What is considered a good internet speed in Australia

Traditionally an internet connection was mainly for sending and receiving mails or streaming online content. But that’s in the past, as most people now rely on the internet to control virtually everything in their smart homes. 

For most families today, it is no longer a question of if they need an internet connection for the home but the quality of the internet connection. So what should be a good internet speed for your home? 

The Ideal Internet Speed in Australia?

There isn’t a single answer for a good internet speed because every home’s usage and reliance on the internet varies. What may be ideal for one home may not be for the other based on underlying factors such as what the homeowner intends to use their internet for, the number of gadgets in the home, and their budget. 

The government of Australia’s expectation for NBN providers is 25 Mbps or higher. While such internet speeds allow you to download, stream, or upload content easily, the internet speed may become slower, especially during peak hours. You may also experience lower speeds if you have multiple users in your household who engage in an activity that demands high speeds, such as streaming movies. 

As a rule of thumb, you need to ensure you always allocate every device you intend to use in your household its own bandwidth based on its usage, and the total will show you the most suitable speed for your needs. Under most circumstances, 50 Mbps should be ideal for one homestead. 

Recommended Speeds Based On Use

Surfing the Web

If you intend to use your internet to surf the web, you may not need so much in terms of speed. Typically a webpage requires 1MB at most to open. This means that literally, any plan will be sufficient. But nobody uses the internet for surfing the web only. 

So you will need a connection that can handle more than opening a web page. The problem with getting slow-speed plans is that it will limit you whenever you intend to engage in a data-intensive activity via the internet.

Streaming Video Content

If your internet usage involves streaming or video conferencing, you will need a connection with relatively high speeds. Also, the speeds will depend on the number of devices streaming videos simultaneously and the definition of the video content. 

According to Netflix, the lowest speed to stream video on the platform is 0.5 Mbps meaning that every NBN plan will be adequate. But 0.5 Mbps is only possible with the least video quality, and you may not like it. 

If you intend to stream content in 4k, you will need 25 Mbps. So you can do your maths based on the number of streaming devices in your household and other uses to determine your ideal internet speeds.

Gaming

Like streaming, the quality of the gaming experience will determine the speeds you will need to play a game online. The basic minimums for gaming require a connection with nothing less than 1 Mbps upload speed and 3 Mbps download speeds. 

But if you are looking for a real smooth gaming experience, you will be good with a 25 Mbps NBN connection. 

Finding the Right Internet Provider in Australia

While the internet speeds will depend on your home usage, the quality of your connection will depend on the provider you choose. Unfortunately, getting a provider that can deliver what they promise in the sea of hundreds of providers can be overwhelming. 

But you do not have to do trial and error when choosing a provider. With an online comparison tool like Iselect, you can rest assured they will do the hard work of eliminating unreliable providers so you can compare internet providers from their list of the most reliable options.