50 Mbps vs 100 Mbps

[coolbreeze2]

I've had internet speed of 24 Mbps for a while and with it I usually get HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision when available. Because this speed barely qualifies for 4k streaming, I am ready to upgrade now that my ISP is offering faster speeds. Should I order 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps. About the most intense usage at my house would be 2 televisions streaming different content both using its own ATV 4k and a third television being used for live gaming. I'm thinking that 100 speed won't provide a noticeably better picture quality than the 50 speed. Am I correct?

 

[techwarrior]

Netflix claims 4K video requires a steady 15Mbps stream.

So, you may be fine with 50, maybe start there and if you find it inadequate, bump it up again

The picture quality won't be different with 100Mbps service, just more simultaneous streams possible within your service level. When bandwidth limits are reached, you would tend to see stuttering, frame freezing, etc.

 

[Juicy Box]

I recently made a post about people over paying for internet speeds that they don't need.

In your case, I think that 50 Mbps would be fine. I think 25Mbps is the upper end of 4K streaming requirements, so as long as it is just 2 streams going at the same time, you should be fine.

Another thought, I have access to 2 ISPs in my area, and I notice that both of them tend to have slightly higher speeds than what is advertised.

For example, I currently have FiOS 50Mbps downloads, and I typically get close to 60Mbps on both speedtest.net and fast.com

When I had Comcast a few months ago, my 25Mbps service was closer to 30Mbps.

My point is, that you will probably be fine with the 50Mbps speed, and if your service is like mine and gives you a little bit extra, maybe that will give you a little more peace of mind about choosing the cheaper plan.

 

[coolbreeze2]

Ok thank you all. I will try the 50 first.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Go with 50 to start.

Check your speed with fast.com, which actually uses Netflix's actual servers for the speed test. This should give you a realistic reading of what your speed is (as opposed to sites/apps like speedtest which ISPs know to prioritize and thus give a false reading).

 

[Tech198]

I've had internet speed of 24 Mbps for a while and with it I usually get HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision when available. Because this speed barely qualifies for 4k streaming, I am ready to upgrade now that my ISP is offering faster speeds. Should I order 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps. About the most intense usage at my house would be 2 televisions streaming different content both using its own ATV 4k and a third television being used for live gaming. I'm thinking that 100 speed won't provide a noticeably better picture quality than the 50 speed. Am I correct?

Good thing about Netflix, unlike iTunes when user must manage adjust, by default Netflix has "Auto" which *automatically* adjusts based on bandwidth.. But you can over-ride this "Medium" or "high" settings..

In that case, 50Mpbs should be enough for 1 screen, otherwise 100Mbps (or more)

This is all excluding other stuff u are using the same connection for.

 

[westrock2000]

Just be aware that ISP’s have been caught showing preference to speed test sites on several occasions. That way you get the best possible number.

 

[Juicy Box]

Just be aware that ISP’s have been caught showing preference to speed test sites on several occasions. That way you get the best possible number.

This was mentioned in a previous post.

Netflix was complaining about Verizon throttling them, so Netflix started Fast.com to show actual speeds from their servers.

I alway do both Fast.com and Speedtest.net, as Fast.com only tells you download speed, and not ping or upload.

In my experience since using Fast.com, the speeds tend to be similar.

This is from a few minutes ago:



[doublepost=1518279145][/doublepost]

 

[mellofello]

Anything above 50mbps for a standard household is overkill imo. Money is better spent building out your WiFi network to reach every cranny.

 

[Michelasso]

@coolbreeze2 For average usage 50Mbps should suffice, but I think iTunes 4k HDR videos go above 30Mbps (I have checked the HUD in a YouTube video comparing Dolby Vision from iTunes and UHD Blu Ray). So in case of two simultaneous iTunes 4K HDR streaming (if you use it) they may buffer.

Then I am not sure anymore (and I can't enable the HUD because it requires Xcode 9.3 beta with tvOS 11.3 beta), but I think I have seen Amazon Video (again, if you use it) going above 25Mbps.

But sure, if you can easily upgrade to 100 Mbps start with 50.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I have 52mbit fibre to home and stream 4k content without any buffering. 4k videos never downgrade their quality to 1080p or less.

While watching 4k we can stream on the iPad simontaniously and upload photos to iCloud with no issues.

Theoretical max speed matters but the ability of your line to hit the required speed and be reliable, are much more important.

I don't envision upgrading to 10mbit anytime soon.

Anything above 50mbps for a standard household is overkill imo. Money is better spent building out your WiFi network to reach every cranny.

