How much broadband speed do you need?

The right speed depends on how many people and devices are active at the same time, not just the fastest package available.

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BROADBAND SPEED GUIDE

Choose broadband for your busiest normal evening, not your quietest moment.

A household with several simultaneous 4K streams, video calls, game downloads and cloud backups needs more headroom than one person browsing and streaming. Test your current connection first so you know whether speed, latency or Wi-Fi coverage is actually limiting you.

Basic browsing and everyday use

Web browsing, messaging and music streaming use relatively little bandwidth. Reliability and good Wi-Fi coverage can matter more than chasing a very high headline speed.

HD and 4K streaming

Higher-quality video needs more sustained download bandwidth, especially when several televisions or devices are streaming at the same time.

Gaming does not need huge Mbps

Online gameplay usually uses modest bandwidth. Low ping, low jitter and minimal packet loss are often more important than having hundreds of Mbps.

Video calls need upload as well as download

Meetings and video calls send live video out of your home, so upload speed and connection stability matter. Busy upstream traffic can also make calls feel less responsive.

Large households need headroom

Several people using the connection together can quickly add up. Extra capacity helps prevent one download, stream or backup from affecting everyone else.

Fast broadband cannot fix weak Wi-Fi

A faster package will not automatically improve a room with poor wireless coverage. Compare a test near the router with the room where performance is weak before upgrading.