It’s hard to imagine life at home without the internet. We use it for everything: streaming TV, playing music, gaming, Googling things and working remotely. Before COVID-19, remote work was on the rise. But now, millions are working from their home offices. See the stats.
Whilst buffering videogames or Netflix shows is frustrating, losing work or connection during a Zoom call is unprofessional and feels career-damaging.
When your performance depends on the quality of your internet service, the question “what are good speeds for internet?” is vital.
HomeLinkd is committed to helping you find the best internet plan for remote work. Find out what internet speed is adequate and calculate your current connection to see if it's up to par.
Remaining professional at home is tricky. But regardless of your home office attire or unusual work hours, having good internet makes it easier to perform and get your work done on time.
When it comes to choosing an internet plan for your job, there are four factors to consider — speed, consistency, range, and customer support.
For the most part, the higher your internet speed, the better the quality.
Internet speed is calculated in Mbps, or megabits per second, and there are two speeds to consider — download and upload speed. When downloading documents or uploading renders, you need a good combination of the two.
The required download speed for most apps is higher than the required upload speed. Think of yourself on a Zoom call — your bandwidth will need to download the data of your colleagues’ videos and audios and your boss’ PowerPoint presentation. But will only need to upload the data of one voice and one face; your own.
Sometimes the service of your internet service provider can be at fault, so be sure to research your chosen internet company. Check out the reviews first before signing up.
Read more about testing your consistency here.
There’s no point in having fast internet if your connection keeps dipping and disrupting your work. When working remotely, reliability and consistency are as vital to think about.
Sometimes the service of your internet service provider (ISPs) can be at fault, so be sure to research your chosen internet company. Check out the reviews first before signing up.
Read more about testing your consistency here.
There’s nothing worse than moving upstairs for a change of scenery, only for you to lose signal. Measured in decibels per milliwatt (dBm), the range is over-technical and expressed in negative values.
Get your ISP to explain the range in your household, especially if your home is large, fairly separate, or has many bedrooms.
Waiting hours for a technician to come and fix the problem with your Wi-Fi can result in lost time, money, clients, reputation, and your sanity. Receiving quick and stress-free customer support from your service provider is priceless in the remote-working world.
For glitch-free calls, instant emails, or transferring Slack data, researchers at San Francisco State University found that at least 20 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds are needed. Click here. If you have multiple devices, you're going to need even more.
A download speed of 50 Mbps is considered “good”.
In fact, 25 Mbps is the minimum speed requirements for streaming in HD or 4K and will suffice for one person on a video call at a time.
50 Mbps is more suitable for a couple or small family, who each spend a standard amount of time on the internet.
100 Mbps is an even better internet bandwidth speed, especially if you live with more than two people.
Since home internet users today are connected constantly, faster internet speeds are a necessity for more and more households.
200 Mbps is a great internet speed and more than enough for a household of <5 people.
Emailing or uploading large files, streaming seamless HD video, and clear and crisp conference calling is probable.
The Columbia University Working from Home guide puts it best: “If you can stream Netflix successfully, you can use Zoom successfully.” Click here.
Speedtest by Ookla is one of the most popular speed tests on the internet.
When conducting a speed test:
The average U.S. internet speed is 96.25 Mbps, which is above the global average of 90.69 Mbps.
Here are some recommended plans with good internet speed for working from home:
Your download speed is how fast you can pull data from the internet onto your device.
Your upload speed is how fast you can push data from your device back to the internet.
Ping or latency is the delay between sending a request and receiving a response. The lower the ping, the better. A good ping speed is anything below 100 ms.
Jitter speed measures variation in latency over time, or how much lag there is between devices on a home network. A low jitter speed is any number below 5 ms.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. The minimum speed you need depends on the type of work you do from home.
Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind:
For video conferencing, a download speed of at least 25 Mbps is needed. If you're sending large files or working with graphics-heavy applications, you'll need even more.
Want more speed?
There are a few things you can do to try and improve your internet speed:
When you’re working from home, you need a dependable and fast internet access. But what speeds do you really need for different online activities? Here’s a quick guide:
For general web browsing, emailing and social media usage, you need a download speed of at least 10 Mbps. However, if you have several people working from home on the same connection, you may want to aim for 25 Mbps or higher.
For gaming or video streaming, you need a download speed of at least 3 Mbps for standard definition video and 5 Mbps for high definition video. If multiple people are using the same connection for gaming or streaming, you’ll want to aim for even higher speeds — up to 50 Mbps.
While fast internet speeds are the smart option, also consider your budget, home size, type of work, and your area.
HomeLinkd has a range of internet plans and internet speeds for remote workers.
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