Understanding Internet Connection Speeds

When you order your home Internet package from your service provider, you usually have several options to choose from.  Speed is often the most important factor since a faster Internet connection will improve your overall online experience.  The challenge is that the fastest Internet speeds are typically the most expensive. That's why it's important to understand how Internet connection speeds work to ensure you select the right package for the needs of your household. 

How is Internet speed measured?  Let's start with the concept of speed, or bandwidth, as it's sometimes called. Measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (Gbps), your Internet speed is the amount of data that can be transferred every second over your Internet connection.

Your speed determines the type of activities that you can do online and how quickly you can do them.  A connection speed of 1 Mbps, for example, allows you to browse web pages easily, but it's not fast enough for you to stream HD videos on Netflix According to Netflix, that requires a minimum connection speed of 5 Mbps. If you tried to stream HD video at 1 Mbps, your video would be poor quality and would likely stutter or pause altogether. On the other hand, a speed of 1 Gbps-one thousand times faster than 1 Mbps-is blazing fast, allowing you to do almost anything, including letting multiple family members stream 4K video simultaneously.