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How much internet speed (Mbps) do I need?

By Roof & Router Team. Updated October 15, 2026.

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How much internet speed do I need? Quick answer by household

The FCC defines broadband as 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. Most homes do not need more than that. The table matches common situations to a plan. The totals come from our method below, which adds up activities that happen at the same time.

Faster plans can still help. The FCC notes its own figures assume one activity at a time and that more speed may improve performance.

What is the FCC broadband speed benchmark in 2026?

On March 14, 2024, the FCC raised its broadband benchmark from 25/3 Mbps, set in 2015, to 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. In its 2026 Section 706 Report, released August 14, 2026, the FCC kept 100/20. It said raising the bar now would be premature. The same report dropped the long-term goal of 1,000/500 Mbps that the 2024 report had set.

Federally funded BEAD networks must deliver at least 100/20 Mbps to homes, per NTIA.

How many Mbps does each activity need?

These are published minimums or recommendations, one activity at a time.

The FCC calls these “rough guidelines.” They are not based on its own tests. Streaming and calling services publish their own numbers, below.

How much speed do Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and HBO Max need?

These are per stream. Two 4K TVs on Netflix need about 30 Mbps by our math. The Disney+ figures are what Disney gave Windows Central in 2019. Its current help page could not be read for this guide, so check the app before you rely on them.

How much upload speed do I need to work from home?

Video calls are the main upload load. Each person on a call sends their own video. If upload is your bottleneck, the type of connection matters: see fiber vs. cable internet for how far apart their upload speeds are in FCC tests.

Screen sharing and audio are small. Zoom lists 50-150 kbps for screen sharing and 60-80 kbps for audio. Two adults on 1080p Zoom calls use about 7.6 Mbps up by our math, so the 20 Mbps benchmark leaves room. The old 2015 benchmark allowed just 3 Mbps up, less than one 1080p Zoom call needs.

How much speed do I need for online gaming?

Gaming needs little bandwidth. The FCC lists 4 Mbps for online multiplayer. Nintendo lists a minimum of 3 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up for Switch online play.

Two cases need more:

• Cloud gaming. Xbox advises at least 20 Mbps for a stable cloud gaming connection.
• Remote Play. PlayStation recommends at least 5 Mbps up and down, and 15 Mbps for best performance.

Lag is a latency problem. Nintendo lists slow speeds, a weak wireless signal, interference and slow network devices as causes. It suggests stopping other streams and downloads, then testing again.

What is latency, and how low should it be?

Latency (often shown as “ping”) is how long data takes to make a round trip, in milliseconds. It matters most for gaming and live calls. NTIA requires BEAD-funded networks to keep latency “at or below 100 milliseconds” in at least 95% of tests. Treat that as a ceiling. Lower feels more responsive.

How do I add up speed for several people?

This is our method, not an official formula. List what each person might do at the busiest time of day, look up each number in the tables above, and add them.

Example: family of four on a weeknight

Then do the same for upload, which is mostly video calls. Choose a plan above both totals. The FCC’s household guide says the same thing in broader terms. It puts 4 people with moderate or high use in its “advanced” tier, over 25 Mbps.

Is Wi-Fi slower than a wired connection?

Often, yes. Verizon says wired connections are generally faster than Wi-Fi, and Xbox recommends Ethernet for cloud gaming where possible. A fast plan does not help if your Wi-Fi cannot deliver it to the far bedroom. If speed drops away from the router, see why your Wi-Fi is slow and whether a mesh system or an extender fits your home.

How do I test my internet speed?

1. Plug a computer into the router with an Ethernet cable, if you can.
2. Pause streaming and downloads on other devices, and turn off any VPN. Verizon recommends pausing streaming, disconnecting VPNs and reducing other use while testing.
3. Run the M-Lab test at speed.measurementlab.net. It reports download, upload and latency. M-Lab’s servers sit outside your provider’s network, so results are often lower than tests hosted inside it.
4. Repeat at a busy evening hour and compare.

The FCC Mobile Speed Test app is free for iPhone and Android. It measures download, upload, latency, jitter and packet loss. It is built for cellular service, and the FCC says tests over Wi-Fi will not count as coverage challenges.

What happens if you buy the wrong speed?

• Too slow: streams drop to lower quality or buffer, and calls freeze when several people are online. Netflix notes that lowering video quality can steady a slow connection.
• Too little upload: your video freezes for others on calls even when your downloads seem fine.
• Too fast: you pay for speed your devices never use. Our example family uses about 40 Mbps at peak, so a gigabit plan would mostly sit idle.
• Right plan, weak Wi-Fi: speed tests near the router look fine, but far rooms stay slow. More plan speed will not fix that.