Internet speed guides

Start with the task you want to solve: choose a connection, reduce buffering, understand a download rate or diagnose a bottleneck. These guides explain the assumptions behind the numbers and link to calculators for your own files and connection.

What each guide covers

What internet speed do I need

Count the people and devices that will be online at the same time, list the streams and calls that must run together, and use that total to choose a tier. This guide helps you avoid paying for speed you will not use, and avoids picking a tier that stalls when everyone is home.

Internet speed for gaming

Gaming needs low ping more than raw bandwidth for play itself, while downloads and patches need bandwidth. This guide separates the two, and covers wired connections, Wi-Fi placement, and why a fast plan can still feel slow in a game.

Internet speed for streaming

One HD stream and one 4K stream need very different sustained speeds, and the total grows with every TV in use. This guide shows how to add streams together, and how to tell buffering caused by Wi-Fi apart from buffering caused by the plan.

Mbps vs MB/s

Providers sell megabits per second, while browsers and download managers show megabytes per second. Divide megabits by 8 to get megabytes, so 100 Mbps is 12.5 MB/s before overhead. This guide works through that conversion with real file examples.

Why is my download speed so slow

Work through the checks in order: wired versus Wi-Fi, background updates, server limits, drive space, and peak time congestion. This guide helps you find whether the limit is your plan, your network, or the source you are downloading from.