We know you’ve seen them before––the internet providers trying to sell you on their “high-speed internet”–but what does that even mean? Most people fall prey to these marketing techniques when companies use attractive terms like “super-fast” or “high-speed.” We’re going to help you determine which plan is actually good for you by breaking down the internet speed classifications; read on to learn more.
Upload and Download Speeds
Before we discuss internet speed classifications in detail, we need to cover upload and download speeds. Anytime you’re surfing the web, playing a video game online, or streaming Netflix or Spotify, your internet is downloading tons of data. Alternatively, if you’re trying to post a picture or video online, or you’re on a video call like Zoom, upload speeds are crucial. Both upload and download speeds are important, but download speeds are the most important number for most tasks.
“Slow” Internet
Although defining slow and fast internet is up for debate, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides a general baseline to work off of. The FCC defines broadband internet as a minimum of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload speed. As a result, we can make a general claim that speeds less than 25 Mbps/3 Mbps would be considered slow. Although it’s almost unheard of these days in urban areas, anything in the kilobits per second (Kbps) range is considered slow.
“Fast” Internet
If you’re probably wondering what counts as fast, then you’ve got the right idea. Going back to the FCC, we can generally agree that download speeds at or above 25 Mbps are considered good. The problem is that 25 Mbps/3 Mbps isn’t going to cut it when you add several devices connected to your Wi-Fi network into the picture. Instead, most people need a minimum of 100 Mbps download speed, and as you might suspect, the higher the number the faster your internet. Currently, the fastest internet available has 2000 Mbps, but Xfinity only offers this service in certain areas.
Of course, there are numerous factors that affect your internet connection either directly or indirectly. There’s no question that most of us have several devices connected to our home and office Wi-Fi which can significantly compromise and degrade our internet connection. That said, it’s vital that you do your research and figure out around what speeds are appropriate for the number of devices you have.
One way to certainly improve your internet speed and reliability is through the use of Ethernet cables. Our team at CableWholesale specializes in all things cables and we only supply the best quality cables. Whether you’re looking for short cables or 100-foot Ethernet cables and beyond, we’ve got you covered. Check out our inventory on our online shop today and don’t forget to utilize our free technical assistance.
