The internet is an important part of our everyday lives in this modern age. From doing research, shopping online, and paying bills, almost everything we do involves the internet. Therefore, having a good internet connection is imperative to your success as a business owner. But how much internet speed can my laptop handle?
The biggest factor in how much internet speed your laptop can handle is what kind of connection you have. If you have an ethernet cable, you will be able to get very fast speeds from your laptop (up to 1 gigabit per second). But if you only have a WiFi connection, then you won’t be able to get those speeds.
Another factor in how much internet speed your laptop can handle is the type of service you are getting from your internet provider. For example, if you are using a satellite internet provider, the type of service may limit how much speed your laptop can get.
Key Takeaways:
- The speed of an internet connection depends largely upon how fast your computer processes data, so if your device isn’t very powerful, it won’t perform as well online.
- The more Mbps you have, the faster your connection
- If your internet is constantly lagging or your speeds are slow, it might be time to upgrade your internet speeds.
Common Internet Speeds
Every connection has different speeds. The speed you can reach will vary depending on your location. At one time, dial-up was the most common internet service, but now it’s mostly DSL and broadband.
Dial-up
Dial-up was the first-way people connected to the internet. It required a phone line connected to a modem, which would use that phone line to connect you to the internet. Unfortunately, most dial-up connections had top speeds of 56 Kbps, which is pretty slow by today’s standards.
DSL
DSL is another type of connection available in most places. It uses telephone lines to deliver the internet but doesn’t require you to use your phone while doing it because it’s not using analog signals as dial-up does. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is broken up into two categories: SDSL and ADSL.
ADSL is asymmetrical because download speeds are faster than upload speeds. It typically has a top download speed of about 6 Mbps and a top upload speed of about 800 Kbps.
SDSL is symmetrical because download and upload speeds are the same. It typically has a top speed of about 3 Mbps for downloads and uploads.
Broadband
Broadband internet refers to any high-speed internet service that is always on. As opposed to dial-up access, broadband does not require a dedicated telephone line and can transmit multiple data streams simultaneously.
Also, broadband is typically categorized by bandwidth, which denotes the amount of data transmitted over an internet connection. Broadband services generally have higher bandwidths than dial-up access. Bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps).
Satellite
Satellite Internet is the best way to connect your home so you can browse, stream and download anything you like. It is great for homes and offices as it spreads over vast open spaces, or dial-up is a hassle.
Fiber
Fiber is a revolutionary way to have a fast and reliable internet connection. Whether you work from home, stream videos, or play games online, always having a smooth and fast signal is important. You will never want to go back to normal internet service when you get Fiber. It is faster and more reliable than cable or DSL.
How Much Bandwidth Do You Need?
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred at once over a network. It is the maximum amount of data that can be sent from one place to another in a given length of time, usually measured per second.
So, the answer to that question will depend on what you are doing online. If you are just checking email and posting on social media, you probably don’t need to worry about it as much. But if you stream video, play games, or download large files, your bandwidth needs will be higher than those who don’t do those things.
If you are just going to use your Internet for light browsing and email, then a 3-4 Mbps connection will probably do the trick for you. However, if you will be streaming movies or playing online games, then 10 Mbps is probably more appropriate.
It should also be noted that multiple users sharing the same connection will necessarily decrease the speed each user experiences. For example, if ten people share a 25 Mbps connection (shown as “25M down/25M up”), everyone will only get 2.5 Mbps per person.
The chart below shows your average broadband that you should expect to use for different activities.
| Activities to determine internet speed | Download speed for each activities |
| General browsing and checking of email | 1 Mbps |
| VoIP Calls | Uses less than 0.5 Mbps |
| Streaming Videos | Uses between 2 to 40 Mbps |
| Downloading files | 10 Mbps and above |
| Learning Online | Uses between 5 to 15 Mbps |
| Working from home | At least 5 to 30 Mbps depending on the hours you use to work |
| Social media | 1 Mbps |
| Zoom calls | At least 1.5 Mbps |
Here is a breakdown of what you should expect
Streaming
You should expect your internet to deliver at least 3 Mbps if you ever want to stream a video online without any internet delay whatsoever. It takes 25 Mbps for 4k streaming on any HD device.
However, some streaming services demand more speed to stream smoothly, and they are:
Netflix – It is common among those who love movies, and it demands at least 3 Mbps for any film in standard definition mode, while you will use closer to 25 Mbps if you are streaming in higher definition mode.
