What Classifies As A Fast Internet?

Not sure how to say if your internet connection is quick enough? Here's how to figure out whether you've got the best idea for you. When shopping for the internet or reviewing your current internet service, internet speed is one of the most important factors to consider, second only to price. However, unlike price, where you can easily see the monthly cost, internet speeds are a little more difficult to judge.

Is 100 Mbps internet considered “fast”? Is 10 Mbps considered “slow”? What kind of internet connection do I have? Many of us have these questions, so we've put together this quick guide to answer them.

Let's take a look at how internet speed is calculated, what constitutes fast internet, what constitutes slow internet, and other considerations that can help you address the question: What is a good internet speed?

What is considered as good internet speed?

The amount of data a link can download (download speeds) or upload (upload speeds) per second determines its internet speed. Internet speeds in the kbps range are considered "slow," whereas Gbps speeds, which are less common but becoming more common, are considered "ultra-fast."

What is a good internet speed?

A decent internet connection has a speed of at least 25 Mbps. Many online activities, such as HD streaming, online gaming, web surfing, and music downloads, will be supported at these speeds.

Fast internet speeds, such as those of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), are often preferable, particularly if you want your internet plan to accommodate multiple devices and users at the same time.

What is a fast internet connection?

Fast internet is described as download speeds of 100 Mbps or higher that can support multiple online activities for multiple users at once without major service interruptions. We've got you covered if you need any assistance deciding the best internet speeds for your needs. Common fast internet speed tiers include:

• 100 Mbps
• 200 Mbps
• 250 Mbps
• 300 Mbps
• 400 Mbps
• 500 Mbps
• 1,000 Mbps
• 2,000 Mbps

What is a slow internet connection?

Download speeds of less than 25 Mbps are insufficient to qualify as broadband. Users can encounter buffering while streaming video, trouble connecting multiple devices, and other internet connection issues with these speeds. When connecting multiple devices, streaming in high definition, or using a Wi-Fi link, the following speed tiers may be considered slow:

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• Anything less than 1 Mbps
• 3 Mbps
• 5 Mbps
• 10 Mbps
• 15 Mbps
• 18 Mbps

Internet Speed Tests

If you’ve ever checked your broadband internet speed it is likely that you’ve used the Ookla Speed Test. Ookla’s Net Index takes the information from Speedtest.net and organizes it, making it easy to consume.

Click the “Go to my location” link and you’ll be redirected to a page listing all the ISPs that are available in your area. You can also look up for a specific city. The ISPs are ranked on the basis of recent Speedtest.net download speed results of their subscribers. Here, you can see which internet service providers are actually the fastest. Ookla’s speed test also allows you to compare average Internet speeds between different countries, regions, and even cities for you to understand various speeds across locations. You can check the rankings based on upload speeds, connection quality, value for the price.

Which internet connections are more likely to be slow?

1. Dial-up:

   Dial-up is called slow internet regardless of the internet operation because it can only deliver speeds of 56 kbps. These speeds aren't quick enough to do anything more than check email, and they won't help downloading, online gaming, Wi-Fi, or even uploading a single webpage in a timely manner.

2. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line):

   DSL is the most popular internet service, at speeds of less than 25 Mbps. Some cable internet providers provide sluggish speeds as a low-cost alternative, but they can also provide much faster speeds for a higher monthly fee.

3. Fixed Wireless:

   In rural areas, fixed wireless is a common internet solution. It transmits and receives internet signals using broadcast towers. Speeds can range from 3-100 Mbps depending on the provider and venue, but they appear to be on the slower side.

What difference does a fast internet connection make?

Small speed jumps, like 15 to 25 Mbps, are unlikely to make a significant difference in efficiency, but larger jumps, like 10 to 100 Mbps, can provide a completely different experience. We've mentioned the average times for different activities to give you an idea of how much speed will affect downloading and uploading:

What is the average time it takes to download a movie?

Music, videos, and pictures all have different file sizes, but a movie can be anywhere from 1 to 7GB in size, depending on the length and picture quality. Here's how long it will take to download a 4GB file at different speeds in hours:minutes:seconds.

What is the average time it takes to upload a short video?

The size of video files varies, but let's assume you have a 500 MB clip that could last up to 10 minutes in standard definition. Here's a rough calculation of how long it will take to upload it at different speeds. Internet providers' upload speeds are often much slower than their download speeds.