Some providers, like Virgin Media, offer much faster fibre broadband connections that go right up to 1000Mbps. This type of broadband deal will typically offer speed between 30-60Mbps. The more people that use your broadband connection at any one time, the more bandwidth (speed) you’ll need, especially if you’re streaming movies or downloading and using apps and games separately.įor a household of 3-4 people, an entry level fibre-optic broadband package is usually a sensible choice – as long as nobody owns a 4K TV and streams in 4K UHD resolution, works regularly from home, or downloads games or large documents. In a large household, while you may sit down and enjoy streamed movies and TV together on occasion, it’s likely that at least some of the time, you’ll be in different parts of the house doing your own thing online. If you're unsure about what broadband speed you need, click on the button below and we'll help you choose the right broadband for you. On the flip side, if your broadband speed is faster than you need, you’ll end up paying more than you should. These will be worse when everyone tries to get online at the same time. If it isn’t fast enough for the number of people you live with, and the things you do online, you’re likely to experience irritating delays and connection issues. The speed of your home broadband is important. What many people struggle with is how to apply average broadband speeds to the needs of their household, so they can choose a broadband deal with an internet speed that is right for their requirements. Broadband usersīroadband speed is measured in ‘megabits’, and most of us understand that the higher the speed, the faster you can download files and the higher quality your streaming content will be. Double this to 20Mbps for each user if they're streaming 4K content or gaming. Is 10Mbps enough? What about 50? Or 500?Īs a general rule, you'll need 10Mbps per broadband user. Though most of us understand the more the megabits the faster the broadband, few of us comprehend how that applies to our household.

In the world of broadband, megabits are abstract.

What is the average download speed