One thing that you don’t want to see when you’re using the internet is a slow connection. It can mean a delay in sending emails, a lag in playing games, and difficulty searching for information that you need. Most providers offer high-speed internet because it’s usually needed for tasks that are performed that involve the internet. The internet speed that you have is measured in Mbps. This is known as megabits per second. As the Mbps number gets higher, you’re going to have a faster internet speed. There is a standard that has been set by the Federal Communications Commission that recommends download speeds of 25 Mbps or higher and upload speeds of 3 Mbps or higher. If your internet provider offers speeds that meet these recommendations, then you have what’s considered high-speed internet. The speed that you need in your home depends on the activities that are performed. If you work from home, play games, or if there are several people using the internet, then you want a faster speed.
Reasons to Use a High-Speed Connection
Even though it might seem as though you would need high-speed internet so that you can easily search online, you might not need speeds that are as high as other people you know. If there are only one or two people in your home and you don’t use a computer or other devices to go online, then you probably won’t need the higher speeds that someone who attends classes online or who works from home might need. The minimal speed of 25 Mbps is usually sufficient for performing basic tasks like sending emails, searching on a few sites at one time, possibly playing a game online, and going on social media pages. Most basic tasks that you probably already do online, such as emailing and browsing, only require about 2 or 3 Mbps of download speed. Upload speeds that are usually needed for online gaming and streaming videos usually range between .25 and 1 Mbps.
When you begin adding more devices that use the internet and more people using the internet at one time, then you’re going to need higher speeds in order to keep up with all of the activities that are performed. If you have four or more people who use the internet, then you want to consider the higher speeds that are offered. You also want higher speeds for competitive gaming, file downloads that are large in size, and streaming videos on multiple devices. If you enjoy playing games online with other people and are competitive, then you might want to consider speeds of 100 Mbps or higher.
Broadband and High-Speed
When you hear these terms from your internet provider, know that they are usually talking about the same thing. A broadband connection is one that processed a lot of data while a high-speed connection can process much more during the same timeframe. Think of broadband as a country road with two lanes and high-speed as a highway with multiple lanes. DSL is typically the slowest connection that you can have because it uses phone lines. Satellite typically offers lower speeds as well because it’s a satellite internet connection and tends to have caps on the amount of data used each month. A fiber-optic connection is usually the best option for high-speed internet.
