How much internet speed do I need?

[G-String]

I currently have Internet download speed of 75.  I'm on a 2 year contract with the service provided and the two years is almost up.  I do not want my rate to go up, and it will if I want to keep the internet 75.  But if I go down to internet 50, I will actually save $2 per month.  Is there a big difference between internet 75 and internet 50?  All we really use the internet for is browsing websites, email, YouTube videos and possibly (but not yet) Netflix.   

[terran]

You'll be fine. ISPs try to give the hard sell that you MUST have super fast internet to do anything (especially stream video), but we have 10 mbps and netflix streams fine. Netflix's recommendations are even lower unless you want "Ultra HD quality" and even that is only 25 mbps: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306. I say go as low as they'll let you and increase it if you need to.

[ketchup]

50 is fine for most people.  If truly all you do is web browsing, email, and streaming, that's plenty.  The only scenario an average person would want more than that is if you have four people all trying to stream 4K video at once on your connection.  If you have that many TVs in your house, you have a problem.

I'm stuck on 6mbps (for a whopping $78/mo, thanks AT&T) but would kill for 50mbps.

[MilesTeg]

I currently have Internet download speed of 75.  I'm on a 2 year contract with the service provided and the two years is almost up.  I do not want my rate to go up, and it will if I want to keep the internet 75.  But if I go down to internet 50, I will actually save $2 per month.  Is there a big difference between internet 75 and internet 50?  All we really use the internet for is browsing websites, email, YouTube videos and possibly (but not yet) Netflix.   

10-15 MBps per device used (computer, mobile device, TV, etc.) simultaneously, with a minimum of 20-25 would be my recommendation.

Even with "just web browsing" modern SPA websites can be pretty bandwidth intensive, and work best with low latency connections.

As a quick example: The NYT homepage loads 12 megabytes of scripts and images. A 10Mbps connection will get 1.25MB per second so with a 10Mbps connection you're talking ~10 seconds to load the page assuming you get the full 10Mbps.

[G-String]

I currently have Internet download speed of 75.  I'm on a 2 year contract with the service provided and the two years is almost up.  I do not want my rate to go up, and it will if I want to keep the internet 75.  But if I go down to internet 50, I will actually save $2 per month.  Is there a big difference between internet 75 and internet 50?  All we really use the internet for is browsing websites, email, YouTube videos and possibly (but not yet) Netflix.   

10-15 MBps per device used (computer, mobile device, TV, etc.) simultaneously, with a minimum of 20-25 would be my recommendation.

Even with "just web browsing" modern SPA websites can be pretty bandwidth intensive, and work best with low latency connections.

As a quick example: The NYT homepage loads 12 megabytes of scripts and images. A 10Mbps connection will get 1.25MB per second so with a 10Mbps connection you're talking ~10 seconds to load the page assuming you get the full 10Mbps.

I'm not following.  So is 50 still enough for me? 

[MilesTeg]

I currently have Internet download speed of 75.  I'm on a 2 year contract with the service provided and the two years is almost up.  I do not want my rate to go up, and it will if I want to keep the internet 75.  But if I go down to internet 50, I will actually save $2 per month.  Is there a big difference between internet 75 and internet 50?  All we really use the internet for is browsing websites, email, YouTube videos and possibly (but not yet) Netflix.   

10-15 MBps per device used (computer, mobile device, TV, etc.) simultaneously, with a minimum of 20-25 would be my recommendation.

Even with "just web browsing" modern SPA websites can be pretty bandwidth intensive, and work best with low latency connections.

As a quick example: The NYT homepage loads 12 megabytes of scripts and images. A 10Mbps connection will get 1.25MB per second so with a 10Mbps connection you're talking ~10 seconds to load the page assuming you get the full 10Mbps.

I'm not following.  So is 50 still enough for me?

Probably. 50Mbps will provide good service for 3-4 devices doing moderate to high bandwidth tasks (you tube, netflix, etc.). At that level it will probably have a decent latency too for things like games, fancy websites, etc.

[JLee]

50 can do two simultaneous 4k Netflix streams.  For general use you're fine.

[G-String]

I should also say that they advertise it as "up to" 50 speed.  I assume that means it could be less than that at times.  Will that cause me problems? 

[YttriumNitrate]

I should also say that they advertise it as "up to" 50 speed.  I assume that means it could be less than that at times.  Will that cause me problems?

It sounds like your looking at cable internet which is likely a shared connection. My experience has been that 25 Mbps was great for Netflix most of the time, but completely unwatchable Saturday and Sunday evenings. I now have 250 Mbps, and shows (not 4k) will sometimes still buffer a bit during the peak watching periods.

[Dave1442397]

I should also say that they advertise it as "up to" 50 speed.  I assume that means it could be less than that at times.  Will that cause me problems?

Run a speed test at peak times (say, Friday and Saturday night) and see what you're getting. We were paying for 75mbps with Verizon Fios, but were typically getting 83-87. I switched to Comcast and am paying for 200mb service, currently getting 240.

https://www.speedtest.net/

[G-String]

I should also say that they advertise it as "up to" 50 speed.  I assume that means it could be less than that at times.  Will that cause me problems?

It sounds like your looking at cable internet which is likely a shared connection. My experience has been that 25 Mbps was great for Netflix most of the time, but completely unwatchable Saturday and Sunday evenings. I now have 250 Mbps, and shows (not 4k) will sometimes still buffer a bit during the peak watching periods.

That is correct. It's cable internet.

[G-String]

I should also say that they advertise it as "up to" 50 speed.  I assume that means it could be less than that at times.  Will that cause me problems?

Run a speed test at peak times (say, Friday and Saturday night) and see what you're getting. We were paying for 75mbps with Verizon Fios, but were typically getting 83-87. I switched to Comcast and am paying for 200mb service, currently getting 240.

https://www.speedtest.net/

Just ran a speed test: 23 download speed and 8 upload speed. Is this a concern if I downgrade to 50?

Edit: just ran the test again 5 minutes later and download speed was 63.

[ketchup]

If congestion is a real problem, it'll affect you whether you're paying for 50mbps or 75mbps.  I wouldn't worry too much about that one way or the other.  Paying more won't make that problem go away, unless you're switching to an actual dedicated line ($$$$).

[ontheway2]

I have 30 mbps, and we have 3-4 Alexa devices, a tv, an xbox, a couple phones, a security camera, etc all connected. My wifi app typically says 10-13 devices online at once. It works fine. I have considered increasing the speed, but I won't pay extra for it.