Most homes pay for more speed than they use. The right number depends on how many people are online at the same moment and what they are doing, not on the size of the house.
A simple rule: for a typical home, 150Mb is a good broadband speed. Go higher only if four or more people regularly stream, game or download at the same time, or if someone moves large files for work.
Speed by household
| Household | Typical evening use | Avg download speed to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | Browsing, one HD stream, video calls | 30Mb to 75Mb |
| 2 to 3 people | Two or three streams, some gaming or home working | 75Mb to 150Mb |
| 4 to 5 people | Several 4K streams, gaming, video calls at once | 150Mb to 500Mb |
| 6 or more people, or heavy users | Many devices, large downloads, streaming gameplay | 500Mb to 900Mb or more |
These are our recommendations for comfortable use, with spare capacity for busy evenings.
Packages close to 150Mb include BT Full Fibre 150, Vodafone Full Fibre 150 and Virgin Media M125. For busier homes, BT Full Fibre 500, Vodafone Full Fibre 500 and Virgin Media M500 cover the 500Mb range, and BT Full Fibre 900 and Virgin Media Gig1 suit the heaviest users.
Speed by activity
| Activity | Speed needed per device |
|---|---|
| HD streaming (720p) | 3Mb or more, according to Netflix |
| Full HD streaming (1080p) | 5Mb or more, according to Netflix |
| 4K streaming | 15Mb or more, according to Netflix |
| Video calls | A few megabits each way, more for group calls |
| Online gaming | Low; responsiveness matters more than speed |
| Game and software downloads | As fast as you can get; a large game can be over 100GB |
Add up the activities that happen at the same time in your home, then add a margin. A family of four with two 4K streams, a video call and a console download running together needs far less than 900Mb.
Download times
Broadband speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mb), but file sizes are shown in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB). One megabyte is eight megabits, so a 100Mb connection downloads a little over 12MB every second.
| Download speed | Time to download a 50GB game |
|---|---|
| 100Mb | 67 minutes |
| 150Mb | 44 minutes |
| 500Mb | 13 minutes |
| 900Mb | 7 minutes |
These times assume ideal conditions. Real downloads are usually a little slower, especially over Wi-Fi or at busy times.
Speed for online gaming
Online gaming uses very little bandwidth. A game in progress needs only a few megabits, so the speed of your package makes little difference once a match has started. What matters more is ping, also called latency: the time data takes to reach the game server and come back. Under 30ms feels responsive for most online games, and full fibre and cable connections usually manage this comfortably.
Speed matters for downloads and updates. If you buy games digitally, a faster package cuts the wait from hours to minutes, as the table above shows. For the lowest ping, connect your console or PC to the router with a cable rather than Wi-Fi.
Upload speed
Upload speed is how fast you send data. It matters for video calls, backing up photos to the cloud, sending large files and streaming yourself on Twitch or YouTube.
Most part fibre and many full fibre packages have upload speeds far below their download speeds. If you work from home with large files or create content, look for full fibre with a higher upload speed, or a network where the upload speed is the same as the download speed, such as Hyperoptic, Community Fibre or YouFibre.
Line speed vs Wi-Fi speed
The speed in your contract is the speed reaching your router. What you see on a phone in the back bedroom can be much lower because Wi-Fi weakens through walls and floors.
- Use a cable for consoles, smart TVs and desktop computers near the router.
- Put the router somewhere central and open, not in a cupboard.
- Consider mesh Wi-Fi if your home is large, long or has thick walls. If you’d rather not buy your own, BT Complete Wi-Fi, Vodafone Super WiFi, Virgin Media WiFi Max and Sky WiFi Max add mesh units to your broadband for a monthly charge.
Your router matters too. On packages above 500Mb, a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 router helps your devices get closer to the full line speed, and older Wi-Fi 5 routers and devices often can’t. See our router guides for BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky.
Speeds available at your address
What you can order is decided by the cables in your street. Part fibre slows down the further your home sits from the green cabinet, while full fibre and cable keep their speed wherever you are on the network but haven’t reached every road yet. Run your postcode through our broadband checker to see your options.
Your guaranteed minimum speed
Providers signed up to Ofcom’s broadband speeds code of practice must give you an estimate of your speed and a minimum guaranteed download speed before you order. If your speed falls below that minimum and the provider can’t fix it within 30 days, you can leave without an exit fee. Our guide to leaving a broadband contract early covers how to use that right.
The speed shown in adverts is an average that at least half of a provider’s customers get at peak times, so your own speed can be higher or lower.
Testing your speed properly
- Test on a device connected to the router with a cable.
- Close other apps and pause downloads first.
- Test at different times, including a weekday evening.
- Keep a record with dates if you think your speed is too low.
FAQs
What is a good broadband speed?
For most homes, a good broadband speed is 100Mb to 150Mb download. That handles several people streaming, gaming and on video calls at the same time. Below 30Mb, things start to slow down when more than two people are online at once.
Is 100Mb fast enough for a family?
For most families of up to four people, yes. It handles several HD or 4K streams and video calls at once.
Do I need gigabit broadband for gaming?
No. Online gaming uses very little bandwidth. A faster connection mainly shortens game downloads and updates.
What broadband speed do I need for a smart TV?
Each smart TV needs 5Mb for Full HD and 15Mb for 4K streaming, according to Netflix. Add that to the other activities happening at the same time in your home.
What broadband speed can I get at my address?
That comes down to which networks have been built to your home. Type your postcode into our broadband checker and it lists every package you can order there, with its speed.
What counts as decent broadband?
Under the Universal Service Obligation, decent broadband means at least 10Mb download and 1Mb upload. If you can’t get that, you have the right to request a better connection.
Will faster broadband fix buffering?
Not always. If your connection already meets your needs, buffering is often caused by weak Wi-Fi in the room you are using.