I too struggle with this. I mean 10 Gbps is technically fascinating and all, but what is a realistic use case for such speed in a typical household? A 4K movie file would download in under a minute, but so what? Is a 10-minute download time really a killer? I can imagine commercial users (e.g., video production houses slinging around massive files between locations) benefiting from this, but households--not so much. Happy to hear perspectives from others if I'm missing something.
I have 5Gbps fiber connection from AT&T at my home. At this point, the limitation is more from source/CDN not being able to "feed" fast enough to saturate my 5Gbps connection. As more cloud/server stuff is upgraded, we will indeed see faster downloads, but most CDNs struggle to saturate even 1Gbps.I too struggle with this. I mean 10 Gbps is technically fascinating and all, but what is a realistic use case for such speed in a typical household? A 4K movie file would download in under a minute, but so what? Is a 10-minute download time really a killer? I can imagine commercial users (e.g., video production houses slinging around massive files between locations) benefiting from this, but households--not so much. Happy to hear perspectives from others if I'm missing something.
Maybe if you are talking to an ISP sales person when they are trying to upsell you on Gigabit service, but otherwise, multiple 4K streams so not come close to 1Gbps, and would be a drop in the bucket for 10Gbps.Think of it like this if 3 family members watching 4K series each on his own, you need lots of bandwidth.
I have no doubt that more bandwidth will be utilized in the future, but I think that too often techies overestimate how much we will use and how soon in the future those higher speeds will be needed.As more things gets connected to the internet, I will have to say, YES WE DO. Who knows what else will constantly use the internet from TVs to fridges to phones to medical equipment. As files get bigger and more appliances use it, bring the fastest you can.
If it is Netflix, you can get this done with about 50Mbps service. The high end of Netflix 4K HDR streams maxes out at 17.5 Mbps, but most 4K HDR is variable bitrate and much lower than that.Think of it like this if 3 family members watching 4K series each on his own
I have 5Gbps fiber connection from AT&T at my home. At this point, the limitation is more from source/CDN not being able to "feed" fast enough to saturate my 5Gbps connection. As more cloud/server stuff is upgraded, we will indeed see faster downloads, but most CDNs struggle to saturate even 1Gbps.
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Maybe if you are talking to an ISP sales person when they are trying to upsell you on Gigabit service, but otherwise, multiple 4K streams so not come close to 1Gbps, and would be a drop in the bucket for 10Gbps.
How bout you think of it this way, this is how many simultaneous Netflix streams you can get from 1Gbps service:
Over 600 480p streams
Over 250 1080p streams
Over 50 4K HDR streams
This is what it would be for 10Gbps:
Over 6000 simultaneous 480p streams
Over 2500 simultaneous 1080p streams
Over 500 simultaneous 4K HDR streams
Do you know anyone that streams 500 different devices at the same time?
I know "lots" is a relative and subjective term, but when replying to a post about the lack of use cases for 10Gbps service in a residential setting, I can only assume you are saying that 10Gbps can be useful in the near future.
I have no doubt that more bandwidth will be utilized in the future, but I think that too often techies overestimate how much we will use and how soon in the future those higher speeds will be needed.
Over the past 10 years, ISPs in my area have been pushing 1Gbit service, with a bunch of lies to sell it.
They ask questions like, "do you have multiple people in your home that stream movies at the same time?", or "how many devices to you have connected to the internet at the same time?", as if either one of them have much to do with 1Gbps service.
One of my favorite questions was always "does anyone in your home play video games online?", as if this alone means that you need 1Gbit service.
Interesing note: You can actually play WoW using a dial up connection in 2022. The latency is horrible, but it is still playable.
I know people that were paying for Gigabit service that used it for only 1080p Netflix streams and to get on apps like Facebook.
IMO, 1Gbps service is overkill for most families, and probably will still be for a long time to come.
If it is Netflix, you can get this done with about 50Mbps service. The high end of Netflix 4K HDR streams maxes out at 17.5 Mbps, but most 4K HDR is variable bitrate and much lower than that.
Now, if you are talking about some other services, such as ATV+, you will need more bandthwidth, but not anywhere close to 1Gbps or 10Gbps.
There are definitely use cases for 1Gbps and even 10Gbps service, but the huge majority of people would hardly ever utilize such download speeds.True on all that, though there are some legitimate uses for it.
There are definitely use cases for 1Gbps and even 10Gbps service, but the huge majority of people would hardly ever utilize such download speeds.
One common use case for 1Gbps service, specifically with cable ISPs is getting the higher tier service for the upload speeds.
The example you have about Apple and iTunes, Apple has very fast servers that can take advantage of a user's higher bandwidth, but this is not common for most servers.
Even with Apple, yeah, you can download the content, updates, etc. faster, but having a slower speed probably won't have that much of an impact unless you are doing a bunch of downloading from Apple.
Yeah, but the ratio gets worse the higher you go. For example, from what I’ve seen, most plans up to 100 Mbps download advertise 10 Mbps upload, 250 to 500 Mbps plans are typically 20 Mbps upload, and 900+Mbps plans 30 Mbps.One common use case for 1Gbps service, specifically with cable ISPs is getting the higher tier service for the upload speeds.