100%

My 1.3Gbit TP Link powerline adapter ensures my network is bulletproof. I bought it two years ago and it's utterly fantastic. WiFi and ethernet are rocket fast and work reliably with no issues. Never have I had to mess with settings or channels.

http://www.tp-link.com/uk/products/details/cat-18_TL-WPA8630P-KIT.html


The PS4 and ATV are all hardwired go it.

 

[rmoliv]

My internet speed is (theoretically) 200 Mbps when ethernet's plugged in, wireless is obviously less but I regularly check and it's about 70 Mbps off-peak hours and about 30-40 Mbps during peak hours (usually evening) which is when sometimes the image stutters or completely freezes when I stream 4K HDR movies. I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

 

[Macalicious2011]

My internet speed is (theoretically) 200 Mbps when ethernet's plugged in, wireless is obviously less but I regularly check and it's about 70 Mbps off-peak hours and about 30-40 Mbps during peak hours (usually evening) which is when sometimes the image stutters or completely freezes when I stream 4K HDR movies. I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

I think you should complain to your ISP rather than upgrade.

 

[jav6454]

My internet speed is (theoretically) 200 Mbps when ethernet's plugged in, wireless is obviously less but I regularly check and it's about 70 Mbps off-peak hours and about 30-40 Mbps during peak hours (usually evening) which is when sometimes the image stutters or completely freezes when I stream 4K HDR movies. I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

Cable or Fiber?

 

[Juicy Box]

My internet speed is (theoretically) 200 Mbps when ethernet's plugged in, wireless is obviously less but I regularly check and it's about 70 Mbps off-peak hours and about 30-40 Mbps during peak hours (usually evening) which is when sometimes the image stutters or completely freezes when I stream 4K HDR movies.

This doesn't sound right to me. It shouldn't be that low.

Maybe there is something wrong with your Wifi network? I would check everything with that first. Maybe call the ISP to see what is going on. What is the speeds you been getting on your Ethernet connection?

I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

I not sure, but I think if you are having issues getting promised speed on your 200Mbps service, I doubt increasing it would work, maybe if it was something on the ISP side, and you are switching to a different one.

I bet it is a home network issue.

 

[mellofello]

My internet speed is (theoretically) 200 Mbps when ethernet's plugged in, wireless is obviously less but I regularly check and it's about 70 Mbps off-peak hours and about 30-40 Mbps during peak hours (usually evening) which is when sometimes the image stutters or completely freezes when I stream 4K HDR movies. I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

You will probably not see a huge difference upgrading maximum speed. More then 200mbps is pure marketing. I would try upgrading your router. If you can verify 200mbps with Ethernet, then theoretically you should be able to get the same wireless.

It is quite possible that you are just experiencing wireless interference. During the evening while everyone is using WiFi it will slow down.

What router do you use?

 

[thisismyusername]

After living with 1Gb/S internet for about a year now, it would be hard for me to go back to sub-50Mb/S. Being able to download a 50GB game in a few minutes without affecting any video streams going on in the house (and only paying $50/month) is glorious. Ordinary broadband internet feels like dial-up now.

I am going to upgrade to 1 Gbps.

Keep in mind that you need to start worrying about the throughput of your router when you start looking at internet speeds that fast. Lots of consumer grade routers can't handle 1Gb/S WAN<->LAN throughput (you can test it by putting a computer on either side of the router and using something like "iperf"). Heck, a lot of them can't even handle 100Mb/S. I built my own router when I upgraded my internet, however, it shouldn't be too hard to find a consumer grade router that can handle those speeds these days if it turns out yours isn't up to the task.

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/old-tools/charts/router/bar/74-wan-to-lan

More then 200mbps is pure marketing.

I routinely download large things at speeds close to 1Gb/S and so do lots of my friends and coworkers who have the same internet service as me. These are real world examples and not just what speedtest.net tells me.

 

[Juicy Box]

If you can verify 200mbps with Ethernet, then theoretically you should be able to get the same wireless.

Exactly!

Upgrading your internet won't fix your Wifi issue, unless you replace your network equipment with the upgrade.

 

[mmomega]

Anything above 50mbps for a standard household is overkill imo. Money is better spent building out your WiFi network to reach every cranny.

I agree with this complletely.

A lot of the all-in-one wifi routers that providers give you can really terrible terrible wifi output. Sometimes barely able to cover a 1 bedroom apartment with advertised speeds when you are actually getting your speed at the router thus making some people opt for paying for faster internet thinking it will make their wifi better.
This doesn't always work out better because sometimes a jump in internet service can be $30-$50 more going from one tier to the next.
This being a per month cost and even $30 times 12 months is an extra $360 per year when dropping $200 on a one time purchase of a better wifi router or mesh style network can net you a much better experience.

