What Broadband Speed Do I Need? A Guide to Broadband Speed

When picking which broadband package is right for you, speed is one of the most important considerations. If you go too slow then you’ll spend hours waiting for your Netflix stream to buffer. If you go too fast then you’ll effectively be paying more for a service that you don’t actually need. With this in mind, we’re here to answer the question – what broadband speed do I need? The speed you require will mainly depend on household size and what you use the internet for.

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Navigate our article on broadband speed:

• What is broadband speed and how is it measured?
• Check your current broadband speed
• What can different broadband speeds provide?
• What broadband speed do I need?
• Broadband speed by household size
• What’s a good broadband speed?
• Advantages of faster broadband speeds
• Standard broadband
• Superfast broadband
• Ultrafast broadband
• Does switching providers get you faster broadband?

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What is broadband speed and how is it measured?

Broadband speed refers to how quickly data can be uploaded or downloaded when using an internet connection. 

When looking at broadband packages, people tend to focus on download speeds. This is because the average internet user will download more data – music, movies, games, photos – than they upload.

Broadband speed is measured in Kbps (kilobits per second), Mbps (megabits per second) and Gbps (gigabits per second). A bit is the smallest unit of data that can be transferred. The higher the number of bits per second, the faster your broadband connection will be.

• 1 Kbps = 1,000 bits per second
• 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bits per second
• 1 Gbps (One gigabit) = 1,000 megabits per second.

Check your current broadband speed

Checking your broadband speed is incredibly simple. All you need to do is go to a site like Broadband Speed Checker and click ‘start speed test’.

Alternatively, you can phone your supplier and they’ll give you this same information.

To get the most accurate reading, close any programs, web pages and games before starting the speed test.

Regularly testing the speed of your broadband is a good habit to be in. That way, you can always make sure you’re getting what you pay for. You can look at your current agreement with your provider to see what your broadband speed should be.

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What can different broadband speeds provide?

Below, we’ve provided a breakdown of the minimum broadband speeds required for different types of streaming services, depending on whether you’re watching in SD, HD or UHD.

What broadband speed do I need?

• When browsing online (10MBPS) – Online browsing like checking emails or scrolling through social media puts the least strain on an internet connection. If this is all you’re doing, then an ADSL connection with a speed of around 10Mbps will be enough for a household that just browses occasionally

• When gaming (100MBPS) – Video game files are huge, often around the 100 GB mark. On a 3Mbps connection, a game that’s 175 GB in size would take around 132.7 hours to download. Add online gaming into the mix and a 30Mbps connection will start to struggle. Gamers should consider superfast or full-fibre broadband, starting from 60-100Mbps

• When streaming (30MBPS) – Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime require broadband speeds of 1.5Mbps and above for standard definition streaming, and 2.8Mbps and above for HD streaming per device. Multiple people streaming at once in the same household will quickly add up. 30Mbps or higher should be enough for a household that all use the internet for streaming

Another way to look at the broadband speed you need is by whether the people in your household fall under the categories of sporadic, medium or regular users:

• Sporadic users – This group probably doesn’t require fibre broadband of any kind. They use the internet for day-to-day tasks like checking emails, online banking and occasionally scrolling through social media

• Medium users – Medium internet users spend a little more time online, regularly browsing social media and similar sites. They’ll also sometimes stream video and audio through services like Netflix

• Regular users – This group will most benefit from fibre-optic broadband, with the higher speeds meaning fewer interruptions when streaming, gaming or downloading/sharing video and audio files

Household size

The number of people you live with (and by extension, the number of devices that’ll get used at once) will have a massive impact on the broadband speed you’ll require. Here’s a breakdown of recommended speeds by household size:

• Household of 1-2 people – Recommended speed = 10Mbps
  • If you live by yourself or with one other person then a fairly low broadband speed – around 10Mbps – should suffice. The only exception to this is if the pair of you spend a lot of time streaming and gaming. If so, you’ll probably want something a little quicker.

• Household of 3-4 people – Recommended speed = 30-60Mbps
  • For a household containing 3-4 people, a basic fibre-optic package makes the most sense. This will be able to comfortably support internet browsing from several devices at once. If members of your household regularly stream in 4K/UHD or download large files then we’d recommend looking at a more advanced fibre broadband package.

• Household of 5 or more – Recommended speed = 60-1000Mbps
  • If you live in a home or shared accommodation with several other people then there are probably times when everyone wants to get online at once. In a busy household like this, you’ll want a fast fibre optic connection with an average speed of at least 60Mbps. If your house is full of gamers then you’ll probably want something even quicker.

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So what’s a good broadband speed?

As a general rule, a good internet speed averages over 30Mbps. This is enough to support fairly regular online activity for a small family or office, including HD streaming, online gaming, music downloads and general web browsing.

When it comes to larger households with more demanding internet needs, we’d then recommend something around the 100Mbps mark or slightly higher.

Another easy way to think about this is by assigning 10Mbps per broadband user. This number can be double if they’re streaming 4K content or regularly game online. So in this case, a household containing four people who all stream in 4K would need a broadband speed of around 80Mbps.

You can use a comparison site like MoneySuperMarket to find the best broadband deals in your area.

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Advantages of faster broadband speeds

Here are the main advantages of having faster broadband in your home:

• Quicker downloads (including files and games)
• Faster upload speeds make life easier when sharing photos online or making video calls for work
• Uninterrupted streaming (say goodbye to any irritating buffering)
• Fewer problems when multiple people go on the internet at the same time

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Standard broadband

‘Standard’ broadband packages in the UK use ADSL technology to transmit data over the existing Openreach phone/copper network. This type of broadband is available pretty much everywhere in the UK (around 99% coverage) but suffers from lower average download speeds – just 10-11Mbps.

Superfast broadband

Superfast broadband speeds usually fall within an average of 30Mbps to 67Mbps. It has better availability in the UK than ultrafast broadband and is the ideal compromise between speed and price, particularly as its cost is becoming more and more competitive. Superfast broadband is useful in a household containing several people who use the internet at the same time for gaming, streaming and downloading large files.

Ultrafast broadband

A connection is considered ‘ultrafast’ if it’s 100Mbps or quicker. Some providers who use the Openreach network – such as BT and TalkTalk – offer ultrafast connections, but only to certain parts of the UK. Virgin Media doesn’t use the Openreach network and instead uses fibre optic cables to provide customers with faster internet that loses less bandwidth.

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Does switching providers get you faster broadband?

If you’ve performed a few speed tests and you aren’t happy with your current broadband speeds, or you’ve found that the speed you chose just isn’t cutting it for you anymore, then you can usually switch to a faster connection with your current supplier or a new one.

Just bear in mind that most providers will require you to sign up for another fixed-term contract when upgrading. You may also be fined when withdrawing from your current contract before the minimum term has passed.

There are some factors outside of your control when it comes to broadband speed though. How fast a connection you get depends on where you live, so you may be slightly limited if living in a more rural area that doesn’t yet have access to fibre broadband or similar speedier options.

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