To claim that the Internet revolutionized every imaginable domain on Earth is an understatement. Approximately 5.2 billion internet users worldwide in 2023 can’t be wrong, can they?
Countless professions, institutions, communication, banking, and financial sectors have moved online for faster and infinitely more efficient administration. Thus, having a fast internet speed is crucial not only because we can post on Instagram quicker but, in many cases, our livelihood depends on it. So, hang onto your hats, and discover everything there is to know about what is a good internet speed and how to check internet speed at home!
Table of contents
- What is the Internet good for?
- How does Internet speed work?
- What is the relation between internet speed and bandwidth?
- Why do we need an even faster Internet speed?
- What is a good internet speed?
- How to check internet speed at home?
What is the Internet good for?
Lining up all of the Internet’s perks is almost impossible. We use personal computers to communicate with each other over long distances. The Internet enables users to use computers to collect information and data from widespread sources. Moreover, it has the power to create online communities that are often as genuine as real ones. Not only have people moved online, but so have assets and properties in the form of digital real estate.
Due to the world wide web, we must re-think the conventional boundaries of our existence! What we used to control has ended up controlling us. No wonder everybody panics as the Internet slows down or fails to connect. And we haven’t mentioned our greatest master and “slaveholder,” the trendy smartphone, which perfectly captures all the advantages the Internet can bring us. And we can’t resist five minutes without checking it.
What are the most notable perks of the Internet?
The largest network of PCs is a vast labyrinth of information facilitating quick access to data and information on various topics wherever we are. Thus, we can get updates, for instance, on real estate market trends in 2023 to help us bring an intelligent decision on excellent property investment opportunities. As such, the Internet is a vital source of earning revenue.
Undeniably, the Internet is a cornerstone in the evolution of technology. Without the digital world, we can’t imagine that such rapid technological growth could ever have taken place. It goes without saying that technological development has its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to its effect on humankind. However, continued education and keeping up with the latest achievements can counterbalance the damaging effects of technology on our brain activity.
From educational resources to video games, there’s nothing the Internet can’t deliver!
And thusly, we arrived at our next essential advantage of the Internet, a spectacular facilitator of knowledge and learning skills. Since textbooks, materials, interactive manuals, and engaging audio and visual aids have moved online, no one can complain that they don’t have the necessary resources to learn a new language, math, or play the guitar.
Banking transactions, online payments, shopping, streaming videos, films and music, and video games don’t do justice to the many advantages of the Internet. The world wide web saves us a lot of time and energy by bringing the whole world to our fingertips.
How does Internet speed work?
So, now that we established that Internet provides the means of communication, information exchange, a seemingly endless source of data, entertainment, and education, let’s see why the Internet speed is so decisive!
We measure Internet speed using bits known as megabits per second (Mbs.) Imagine a small piece of data corresponding to emails, text messages, emojis, audio files, and videos the web sends to your device. However, files can vary in size. The bigger the file, the more bits of data it contains. Data transferring in megabits defines the speed these bits of data are transmitted or delivered.
What is the relation between internet speed and bandwidth?
Every Internet user has subscribed to a plan. An Internet plan assigns an amount of Mbs or the total volume of data that can be delivered to your devices. Note that the data volume defines your Internet bandwidth. Suppose your bandwidth is only one Mbs. In this case, your PC or phone can receive up to one megabit per second.
What happens if you wish to download a five-megabit picture with this one Mbs bandwidth? Then, you’ll have to wait roughly five seconds to open your downloaded file.
A good Internet plan is like a non-busy highway.
Picture a multilane roadway or a busy highway, and you’ll be closer to an actual bandwidth! The more bandwidth your Internet plan has, the more lanes the information can drive side-by-side without causing traffic congestion or delay in data delivery. Under such circumstances, a 5 Mbs Internet plan has more bandwidth that enables you to receive a file in just one second instead of five seconds (that the one Mbs plan enables.) In other words, your Internet speed and connection will definitely become faster.
Benefitting from more bandwidth means data arrives faster because it spreads across various lanes. Nonetheless, it would be best if you also considered the rush hour. Internet plans will quickly mention that traffic peaks between 7 pm and 11 pm because regular users will sit in front of their computers during these hours. As a result, your bandwidth may experience congestion of various degrees.
Your Internet speed depends on your modem.
How you connect to your modem (a device connecting your Internet provider with your home network or your local area network, LAN) can also impact your Internet speed.
Suppose you’re using Wi-Fi because, let’s face it, too many cables lying around in your home can be a nuisance. Then, obstacles like brick walls (even if brick lends a rustic and modern look to your interior) can trigger signal stoppages between your devices and modem. The solution comes quickly in the form of a wired ethernet connection.
