How much Internet speed do we really need? If you listen to almost all of the major Internet Service Providers, the answer will almost certainly be Gigabit speed. It sounds cool! The way Gigabit just rolls off the tongue, makes you want to scream, “I’ve got the need, for speed”. But honestly folks, the reality is that most of us don’t require Gigabit Internet to enjoy most of the fun, exciting and productive stuff available on the Internet.
Just a quick primer about Internet speed. Today Internet speed and Internet bandwidth, yes, they are different, are measured in Kilobits per second (Kbps), Megabits per second (Mbps), or even Gigabits per second (Gbps). For example, 1 Gigabit per second is equal to 1000 Megabits per second.
The biggest difference between Internet speed and Internet bandwidth can be summed up briefly in one line: Bandwidth is how much data can be uploaded or downloaded over the provider’s network in a given amount of time, while Internet speed is about how fast the data can be uploaded from or downloaded to your device. Confused?
Verizon’s “speed test” performs two tests, one right after the other. The first test measures how much data can flow between Verizon’s router and Verizon’s network. This is the bandwidth test. If you have Verizon’s FIOS Internet, and you signed up for the Gigabit plan, this test reports whether or not Verizon’s network can support Gigabit Internet speed.
The second test measures how much data can flow between your device, (your desktop, laptop or tablet computer), through Verizon’s router and through Verizon’s network. Less confused? Good.
Basically, unless you have the most finely tuned “device”, and the highest quality cable between your “device” and Verizon’s router, the second test for Internet speed will always be lower than the first test for Internet bandwidth.
Bandwidth measures network capability, Speed measures your “device’s” ability to use the network’s capability. The subject of how to tune your “device” for the highest Internet speed is too complicated for this article. I hope to address this in the near future.
With that mind-numbing tech talk behind us, now we can consider the question of whether we really need all that bandwidth and speed. Do most of us need Gigabit Internet? The answer depends on how you use your Internet service, and how many users and/or devices will be using your Internet service at the same time.
50 Mbps speed: May be suitable for up to 2-3 devices and tasks like email, browsing, social media and moderate video.
100 Mbps speed: May be suitable for up to 5 devices and tasks like online classes, online gaming, 4K media streaming, etc.
200 Mbps speed: May be suitable for bigger households with up to 7 devices and heavy usages.
More than 200 Mbps speed: May be suitable for larger households with 10 or more devices and simultaneous use case scenarios.
Many Internet service providers can deliver up to 1 Gbps bandwidth. If you have substantially more people living under the same roof and have a really demanding use case scenario, then you should go for an Internet service faster than 200 Mbps. But if you’ve determined that your requirements are more modest, than don’t waste your money buying more Internet bandwidth than you and your family really need.
My wife and I are long time empty nesters. It’s just the two of us. She is an illustrator, who’s work adorns the walls of homes in the US and abroad. I am a systems administrator, writer and avid gamer. We have Verizon’s FIOS Gigabit Internet. When it is working, meaning when Verizon is not engaged in randomly disconnecting our fiber connection, my finely tuned i7 laptop averages 800 Mbps download speeds and 600 Mbps upload speeds. Not quite Gigabit Internet, but it’s the best Verizon can do.
Lately we’ve been thinking. Why continue to pay for Gigabit Internet if we don’t need Gigabit speed? We’ve discovered that if we’re able to chose a lower speed, we’ll save money, and we’ll have a greater number of Internet service providers to choose from.
You aught to be asking yourself; Am I paying for too much Internet speed? I think, like us, you’ll begin to dream of all the other things you can do with all the money you’ll be saving. You may also find that there are many other Internet service providers out there who are prepared to deliver the speed you need, and the service quality you deserve. Hey Verizon! Can you hear us now?