This topic

How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 22:34:16 GMT

Worried whether you really need that 1.6gbps or even that shiny new 2.5gbps package to enjoy the internet?

Then I would suggest to Google "How much bandwidth do you really need?" then clicking the "High Speed Internet" site calculator, which should be the 1st or 2nd result that pops up! Then answer the questionnaire to calculate how much you need.

You will be surprised.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

GeoffSmith — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:06:00 GMT

Interesting. An Openreach "engineer" recently mentioned to me that 'most' of the domestic properties he visited only really needed 50mbps. Running the questionnaire gave 40mbps for my property. As I reliably get 67 on FTTC I find that reassuring, and won't be troubling with FTTP until forced to.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:51:22 GMT

@GeoffSmith

If available, FTTP would be worth taking for the improved reliability, you don't have to go for crazy speeds. Indeed the current FTTC speeds are also available via FTTP & should be the same price.

Having said that I can't help being amused by those desperate to migrate to EE so they can upgrade their lowly 900Mb connection to 1.6Gb...

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:04:53 GMT

10Mbs ADSL works fine here, for web, email, and streaming video from Amazon and Netflix. I do not use BT TV.

I also have a 4G MiFi unit as a backup, and if I need occasional faster upload, without affecting the main connection.

Cannot see the point of anything faster than 50Mbs, for most people.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

WSH — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:07:34 GMT

@c64z86 Didn't you post the same article last week?

As I said then, reliablilty, stability and cost are really the issues now. Like RAM, once you've got enough for the job, you've got enough. The excess just sits there, redundant.

I agree with @Anonymous but people will go for it if it's available. It's like buying a "performance" car in a country with a 70mph national limit. I've never understood it myself but if you've got the money and the inclination why not?

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

countrypaul — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:38:48 GMT

Tend to agree with most of the comments about what is actually needed, it came up with 100Mb/s for us - we have VDSL around 70Mb/s. Not expecting FTTP any time soon as to rural.

We also have a teenager and a soon to be a teenager, so reducing the ear ache could also be a factor to consider for some: "How much longer?", "Is it downloaded yet?", "Can't you make it go any faster?"...

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

HHGTTG — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 14:12:19 GMT

I so much agree with you but perhaps we don't (I don't, certainly) have a house full of people all wanting the Internet simultaneously and there again I don't need fast Internet for work. But does anyone really?
There seems to be this race for stratospheric speeds.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:08:57 GMT

@WSH

Yeah but this version is much shorter without me waffling on, and back then I didn't know what links were allowed or not too 😛

Thanks for replying again!

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:11:02 GMT

I can't kudo any of you sorry, no idea why, but I am going to say that I agree with all of you! 👍

Thank you for your replies so far!

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:05:55 GMT

Yep there seems to be this race for speeds, and nobody really knows what they are buying all that speed for.

Let's do some breakdowns:

1 single instance of 4k video or 4k TV streaming needs 30-50mbps.

1080p needs lower than that, a mere 5mbps.

720p needs only 2.5mbps.

Most webpages need 3mbps to load at their fastest.

Even if you had 4 TVs each streaming 4k at the same time, that still only requires around 200mbps.

That is only around 12.5% of 1.6gbps.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

LindaS — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:08:00 GMT

Is it really people thinking they need a sustained speed though? Or rather that they want as fast burst speed as possible so when they download something large it can be done with minimal waiting (i.e. a 100GB game taking 8 minutes at 1.6Gbps instead of 90 minutes at 150Mbps).

I ended up going for 900/110, the 900Mbps is overkill for our purposes but I wanted as high upload speed as possible for video archiving. If BT offered something like 250/100 I'd have been fine with that instead.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

NigelB72 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:25:40 GMT

Due to having 2 Sky Stream pucks, a PS5, Smart TV etc we came dangerously close to maxing out a 120mbps G-Fast connection so moved to 500mbps Fibre. This leaves us plenty of spare bandwidth and should be enough for the foreseeable future.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:32:07 GMT

Oh yes the increase in burst speed is nice, so that there is less time waiting for downloads. But there comes a point where the download speed will start to outpace the size of files you want to download.

I'm talking of the largest packages here more than I am talking of 900mbps and below, and I'm talking more of those who think they need to be on the bleeding edge all the time:

For example, let's take a typical AA game, which is around 100-120gb today. Assuming that the server can fully saturate the 1.6gbps connection and download at that speed, it will take the game 10 minutes to download, which is very nice.

Now, if you take the shiny new 2.5gbps package being offered by 1 ISP so far, that game will take 6 minutes to download.

Even fibre 900 would take an eternity of 19 minutes to download that game. An increase of just 9 minutes...

So for now, until file sizes dramatically increase or you have a household of 20 kids, there is little point paying heavily for the highest tiers, just to shave around 10 or so minutes off the download time.

Unless of course there is a very heavy discount or it's cheaper then the current package. Then why not. 😛

But if that extra money you are thinking of paying for the largest tiers is really needed somewhere else right now, then let me assure you that you are not really missing out still being stuck with your 500 or 900mbps connection... despite how hard the ISPs try to convince you all otherwise!

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

Dode — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:43:51 GMT

Sitting at around 37Mbps at the moment. Two phones, one iPad and an iMac. Occasional iplayer use on the tv. 37Mbps is more than enough.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

COMPANY-PENSIONER — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 09:31:36 GMT

THE NEED FOR SPEED ¦ OR NOT ?

I run on F2; but, I could run on the cheapest BT broadband product. F2 ain't broke, don't fix it.
So, I asked the question; why the need for speed ? The greatest response came from Online Gamers.
If you haven't got the fastest machine, and the fastest broadband : YOU LOSE !

BE SAFE OUT THERE !

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

c64z86 — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 23:17:41 GMT

I have to say I really like the style of your posts and the GIFs company pensioner! 😄

We could do with a little more Colour around here sometimes!

I only say "sometimes" in case anyone comes around and bops me on the head for having too much fun on here. 😛

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

COMPANY-PENSIONER — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:09:30 GMT

@c64z86wrote:
I have to say I really like the style of your posts and the GIFs company pensioner! 😄
We could do with a little more Colour around here sometimes!
I only say "sometimes" in case anyone comes around and bops me on the head for having too much fun on here. 😛

I've been berated by the 'FORUM-GLITTERATI'. It appears that using font size, coloured text and animation, makes posts difficult to read. Default text is the most utilitarian. Well they're my posts, my way. I don't chase 'kudos/ratings': to be top of the league. I just post simple queries; expecting, equally erudite replies. This is a Community Forum, open to all ?

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

HHGTTG — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:48:41 GMT

But there are rules and etiquette in these matters and 'shouting' is also frowned upon as well.
This forum is extremely useful to all of us and I don't see the point in 'glamming up' one's contributions in this way.

Re: How much bandwidth/internet speed do you need?

COMPANY-PENSIONER — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 18:18:28 GMT

@HHGTTGwrote:
But there are rules and etiquette in these matters and 'shouting' is also frowned upon as well.
This forum is extremely useful to all of us and I don't see the point in 'glamming up' one's contributions in this way.

Each-2-Their-Own ? There's still an odd freedom or three left in the world.
Anon.