What is a Good Internet Speed?

The internet has come to be a part of our everyday life with over 4 million users worldwide. No one likes it when the internet connection is slow and takes very long to load. For this reason, there is always a need for good internet speeds. The world has seen the advent of network generations such as 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G all in the quest for faster and better internet speeds. 

A lot of people ask the question “What is a good internet speed?” In this article, we are going to answer that question but to start with, how do we measure internet speed?

How internet speed measured?

Internet speed is measured in bits per second (bps), it consists of the amount of data your network can upload or download thus it is in two categories; upload and download speed. Download speed is what is most important because it is the speed you use to browse the internet, check social media, stream videos, etc. Upload speeds are considered only when you are uploading a file to the web like a video, audio, or image file. 

Both speeds are usually connected, if you have a fast download speed, you are likely to also have a fast upload speed. On the internet, so many bits are transferred per second, thousands of them. Therefore, internet speed – measured in bits per second – follows a metric system; the kilo (k), Mega (M), and Giga (G). It is well represented as:

• Kbps – kilobits per second (1,000 bits transferred per second)
• Mbps – Megabits per second (1,000,000 bits transferred per second)
• Gbps – Gigabits per second (1,000,000,000 bits transferred per second) 

Mbps speeds are the most common internet speed you will see as it is what is offered by most Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Kbps speeds are not common because they are very slow, while Gbps speeds are super fast speeds and are rare among ISPs. The Mbps internet speed measurement is what we will consider. 

What is a Good Internet Speed?

The ideal internet speed depends on your online activity. The speed you would need to stream a 4k video is different from that which you would need to check your e-mails. Below are ideal internet speeds for various online activities:

2-4 Mbps

Internet speeds within this range are ideal for casual online activities. This includes checking your emails, reading online news, articles, posts, etc. It can also be used to stream audio and chat via social media platforms.  

4-6 Mbps

This internet speed range is considered moderate. It can be used to stream online videos up to 720p in quality and it can handle video calls on Skype, WhatsApp, and the likes. Videos can be downloaded too but they may take a bit of time. 

6-10 Mbps

If your internet speed falls between 6 and 10 Mbps, then you can say you have a good internet speed. It can handle major online task including streaming HD videos up to 1080p in quality. Downloads will also load faster. 

10-20 Mbps

This can be considered the best internet speed range for a wonderful browsing experience. Everything you do online will be very fast at this range. Most 4G LTE networks fall within this range. 

Above 20 Mbps

Any internet speed above 20 Mbps falls into the ultra-fast range. Usually, most ISPs limit the speed rate to 20 Mbps so such an internet speed range is rare. 

Any internet speed up to 6 Mbps can be considered a good internet speed as it can handle almost any online activity. Most things people do online include, web surfing, media streaming, gaming, and downloads; a 6 Mbps internet speed can handle all of these.  

However, for the best browsing experience, a speed above 10 Mbps is recommended. They would perform best especially if the internet connection is shared by multiple persons. 20 Mbps and above internet speeds are considered fast speeds.

For uploading, a speed of 2+ Mbps is good enough. However, if you are to upload very large files – up to 500 MB in size -, higher speeds up to 10 Mbps is ideal for fast uploading.

Your internet speed will be slow if less than 6 Mbps considering how advanced the internet has come to be. At such speed range, you can experience lagging while streaming media or playing games online and it would be bad when the network is shared.

How to speed up your internet connection?

If your internet connection is slow, below are a few things you can do to speed it up;

1. Switch Internet Providers

Your Internet Service Provider has a huge role to play on your internet speed. If your internet speed is bad, you might want to switch to the ISP with the best coverage in your location.

2. Check your browsing devices

Your internet speed can be slowed if your browsing devices are faulty. This can be due to virus infection on your PC or mobile device, a faulty modem or router. For fast browsing, ensure that your browsing devices are free from faults.

3. Check your web browser

Some browsers perform very low compared to others. Such low performing browsers can slow down your internet speed. A browser can slow down internet speed if it is clogged with cookies, caches, temp files, and excess browsing history.

Use a VPN

The best way to secure your internet connection is to use an excellent VPN such as RitaVPN. With its myriads of servers, you can access several websites at an extremely fast rate. Not to mention, this VPN service provider allows you to unblock websites, access geo-restricted services, and anonymizes your online activity. 

Conclusion

Having a good internet speed is important if you want a seamless browsing experience. As stated, your required speed depends on what you are doing online. You do not necessarily need very fast speeds if you use the internet for minor activities.

 To stay safe and private online, make use of a reliable internet service provider and also a trustworthy VPN service provider such as RitaVPN.