The term refers to how fast data—like a Netflix movie— cam travel into your home. “Bits” of data are very small, speed is usually measured in megabits, or millions of bits, per second (Mbps). Our services can send data at a gigabit per second (Gbps, or a billion bits per second).

Almost any internet speed is fine for receiving a text-only email, and you may need only 1 Mbps to listen to a Spotify song. However, you need as much as 25 Mbps to watch a 4K movie.

Bandwidth is closely related to speed; it reflects the amount of speed available for you to use. Your whole household will share whatever internet speed you have. So if two TVs in your home are each streaming 4K movies, you need at least 50 Mbps of bandwidth for just those 2 devices.

It’s easy to underestimate how many devices are using your home internet connection. Many of us switch from cellular service to home WIFI when using our cell phones in the house. You may also have multiple laptops, smart TVs, smart speakers, smart thermostats, video doorbells, gaming consoles, and tablets. All those devices share the same bandwidth when they connect to the internet.

In addition to the amount of users and devices connected, the services being used can greatly differ in how much bandwidth they require. Streaming HD video for example uses much more data than checking email or web surfing.

Most people think about only download speeds, or how fast videos and web pages arrive in their homes. However, upload speeds are also important because they affect video calls, including both teleconferencing calls with work and video chats with family and friends.