Internet speed is one of the most important factors while going for purchasing internet service. Firstly we check the price of the internet plans and then the very next thing we consider is the speed when subscribing to an internet service. Internet speed requirement among people mostly varies according to usage.

For instance, if you just want to use the internet for regular browsing and emails then you a 10 Mbps internet connection will be fast for you. On the other hand, a 100 Mbps internet speed may not be fast enough for those who want to use the internet for online gaming, 4k video streaming, and heavy file downloading.

Most of you out there always get confused when it comes to the speed of the internet while subscribing to a new internet service. The main reason behind the confusion is that we don’t usually keep track of our data usage and also we always want to have high-speed internet although we don’t need a high-speed internet depending on our activities. So, it is very important to know about the classifications of internet speed to get the most out of our internet service without spending extra money for the speed that we don’t even require.

Measurement of Internet Speed

Most of us know how internet speed is measured. It is normally measured by checking the download and upload speed which means how much data can be downloaded or uploaded per second. Though it looks that simple and we all think that we know it, but the reality is we don’t have a clear idea about the internet speed.

There are several terms or units we heard about the internet speed such a bps, kbps, Mbps, Gbps, MB, GB, MBps, and GBps. These terms or units can create so much confusion while shopping for internet service. Below we will clear these terms by comparing them with each other so that you don’t get confused in future.

Bps vs. Kbps

Bps: stands for bits per second and here bit is denoted as either zero or one which is known as a binary format in the language of the computer. Data transmission through the internet is sent in bits or bytes. The time one bit or bytes takes to reach from sender to receiver is measured in seconds.

On the other hand, Kbps stands for kilobits per second and here kilo means 1,000 bits. Kbps is faster than bps.

Mbps vs. Gbps

Nowadays, we don’t see that internet speed is measured in Kbps because technology is more advanced than before. Which is why internet speed is now measured using Mbps and Gbps.

Mbps: stands for Megabit per second and one megabit is equal to 1 million bits per second which are way faster than kbps. The range of speed in Mbps is counted from 1 Mbps to 1000+ Mbps by the ISPs.

Gbps: is the latest high-speed internet that is introduced by the ISPs recently and till now it is the fastest internet speed that you can get from any ISP. Most of the ISPs provide Gbps speed with a good amount of price range. Gbps stands for Gigabit per second and one Gigabit is equivalent to 1 billion bits per second. So, you can imagine how fast a Gigabit internet speed can be.

MB vs. GB

These two terms are always confusion to the non-techy peoples. Let’s clear the confusion –

MB: stands for MegaByte and one MegaByte or MB is equal to 1 million bytes of data. MB is not referred to any type of speed it is the size of any file or data such as an mp3 file size is measured in MB.

GB: stands for GigaByte and one GigaByte is equal to 1 billion bytes of data. In the internet, GB is used as the data caps which is used by a few internet service providers to limit the monthly data usage.

Types of Internet Connection

There are five types of internet connection provided by internet service providers. Different types of connection type offer different bandwidth and speed. So, you need to know the type of internet connection types to learn more about internet speed. If you don’t know the type of internet connection you are using then you can contact your service provider and they will let you know.

So, let’s gather the basic knowledge about the types of internet speed connections.

Dial-up Connection

It is not a broadband internet service that is why it is not very fast like other internet connections and also the bandwidth of this internet connection is limited. Dial-up internet connections provide internet access to your computer through a modem. In a dial-up internet connection, you will be provided with a few phone numbers which your computer will dial to get connected with the network that will give access to the internet.

Dial-up connections are for rural areas where broadband services are not available.

Satellite Connection

Satellite connection provides internet through a transmitter and a satellite dish antenna. This internet type delivers internet wirelessly, but you will still need cables to transmit the signals from the receiver. Satellite internet connection speed is a thousand times better than dial-up internet and it also has some additional features.

As this internet connection provides internet using satellite, it will be the best option for rural areas. If you live in a remote or rural area where you don’t have any broadband connection then you can easily get a satellite connection to enjoy high-speed internet.

The bad news of satellite internet is that the speed may get low during bad weather and latency is also another bad sector.

DSL Connection

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line and it is one of the popular connection types that is used by most of the ISPs. This connection type is like the dial-up internet, but it can provide broadband internet service. In terms of stability and speed, it is better than satellite and dial-up internet. It is widely available in the whole United States.

Cable Connection

Like the Cable TV services, the same cable is used in this type of internet connection to deliver internet connections. This is a broadband-capable internet connection which can provide high-speed internet. You will get this internet connection from your current cable TV service provider. Most of the internet service providers also provide cable connection. Both the DSL and Cable are the same in terms of speed, but in some areas, the cable connection can deliver more speed than a DSL connection.

Fiber-optic Connection

If you are looking for an extremely fast internet speed then you must get a fiber-optic internet connection. This type uses fiber-optic cables to provide internet connection and these cables can transmit a huge amount of data very quickly. This is the fastest internet technology that you will get from several ISPs.

But, the fiber-optic cable internet is not widely available because of the high cost of creating the network infrastructure. Undoubtedly it is the fastest internet connection compared to other internet connections.

How Much Internet Speed Do You Need?

Internet speed depends on the usage of yours. But, most of the times we don’t know how much internet speed we actually need. Below we’ve listed several internet speeds based on the usage and from this list, we hope that you will know the internet speed requirements of yours.

For just surfing on the web and checking emails you can go with speed around 1-5 Mbps

For video conferencing and HD video streaming on YouTube you should get speed from 10-40 Mbps

You can get internet speed around 40-100 Mbps for video streaming on YouTube and Netflix on multiple devices at a time.

For frequent downloading of large files, 4k streaming, online gaming, and also to use on multiple devices you should get internet speed around 100- 1000 Mbps.

What is Good & Fast Internet Speed?

Internet speed around 25 Mbps or more than 25 Mbps is considered as good internet speed. With a good internet speed, you should be able to play online games, stream HD, and can also be used in multiple devices without compromising speed.

When it comes to the fast internet speed then the speed should be minimum 100 Mbps. The gigabit internet service is the fastest internet speed currently which can provide speed up to 1Gbps. Though this type of fast internet speed is not required for most of us, it is great for techy persons, online gamers, and streamers.

What is Slow Internet Speed?

According to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), anything below 25 Mbps is considered to be a slow internet speed in terms of broadband internet. With a slow internet speed, you won’t be able to enjoy a lag-free online game or HD streaming. Moreover, if you connect multiple devices and use all the devices at the same time then you may get slower speed.

Bottom Line

In this above article, we tried to cover everything about the internet speed classification so that the speed-related matters don’t confuse you anymore. We all can see how the technology is advancing so as the contents of the internet, that’s why we should keep updating our internet speed as well as the connection type to cope up with the speed.