What broadband speed do you need?
What speed you need depends largely on which streaming service you’re looking to use. Watching catch-up TV for example has a very different speed requirement from downloading your favourite tunes or watching a movie in high definition (HD).
Broadband speed is usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Below are some of the speeds you’re likely to need to be able to stream certain services:
|
Service
|
Needed for non-HD
|
HD
|
Ultra HD
|
|
BBC iPlayer
|
1.5 Mbps
|
2.8 Mbps
|
Not available
|
|
Netflix
|
1.5 Mbps
|
5.0 Mbps
|
25Mbps
|
|
Amazon
|
0.9 Mbps
|
3.5 Mbps
|
15Mbps
|
|
Now TV
|
2.5 Mbps
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
Music is similar to TV and movies in that downloads come with varying qualities. For low quality music you may be able to stream with a speed of only 0.3 Mbps. However, to stream music at a good audio quality, a minimum of 1.5 Mbps is recommended.
For Skype streaming services, you need to be aware of both your download and upload speeds. This is because your connection is both receiving and sending data at the same time. Again, the broadband speed requirement depends on what service you are using, for example:
|
Type
|
Download
|
Upload
|
|
Video Call
|
300 kbps
|
300 kbps
|
|
Video Call (High quality)
|
500 kbps
|
500 kbps
|
|
Video Call (HD)
|
1.5 Mbps
|
1.5 Mbps
|
|
Group video (3 people)
|
2 Mbps
|
512 kbps
|
For all of these services, the speeds might not sound like a lot. Remember though, this is the minimum that the service requires to function. If more people are connected to your broadband, your speed will be shared across the household. The more people and more devices that are connected, the slower the speed you’ll see.