Bandwidth Limits and Netflix: What Does it Mean When Comparing Broadband Packages?
Many standard Internet providers offer a stripped-down universal bandwidth. They do not often advertise the bandwidth amount for standard packages because it may be lower than competitors. Customers should know what megabytes per second actually means in practice, and not just as a general number.
Bandwidth Limits and Netflix
Bandwidth usually ranges from 2 to 50. Anything below 10 is considered “budget.” It is acceptable and functional, but high-end tasks will cause serious slowdown. This could include downloading movies, streaming Netflix in HD, or running multiple websites (i.e. 10+ tabs open at once). Slow down on Netflix will likely occur at 10 and below. It will cause the visit to stop and start a few times to allow the video to buffer. Some get around this by pausing the movie for 10 minutes before watching it, allowing it to buffer appropriately.
Bandwidth between 10 to 20 is considered perfectly acceptable for most families. Bandwidth in this range will readily provide for multiple users at once. Dad could be watching Internet television downstairs while two kids are upstairs doing homework or playing on the Internet on their own devices. Anything over 30 is generally exclusively used for business though standards and Internet usage in the family are growing more intense. That number creeps up every year. Customers can compare broadband deals by looking at the mbps offered and their personal needs.
What is Low Bandwidth?
The definition of low and high could change depending on what a person is using the Internet for and how they are using it. Generally, five is the lowest a family can realistically go for. Netflix movies, for example, will rarely go into HD. The Internet streaming is too high for HD, and families will need to upgrade to 8 or 15. Bandwidth should rest between 10 to 20 for regular families using the Internet daily. This could be for the school, watching movies infrequently, and making modest downloads.
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