The best thing is there is an easy return policy on purchasing a new wifi router, hooking it up and trying it out for the weekend or a week to see if you notice better speeds and or coverage. If not then return it and you are not out any money.
ISP's can sometimes lock you in with contracts that only allow you to change once or twice every two years.

I would much rather put $200 on new network equipment and try it out than get locked in to a higher priced tier that does not fix the initial problem and end up paying triple the cost over the same amount of time.

say an extra $720, how many hours did you have to work to make that cash to throw at a problem that didn't get fixed.



example: I have 300Mbs at home and get 320-340Mbps on wifi and ethernet. So you can get better equipment that can give you ethernet connected speed over wifi.

 

[rmoliv]

Cable or Fiber?

Cable.

You will probably not see a huge difference upgrading maximum speed. More then 200mbps is pure marketing. I would try upgrading your router. If you can verify 200mbps with Ethernet, then theoretically you should be able to get the same wireless.

It is quite possible that you are just experiencing wireless interference. During the evening while everyone is using WiFi it will slow down.

What router do you use?

I live in a building (surrounded by other buildings) so it's most likely (huge) interference from my neighbors. Everybody's home in the evening, it's the busiest period. No ideia about the router or its specs, never cared to learn more about it. It belongs to my ISP.

Keep in mind that you need to start worrying about the throughput of your router when you start looking at internet speeds that fast. Lots of consumer grade routers can't handle 1Gb/S WAN<->LAN throughput (you can test it by putting a computer on either side of the router and using something like "iperf"). Heck, a lot of them can't even handle 100Mb/S. I built my own router when I upgraded my internet, however, it shouldn't be too hard to find a consumer grade router that can handle those speeds these days if it turns out yours isn't up to the task.

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/old-tools/charts/router/bar/74-wan-to-lan

That's far too technical for my brains to process. All I know is that they'd change the router I currently have in case I upgraded from 200 Mbps to 1 Gbps, so I'm guessing the new router has some sort of upgrade/improvement that enables it to handle that speed.

Exactly!

Upgrading your internet won't fix your Wifi issue, unless you replace your network equipment with the upgrade.

As I said above, they'd replace it for a new model that handles 1 Gbps.

By the way, since I have no laptop anymore I can't do the speedtest directly connected to the router via Ethernet. The router is in a different room. Well, I could take the iMac there but I'm not in the mood now.

 

[jav6454]

Cable.

Cable, once staurated beyond the capacity of the main lines, is very unreliable in terms of speed.

 

[Juicy Box]

As I said above, they'd replace it for a new model that handles 1 Gbps.

By the way, since I have no laptop anymore I can't do the speedtest directly connected to the router via Ethernet. The router is in a different room. Well, I could take the iMac there but I'm not in the mood now.

So, you are using their wireless router? How much is the Gigabit service? You should try your own router before upgrading your service, assuming that the service is expensive.

You might find that their router sucks, and buying one of your own would be a one-time cost that could save you a lot of money in the long run when compared to the upgraded internet.

 

[IvanEd747]

Netflix claims 4K video requires a steady 15Mbps stream.

So, you may be fine with 50, maybe start there and if you find it inadequate, bump it up again

The picture quality won't be different with 100Mbps service, just more simultaneous streams possible within your service level. When bandwidth limits are reached, you would tend to see stuttering, frame freezing, etc.

This. ALWAYS start with the cheaper plan. They will always be happy to upgrade you, but they will never let you downgrade.

 

[Juicy Box]

This. ALWAYS start with the cheaper plan. They will always be happy to upgrade you, but they will never let you downgrade.

I agree.

I know that there is many people out there over paying for bandwidth that they do not need.

A friend of mine, living by himself was paying $90 a month for 400Mbps internet. He was really proud about it too.

I asked him what he did with it, he basically said Netflix, YouTube, and playing WoW. I didn't want to get him mad, but I did tell him that he probably didn't need the 400Mbps plan.

And I hear stories like this all the time.

 

[rmoliv]

So, you are using their wireless router? How much is the Gigabit service? You should try your own router before upgrading your service, assuming that the service is expensive.

You might find that their router sucks, and buying one of your own would be a one-time cost that could save you a lot of money in the long run when compared to the upgraded internet.

I am. The Gigabit service is about €90 (includes TV+Phone) which in U.S. dollars would be about $110. I don't think it's expensive but I just checked the router and apparently it sucks. It's single-band, MIMO 2x2 whereas the router I'd get in case I upgraded to 1 Gbps is dual-band, MIMO 3x3 and has some other technologies such as beamforming and whatnot. Maybe I should buy a router and use the one I have as a bridge?