Amazon Prime video – seems to be the least as you can stream your video in SD and HD mode with at least 900 Kbps to 4 Mbps.
Fubo TV – You need close to 35 and above Mbps to stream conveniently
Hulu – For the live TV, you should expect above 5 Mbps to stream smoothly and 3 Mbps for SD
Direct Tv stream – You will not get above 9 Mbps if you use this service, irrespective of whatever you are streaming.
| Watching Movie Screen mode | Internet download speed |
| Streaming Ultra HD 4K video | 25 Mbps and above |
| Streaming Standard Definition (SD) video | 2 to 4 Mbps |
| Streaming High Definition (HD) video | 5 – 8 Mbps |
Gaming
For any game you want to play online, you need close to 3 to 8 Mbps to enjoy the time playing the game. Without the right internet speed, it will be quite hard to enjoy the fun of playing the game. For a sophisticated computer system and gaming software, you will need a higher internet speed of close to 25 Mbps.
| Gaming | Internet speed |
| Game console that requires the use of internet | 3 Mbps |
| Online multiplayer | 4 Mbps |
| High-definition online game | 25 Mbps |
Working From Home
If you are working from home and you have to use your internet most of the time, the speed of the internet you get or use depends on whatever you are doing. The chart below shows the average internet speed you should expect with our focus on video and voice conferencing.
| Video and call conferencing | Internet speed |
| Standard Video call such as skype, zoom and others. | 1 Mbps |
| HD personal video call | At least 1 to 3 Mbps |
| HD video conferencing | At least 4 to 6 Mbps |
How Do I Know If I Need To Upgrade My Internet Speeds?
There are quite a few ways to tell if you need faster internet.
- If you are constantly waiting for your movies or TV shows to buffer, you might want to consider finding a faster internet connection. The same goes for waiting on all of your games to load.
- If you find that your favorite websites are taking a long time to load, it could be time for an upgrade.
- The same principle applies if you frequently see the spinning hourglass icon or circle on your computer screen. Again, if this happens regularly, it might be best to look into switching to a faster internet connection.
- If you are working from home and the workday feels like it is dragging on forever due to slow speeds, consider finding a new provider with speeds that will help you get through your day with ease.
- If you find yourself frequently frustrated with how slow your computer is running, it could be time for an upgrade. Slow computers can cause frustration and even lead to lost work or assignments if things aren’t being saved properly on the PC.
How Much Internet Speed Can My Laptop Handle?
To find out exactly how much internet speed your laptop can handle, you must first understand how internet speed works. Your laptop’s internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), which determines how quickly your computer will download information.
The more Mbps you have, the more quickly your computer will download information. But it also means that you’re paying for a faster connection.
So, if your computer can handle a lot of information downloaded at once, your internet provider only gives you a certain amount of Mbps. As a result, it could take longer for the information to download onto your computer.
With that being said, the amount of internet speed your laptop can handle depends on what you use your laptop for. For example, if you are streaming videos, playing games, or browsing the web, you will only need a basic internet speed of 25 Mbps.
But if you are downloading files or doing other bandwidth-intensive tasks, such as video conferencing, you will need a higher speed of at least 100 Mbps.
Can Old Computers Affect The Speed Of Your Internet?
The age of your computer can significantly impact your internet performance. The older your computer is, the more likely you need to upgrade. While some other factors may affect your internet speed, like the speed of your router, an older computer could be limiting you even if there is nothing wrong with any other part of your network.
Not sure how old your computer is? There are a couple of ways to find out. One way you can tell the age of a computer is by looking at when it was purchased. However, this method isn’t always reliable if you did not get the laptop as a new one but from someone or a dealer.
Another way to tell how old a computer is by looking at its operating system. If you have an OS released before Windows 7, you have a fairly outdated machine. Most modern computers come pre-installed with Windows 10.
The solution to an old laptop internet speed issue is to try and upgrade the operating system on the computer. A major upgrade will make a difference, and it is worth trying instead of abandoning the computer or throwing it away.
Be Informed: Can A Bad Ethernet Cable Slow Down Internet?
Conclusion
There is a lot of communication between your PC and the internet service provider. One of the questions you must have asked yourself is how much internet speed can my laptop handle whenever you get online for one thing or another. We have the whole of this page to answer the question. Just read through to get the right information you have been looking for.