Understanding Internet Speeds: What You Need to Know

Jan 7 2022

What is a good internet speed? The best of speed and value

It’s the age of the internet: lightning-fast social media updates, non-stop notifications, music and video streaming, binge-watching, online gaming, and more recently, working from home. You simply can’t afford to be offline and stay disconnected, whether it’s just for a second or overnight. It takes reliable, high-speed internet to get you connected, so you never miss out on the latest, from work to play.

But not all internet connections are the same, and neither are users. A good internet speed means something different for everyone’s browsing, streaming, and productivity needs. Whether you’re just checking emails and refreshing your feeds, or you’re a power user who needs the highest internet speed for uninterrupted video calls, large file downloads, and online gaming, there’s a perfect internet plan made for you.

So, what’s a good internet connection for you? Discover the best of the highest internet speeds at every budget. Stay connected with reliable, high-speed, and unlimited internet, at the best value for your every dollar.

Get to Know Your Browsing, Streaming, and Productivity Habits

There’s a right speed for every user—and the highest may not always be the best. The best internet plan comes down to how you use your internet connection. Start by considering your everyday habits:

Is your internet plan for work or play, or a mix of both?
Are you streaming video in HD, and downloading high-resolution photos and large files?
Do you regularly play online games?
Are you just casually browsing, and checking emails and your social media feeds?
How many users will be sharing your internet connection—and how many devices will you be using?

What a Good Internet Connection Guarantees

If you’re using your internet connection for both work and play, streaming your favourite movies and shows, and online gaming, all on top of regular browsing and refreshing your feeds, you need a good internet speed. A reliable, high-speed connection ensures you’ll always be online, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest and never miss anything important, from work emails to game night. See what the highest internet speeds offer 24/7:

Consistent speeds for multiple users on multiple devices browsing and streaming simultaneously
No disconnection or buffering when streaming movies or shows, or joining video calls
No lags in online games
Instant sending and receiving of messages, emails, notifications, and more.

Is the highest internet speed always the best?

The answer is, it depends on your needs. If you’re just lightly browsing and streaming, you can get the best value for your budget from a good internet speed with unlimited data; for power users, getting the highest internet speed is definitely a must-have.

Wondering what’s a good internet speed that takes you seamlessly from work to play, without delays and disruptions? Here’s a quick guide to how much bandwidth you need for your regular internet habits:

30 Mbps: The basics of good internet speed—the most affordable and best for basic browsing and email
300 Mbps: The best of both work and play—stable for all day browsing, streaming, work-from-home and leisure
1000 Mbps: The highest internet speed for seamless content creation and gaming, plus uninterrupted browsing, streaming, work-from-home, and more.

Know Your Internet Speed: Download Speed vs. Upload Speed

When browsing internet plans, you‘ll find two different speeds in every tier: downloads and uploads. These two speeds determine how fast and reliable your connection is for specific activities, whether downloading or uploading.

Simply, download speeds refer to how fast data—files, websites, photos, music, movies, and more—are delivered to you over the internet. In contrast, upload speeds indicate how fast you can send or transfer data, such as posting a photo or sending an email.

Both speeds are important, yet you’ll find most internet plans offer faster download speeds than upload speeds. This is because most people at home tend to be on the receiving end of data, like reading articles, browsing photos, and streaming videos, rather than posting or uploading these online. Check out these examples of downloads and uploads to help find the right speeds for your needs:

Downloads

Browsing the internet
Downloading files, images, videos, and other content
Streaming shows, movies, podcasts, and music
Updating software
Checking your email and opening attachments.

Uploads

Attaching files to an email and sending it
Uploading files to cloud storage
Starting a livestream or video call
Uploading images and videos online.

Factors that Affect Your Internet Speed

The highest internet speed is everyone’s first consideration. After all, it determines how fast you can connect, start streaming, and keep up with messages and notifications. But did you know that speed alone isn’t the only factor in the quality of your internet connection? Here are other factors to consider when choosing a good internet plan:

Inside Your Home

Device: Is your computer or mobile device new and fast, or struggling to keep up with app updates and background refresh?
Modem: Is your modem built to handle the highest internet speeds? Check with your provider to make sure, and discover options for upgrading your modem to ensure optimal performance.
Wireless router distance: How close or far is your router located from your computer or where you’re browsing on a mobile device? Even your home’s floor plan, like the number of walls or storeys between you and the router can result in a weaker signal and connection.
Number of devices: How many devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network? Keep in mind that a good internet speed is as good as its ability to support a number of devices sharing the same bandwidth. Multiple devices on a lower-speed connection will slow down browsing and streaming for everyone, so you may want to consider upgrading to higher speeds.

Outside Your Home

Website traffic: Often, hundreds or thousands of other users like you are trying to access a website, affecting how quickly it loads even at the highest speeds.
Technical factors: Latency (the time it takes for data to travel) and packet loss (the number of data packets sent to or from your home internet connection that don’t reach their destination) can slow down your connection.
Location: Living in a highly populated city or region usually means faster speeds and access to advanced connections like fibre internet, in contrast to rural areas that tend to be farther from internet cables and infrastructure.
Time of day: Just like rush hour on the roads, there’s also traffic on the internet at certain times of the day, causing slower browsing speeds than usual.

Find the Highest Internet Speeds at Comwave

Looking for the fastest internet speeds? Find out what’s a good internet speed for all of your everyday needs, from all-day work-from-home to browsing and streaming. Discover the best internet speeds and bundles for your budget, only from Comwave.