Why do we need an even faster Internet speed?
Gone are the days of one person using the Internet to browse information. In 2023, a modern household and a family of four will connect to the Internet from multiple devices simultaneously.
- Father wants to stream a good movie on Apple+ or Netflix or watch an NFL match on Hulu.
- The mother intends to work out and follow fitness videos on YouTube.
- The teenage girl posts cat videos and comments on relationship statuses on the trendiest social media platforms,
- And let’s not forget the youngest rascal dying to play video games online.
It would help if you had an excellent Internet plan, large bandwidth, and a better-than-average Internet speed to support all these demands simultaneously. Beware, though; the Internet, if uncontrolled, resembles a big home affecting family ties. Furthermore, unhindered access to the Internet and technology can negatively influence our brain abilities.
What is a good internet speed?
Several internet providers dazzle us with gigabit speeds instead of 150 Mbs at hefty prices. But do we need such great internet speed? What is a good internet speed, anyway? Let’s jump at statistics, shall we?
Farinternetreport reported that the average Internet speed was 196 Mbs in the United States as of March 2023, while the median Internet speed was 117 Mbs. Globally, the median broadband internet speed was 32.13Mbps, and the average Internet speed was 216,56 Mbs (as of September 2022.)
In the windy city of Chicago, Illinois, Argyle, New York, and the Big D Dallas, Texas, users know what is good internet speed because they enjoy the fastest Internet speed in the entire States.
You might be interested in the US’s best and fastest internet speed providers. Let’s have a look at them right here! Frontier (up to 5,708 Mbps,) CenturyLink (5,018 Mbs,) and At &T (4,724 Mbs) were reported to provide the fastest broadband speed with cutting-edge fiber-optic service.
On the other hand, Xfinity and Google Fiber were the two most famous American Internet providers.
Choose the right plan based on your Internet speed requirements!
A 20 Mbs median Internet speed should be enough for a single-person household without gaming requirements and streaming content in 4K. Suppose you only use the Internet for checking emails, browsing, or checking your newsfeed on social media. In that case, a 10 MBs plan should be more than enough for you, while anything more would be a household expense you can do without. However, if you enjoy watching films and streaming content online, we recommend you subscribe to a plan with 30 Mbs.
But what happens if you are more than one person living under the same roof? Then, you’ll need more bandwidth and a faster Internet speed! For instance, social media requires 1 Mbs, streaming music 5 Mbs, streaming 4K content 25 Mbs, video calling 6 Mbs, and online gaming 6 Mbs. Note you must calculate how many people use the Internet first, then for what purposes. Next, calculate the daily and monthly bandwidth and speed requirements! Finally, you can decide which plan you go all in for!
How to check internet speed at home?
There are numerous places where you can test your Internet speed. Sometimes, you must check your Internet connections and download and upload speeds to ensure your network functions correctly. To find out how to check internet speed at home, you must resort to the best internet speed test! And the best internet speed test can double-check whether you receive the advertised rates your Internet service provider granted.
Google features one of the best Internet speed tests: the Fiber test speed. If you’re not convinced, you can type in “speed test” on your Google search page and find Ookla, Cox Internet Speed Test, Speedchack, etc. The less-than-thirty-second test checks your download speed first, followed by your upload speed. If your upload test is lousy, you won’t be able to upload videos on the web as fast as you’d like, which can be a bummer if your livelihood depends on, for instance, real estate video marketing.
In addition to your speed, the best Internet speed test will show the so-called latency (your server’s response time) and server location. Your broadband speed test often sends feedback on how well your connection can perform particular tasks, such as 4K content streaming or High-definition videos.
Conclusion
The Internet has become indispensable in our daily routine, work, and various activities. For this reason, it’s crucial to know what is good internet speed, how much bandwidth and speed you require, and, subsequently, which plan you should choose. In establishing these parameters, you must find out how to check your internet speed at home. The best internet speed tests for iOS and Android devices, such as Meteor from OpenSignal and SpeedTest Master, will assist you in determining whether your preferred smart home gadgets using the Internet and Wi-Fi can carry out the tasks you wish.
We can’t imagine our lives without the Internet; that’s a fact. However, everybody will agree that disconnecting from the web and remaining off the grid is one of the critical conditions for keeping our mental health in great shape.
What is a good internet speed, in your opinion? What do you do when you wish to discover how to check internet speed at home? Our comment section below is open for discussion! Please, smash the big thumbs-up button and share this piece with your friends online! And, as always, come back for more revealing entries on technological advancements and their impact on our lives!
