What Is a Good Internet Speed?

When the internet first became a typical household accessory, buying an internet plan was a lot simpler but not always as reliable. These original internet providers basically offered the “you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit” package. Nowadays, with the introduction of the National Broadband Network (NBN), users have more of a choice when it comes to their internet speeds, and it plays a significant role in which internet plan you purchase. And now, with the advent of satellite internet options, even those who previously had limited or no access to wireline internet services have a fast and affordable option.

With so many options available today, though, you may be wondering what constitutes a “good” internet speed. So today, we’ll be covering how to determine what is a good internet speed in Australia and ho to choose the best speed for your needs.

What’s a good internet speed?

Before you can determine what a good internet speed is, you should understand how internet usage works. A common misconception is that whatever internet speed you’re subscribed to means every device will have that speed. However, that’s not true. Internet is a shared resource in your home. For example, if you have a 15 megabyte per second (Mbps) connection, those 15 megabytes are shared between every person and device in the home. Therefore, if someone is streaming a show that’s using about 5 Mbps while someone else is playing an online game that’s using roughly 10 Mbps, then if anyone else logs onto the internet, it’s going to slow down significantly from too much usage. With that in mind, the Australian Government states that a good internet speed for smaller households is 25 Mbps.

What internet speed do you need in your home?

To determine what’s the best internet speed for your home, you should ask yourself, “Why do I need internet in my home?” At first, this may seem like an odd question because practically everyone needs internet access in their home today. However, why you need the internet is the best way to determine what speeds are suitable for your needs. For example, do you want internet access to do some casual streaming and browse Facebook occasionally? Do you need the internet for your job? Do you play online games frequently? No matter the reason, you’ll need to determine the best speed for your needs to get the best deal on your internet package.

If you live alone and only use the internet casually to watch your favorite shows or browse social media, you could get by with a 12 Mbps connection. This internet speed should accommodate all your everyday browsing needs without the worry of slow loading or video buffering. However, if you use the internet for your job or plan on playing online video games a lot, you should opt for at least a 25 Mbps connection. This standard speed will be plenty for a one- or two-person household. Finally, suppose your home has more than a few people regularly using the internet or you rely on the internet for all of your video entertainment. In that case, you may want to consider an even faster speed, such as 50 Mbps or higher. At the minimum, any family should have 50 Mbps to avoid slow internet speeds.

Start shopping for internet providers.

Now that you know what a good internet speed is and how to determine the best internet speed for your home, it’s time to start shopping and comparing prices. If you’re looking for the best place to shop for internet providers and compare prices, iSelect is the best place online to shop and compare so you can find the best deal on the internet speeds that your family needs.