Have you ever felt lost when trying to decide on the right broadband connection? Knowing what internet speed your home needs can sometimes feel complicated, but our guide to picking the right broadband speed is here to help you make the right choice. Say goodbye to slow broadband and sluggish connections, and hello to better broadband with the right connection speed you need.  

What do we mean by broadband speed?

Broadband speed is the rate that information is transmitted over an internet connection and is measured in either megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps).  

When choosing your ideal broadband speed, there are two speeds you should consider: 

Upload speed – the rate that information is sent to the internet (for example, uploading files or video calls) 

Download speed – the rate that information is received from the internet (for example, streaming videos or downloading files) 

Traditionally, download speed was given priority and upload speed tended to be much lower. However, with more people working from home than ever, it’s important to have a good upload speed so you can take part in video calls and save files to the cloud without lagging or delays (this is why we have identical upload and download speeds across all of our packages).

How the number of users and devices affect your broadband speed

Simply put, the more people or devices using the internet, the faster broadband speeds you’ll need.  But let’s look a little closer at why that is.  

What do we mean by ‘users’? 

A ‘user’ is anyone accessing the internet using a device. So, if you’re a family of 5, there could be 5 users online at the same time.  

What do we mean by ‘devices’? 

A ‘device’ is anything which is able to connect to the internet. Many devices are obvious – a mobile phone, tablet or PC will need an internet connection. However, there are some less obvious devices to also be aware of.  

Have a Ring doorbell? That’ll need to connect to your WiFi. The gaming console won’t get very far if it isn’t connected to your network. And your Smart Home heating systems all need WiFi access to be centrally controlled.  

If you imagine your broadband package like a pizza – every device that needs to be online will take a slice of that pizza. The more devices online at the same time, the smaller everyone’s slice is, until eventually, there’s no more to go around. That’s when you start to experience buffer bloat, lagging and slower speeds as the network struggles to ‘feed’ all the devices. However, if you take a larger broadband package with higher speeds, there’s more to go around.

How does your online activity affect your broadband speed?

Different online activities will need different broadband speeds to perform at their best.  

Basic activities 

Web browsing, checking emails, and scrolling social media are all basic online activities and won’t use much bandwidth.  

Moderate activities 

HD video streaming (such as Netflix, YouTube or Prime Video) requires a steady, consistent connection.  

Online games (like Fortnite, Call of Duty or Roblox) also need a steady broadband connection. And while they don’t use much data, they rely on low latency. Low latency means minimal delay in relaying data over the internet – low latency in gaming reduces lag and improves real-time responses. If you have higher broadband speeds, you’ll likely have a much better, more responsive gaming experience. 

Video calls also require a stable connection, namely a strong upload speed to send your video over the internet. Without this, you’ll experience dropped calls or freezing.  

High-use activities 

Large file downloads, such as many modern game downloads, will eat large amounts of bandwidth – potentially causing other less intensive activities, such as streaming, to suffer.  

4K streaming also uses a significant amount of bandwidth, requiring faster speeds than other standard streaming services.

How does your connection type affect your broadband speed?

When we install ultrafast broadband to your home, we connect a fibre optic cable all the way to your router. You can then choose between a wired or a wireless connection to deliver internet to your devices.  

A wireless connection (aka WiFi) is where the signal is sent from your router throughout your home, to devices that are WiFi enabled. However, WiFi speed can be affected by a number of factors, including the thickness of your internal walls, doors, other electrical objects in the home and even radiators. If your WiFi signal struggles to reach all the corners of your home, you can follow our tips to improve your WiFi signal here.  

A wired connection uses an ethernet cable to connect directly to your device. Because this provides a direct connection, this brings faster speed and the most stable connection possible.  

If you ever want to check your current speed, you can perform a broadband speed test online. You’ll get the best speed test results if you use an ethernet cable and you’ll see your current upload and download speed.

So, what broadband speed do I need?

If you’re only using the internet to browse online, check emails and social media, and don’t have multiple users or devices in the household, you’ll find Essential 150 fast enough for your needs.  

If you have any gamers in the home, and want to be able to stream your Netflix faves while they’re playing online, you’ll be better served with our Everyday 500, Family 1000 or Ultimate 5000 packages.   

Have someone working from home? You’ll also want to consider our Everyday 500, Family 1000 or Ultimate 5000 packages, especially if you have multiple people working from home or a lot of devices needing a broadband connection at the same time.  

And if you have a large household, with people working from home as well as streaming & gaming, our Ultimate 5000 package is the one for you, keeping everyone happily connected at the same time.  

Ready to take your broadband to the next level and get the speeds you need in your home with full-fibre? Use our availability checker to see if we’re in your area!