An obvious example for me are the Xbox-related servers. Granted, it could be geographical distance, nonetheless, maintaining downloads speeds >50Mbps is extremely rare.The example you have about Apple and iTunes, Apple has very fast servers that can take advantage of a user's higher bandwidth, but this is not common for most servers.
Very much so.There is also the issue that unmles you have fiber, you are sharing your connection with other houses. 1GB in reality is only 600-700mb, unless its like 3AM.
Ugh. The common plans here (NZ) are 300/100 and 1000/500. Symmetrical plans up to 8000/8000 are readily available, but they're not cheap.Yeah, but the ratio gets worse the higher you go. For example, from what I’ve seen, most plans up to 100 Mbps download advertise 10 Mbps upload, 250 to 500 Mbps plans are typically 20 Mbps upload, and 900+Mbps plans 30 Mbps.
Ugh. The common plans here (NZ) are 300/100 and 1000/500. Symmetrical plans up to 8000/8000 are readily available, but they're not cheap.
The 300/100 would seemingly be a solid choice for most as long as it’s (semi-)affordable. Symmetrical (fiber) offerings do exist but, from my research, I would not describe it as "readily available."Ugh. The common plans here (NZ) are 300/100 and 1000/500. Symmetrical plans up to 8000/8000 are readily available, but they're not cheap.
The 300/100 would seemingly be a solid choice for most as long as it’s (semi-)affordable. From my research, I do not foresee US ISPs investing in that level/ratio of infrastructure.
Around 275-300 NZD (180-195 USD) per month.
There was quite a fight here to get everything started, with the government subsidising the initial 'metro'The 300/100 would seemingly be a solid choice for most as long as it’s (semi-)affordable. From my research, I do not foresee US ISPs investing in that level/ratio of infrastructure.
No one will need 10 GBPS internet for years.
You can have 10 gigabit switches I think, but they aren’t really for home use,
And if people say you need it for downloading, downloading what exactly?
but what is a realistic use case for such speed in a typical household?
I too struggle with this. I mean 10 Gbps is technically fascinating and all, but what is a realistic use case for such speed in a typical household? A 4K movie file would download in under a minute, but so what? Is a 10-minute download time really a killer? I can imagine commercial users (e.g., video production houses slinging around massive files between locations) benefiting from this, but households--not so much. Happy to hear perspectives from others if I'm missing something.
There is also the issue that unmles you have fiber, you are sharing your connection with other houses. 1GB in reality is only 600-700mb, unless its like 3AM.
In the US, Cable ISPs have been taking advantage of the US consumer for years, and years.Yeah, but the ratio gets worse the higher you go. For example, from what I’ve seen, most plans up to 100 Mbps download advertise 10 Mbps upload, 250 to 500 Mbps plans are typically 20 Mbps upload, and 900+Mbps plans 30 Mbps.
Where I live, Comcast offers the following ratios:Yeah, but the ratio gets worse the higher you go.
Your right especially Comcast and Cox Cable with raises prices ever few years.
Sorry, the math just doesn't work for me with this scenario. 4K streams run at about 14 GB/hr or so at most, so even if a household was streaming five 4K movies simultaneously, the bandwidth required would be under 200 Mbps...well within current broadband capability. My point was that I just don't see the need for so much broadband capacity for a typical household.As more things gets connected to the internet, I will have to say, YES WE DO. Who knows what else will constantly use the internet from TVs to fridges to phones to medical equipment. As files get bigger and more appliances use it, bring the fastest you can. Think of it like this if 3 family members watching 4K series each on his own, you need lots of bandwidth.
Right, but I was talking about broadband speed, not internal networks. I completely understand why one would want a 10 Gbps internal network if one routinely moves large files around, say between clients and a NAS or server. I suppose the equivalent broadband need would be if one routinely moves large files to and from the cloud, but I don't think this is a real use case for most households.Intranet transfers.
See Post #60.
I recently switched to Verizon’s 5G Home service and the experience is not bad — a concept in the correct direction, at least I think.My hope is that with 5G Fixed Wireless Access, expanding fiber, and Starlink, Cable ISPs start feeling the competition, and increase the value of their offered services.
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5G FWA isn't available at my home, so my only other option is Starlink. I am thinking about trying Starlink for a while, just to see how it is. Trouble with that is the expensive upfront cost and there is a waiting list. Not only that, but the upload speeds might be worse than the Gigabit plan from Comcast, and I am sure the Latency will increase some.
Verizon said:Download speeds of 85 - 300 Mbps. Typical upload speeds around 10 Mbps.
Sorry, the math just doesn't work for me with this scenario. 4K streams run at about 14 GB/hr or so at most, so even if a household was streaming five 4K movies simultaneously, the bandwidth required would be under 200 Mbps...well within current broadband capability. My point was that I just don't see the need for so much broadband capacity for a typical household.
Right, but I was talking about broadband speed, not internal networks. I completely understand why one would want a 10 Gbps internal network if one routinely moves large files around, say between clients and a NAS or server. I suppose the equivalent broadband need would be if one routinely moves large files to and from the cloud, but I don't think this is a real use case for most households.