Average internet download speeds

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the University of Utah and has been working in tech for over 15 years as a computer programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.

When she's not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in internet land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span. What is a good download speed? What is a good upload speed? What is a good Wi-Fi speed? What is download speed?

What is upload speed? Download speed is generally more important than upload speed Although we constantly both download and upload information online, for most of us, the information we upload is generally much smaller.

How do I know if I need more speed? Search by zip code Search Providers. Accessed June 16 No Internet Connection? Minimum internet speed requirements for gaming are usually Mbps if nobody else in the house is using up your bandwidth. Unfortunately, slower internet plans such as these may not give you the upload speed you need for a consistently good experience. If you are the only one at home, a 25 Mbps internet plan is recommended for smooth gaming.

Latency is a measurement of the amount of time it takes for data to be transmitted from one point to another. Honestly, the majority of users will likely not be impacted by latency. Latency is more of an issue for satellite internet users as it takes longer for data to travel and is more susceptible to interference than wired internet connections i. You will likely see the term GB used in conjunction with data caps, which some providers use to limit the amount of data you can consume.

These can either be hard capped service is not available after exceeding the stated amount or soft-capped, meaning you will simply experience slower speeds — and potentially, additional charges. Regardless of which type of service you are interested in, your physical connection has to go somewhere central before it can move on to the wider network that forms the backbone of the internet. No matter the specifics, the physical distance between your home and these meeting points can have an impact on the speed of service a particular company is able to offer.

If you live in an area where there are several services to choose from, check the speeds offered by other ISPs in your area before setting an install date. Use our speed test tool to check your upload, download, and other key Internet performance metrics. Essentially, this service works by sending test samples of data to various remote servers, the same way you would when browsing the web.

According to data collected from our internet speed test , the national average internet speed is Of course, this average is always changing, and that number might not reflect your internet experience. Mbps stands for megabits per second. Internet providers use Mbps to measure bandwidth. One megabit is a million bits, each of which is a tiny piece of data.

When your internet speed is 25 Mbps, for example, that means your connection is capable of transferring 25 megabits of data per second.

The faster your internet connection is, the faster you can get your data. Because tech language is weird sometimes, a megabit Mb is not the same thing as a megabyte MB. One megabyte is actually eight megabits. You usually use bytes to talk about file sizes and bits to talk about data transfer rates.

Anything faster than 10 Mbps is a good enough internet speed for Wi-Fi, but you can have Wi-Fi with pretty much any internet speed. Just keep in mind that connecting by Wi-Fi can dilute your internet speeds due to distance, interference, or the number of devices connected to the signal. Wired Ethernet connections take better advantage of your bandwidth. So if you have a slower internet connection, it might be better to connect your main devices with a wired connection for the best possible performance.

How much internet speed do I need? Residential Start Business Start. How many people in your household work from home? What video quality do you use for streaming TV and movies? I don't stream video HD 4K. How intensely does your household participate in online gaming? No online gaming Casual and recreational Seriously competitive Professional level.

Does your household download large files from the cloud or via the internet? No Yes, occasionally Yes, frequently. In addition, the United States suffers from a lack of similarly equipped providers; depending on where you live, you may have only one or two viable choices for Internet. Countries which rank higher in average Internet speed have three, four, or more companies vying for consumer dollars, companies that are prepared to install and test connections same-day and charge a significantly lower monthly rate.

So what really is the average US Internet speed? A respectable almost Mbps, better or worse depending on where you live. Ideally, improved technology and greater competition will spur quicker, more reliable connections across the nation. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons. Paul Williams brings a wide range of experiences to his writing. He worked extensively in technology, as a software engineer, technical writer, and now a technology writer.