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Ring recommends 1-2 Mbps per device for both upload and download speeds. Wi-Fi-Based security systems and cameras such as Nest, SimpliSafe, Arlo or Ring, constantly use your Internet speeds and require a good upload and download speed. Upload speed requirements for these services can range from 400 Kbps (.4 Mbps) for low to standard quality to 6 Mbps for high definition. If you live stream your game using Twitch or a similar service, you are sending or uploading video from your computer to a cloud-based server. Playing a game on an online server can use as little as 100 Kbps (.1 Mbps) of data but most online gaming platforms recommend 1 to 3 Mbps. However, the speed requirements can vary based on the streaming service and quality of video you are streaming. Netflix recommends 3 Mbps of download speed for SD streaming, 5 Mbps for HD streaming and 25 Mbps for 4K streaming per device.
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Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu or YouTube typically use the most bandwidth. To give you a better understanding of how much Internet you actually need, here are some basic Internet activities and how much speed they require. This is because most online activities use more download speed than upload speed. Most Internet plans offer a higher download speed than upload speed. Download refers to how quickly your connection can receive data (i.e. uploading photos to Facebook or emailing files). Upload speed refers to how quickly your connection can send data (i.e. Depending on the size of your household and the online activities that you do, you may realize that you don’t need as much bandwidth as you may think!Īn important concept to remember when considering how much speed you need is the difference between upload and download speed. People often overestimate how much Internet they really need.
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