The first question is what do you use your broadband for? If you’re a couple, a family of five or a single person, all of your needs will be different. Do you work from home? Are you a gaming nut? Is Netfix a thing? Read on and we’ll explain how to decide.
Streaming films, TV programmes and watching catch up: For this you’ll need at least 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) for things like BBC iPlayer for standard streaming, or 2.8Mbps for HD quality. For Netflix, the minimum speed required is about 3Mbps for standard streaming and 5Mbps for HD. For Ultra HD you’ll need at least 15Mbps for YouTube, while it’s 25Mbps for Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You’ll also be able to stream music via Spotify, Amazon Music and Google Play.
Online gaming: If your Xbox is your life or you’re more of a Nintendo or PlayStation player, then this can take a heavy toll on your broadband speed. Make sure you have a fibreoptic option and that you have download speeds of at least 3 Mbps and then you’ll be able to play with the other 32.4 (ish) million gamers in the UK.
Working from home: With more of us working at home, the need for video calling services like Skype, Zoom and Facetime are being used for meetings and get togethers. Because your connection will be receiving and sending data at the same time, you’ll need to be aware of both your download and upload speeds which will need to be a minimum of 1.2 Mbps.
Decide what you’ll be using your broadband for and that’ll help you to choose the package that’s right for you.
