Here is a rough idea of how much speed common activities require:
Browsing websites and social media: 3 to 5 Mbps
Streaming HD video: 5 to 10 Mbps per stream
Streaming Recorded 4K video: 5 to 10 Mbps per stream
Streaming Live 4K video: 15 to 25 Mbps per stream
Video calls: 15 to 25 Mbps
Online gaming: 20 to 35 Mbps, but low latency matters more
Downloading large files: Faster speeds help, but it is usually temporary usage
Notice something? Most individual activities do not require hundreds of Mbps. The real factor is how many of these things are happening at the same time.
Breaking It Down by Household Type
Let’s make this practical.
1. Single Person Household
If you live alone and mainly browse, stream TV, scroll social media, and maybe work from home occasionally, you likely need between 20 and 30 Mbps.
That gives you plenty of room for HD streaming, video calls, and general use without slowdowns.
Paying for 1 Gig service in this situation usually does not change your experience in any noticeable way.
2. A Couple Who Streams and Uses Phones
If there are two people streaming TV, watching YouTube, scrolling social media, and maybe doing a few video calls, 30 to 50 Mbps is typically more than enough.
Even with two TVs streaming at the same time, you are unlikely to max that out.
3. A Family of Four
Now we are talking about multiple devices, possibly streaming in different rooms, kids on tablets, someone working from home, maybe some smart home devices running in the background.
For this type of household, 50 to 200 Mbps is usually a comfortable range. It provides breathing room without paying for unnecessary excess.
Many families in this category are sold 1 Gig service when they rarely use even half of it.
4. A Family with a Gamer
This is where misconceptions really show up.
Online gaming does not require huge download speeds. Most games only use a few Mbps while actively playing. What matters more is latency and stability, which we will cover next.
For a family with a gamer plus normal streaming and browsing, 200 to 500 Mbps is typically more than enough. The bigger benefit is a strong, stable connection and low latency, not massive download numbers.
The Overlooked Factors: Upload Speed and Latency
Most advertisements focus only on download speed. That is only half the story.
Upload Speed
Upload speed affects:
Video calls
Uploading photos and videos
Cloud backups
Sending large work files
Streaming or live broadcasting
If you work from home, attend Zoom meetings, upload content, or use cloud storage heavily, upload speed matters more than you might think.
A connection with 500 Mbps download but very low upload can still feel frustrating during video calls or file uploads. The typical upload speed demand for a video call or file upload is roughly between 3 to 10 Mbps, and
Latency
Latency is the delay between your device and the server it is communicating with. It is measured in milliseconds.
Low latency is crucial for:
Online gaming
Video calls
Real time collaboration tools
You can have extremely high download speeds and still experience lag if latency is poor. Under 50 milliseconds (ms) is considered optimal for online gaming, with 20–40 ms being ideal for fast-paced, competitive, or cloud gaming. So for gamers, a lower latency usually feels better than a higher speed connection when playing.
Speed is important. But consistency and responsiveness are just as important.
Bringing It All Together
Internet providers love to market the biggest number possible. Bigger numbers sound better. But bigger does not always mean better for your household.
The truth is that most homes do not need multi gig service. They need the right balance of speed, stability, upload performance, and low latency. Don’t just take our word for it either, see what CNET said in their similar article: Internet Speed Guide: Here’s How to Check If You’re Getting Enough Speed (CNET.com)
Before upgrading to the fastest plan available, ask yourself:
How many people live in my home?
How many devices are active at the same time?
Do we work from home or upload large files often?
Is gaming performance important?
Choosing the right plan is about matching your lifestyle, not chasing the biggest number on a billboard. Don’t let anyone pressure you into paying for speeds you will never fully use.
At NCWCOM, we believe that the best internet plan is the one that fits your real needs, not the one with the largest number or flashiest marketing.
If you have further questions about this, you are more than welcome to contact us for additional information!