Opinions on 25mb Internet Speed

[Lery]

I currently have Comcast internet service. Right now I have the 200mb plan. I'm looking to get rid of my TV service and phone service from them and also wanted to go with their 25mb internet speed plan. My concern is, will 25mb be OK.

I understand that for streaming 25mb is recommended. Here is a breakdown of what the internet is used for:

I work from home and need reliable internet. Speed for my work doesn't really matter.

Streaming: Netflix is used, along with Youtube. Mostly my wife and kid. Streaming will increase as the TV service goes away. Direct TV Now will probably be added.

Video games: I play WoW, and some other games here and there.

I can only assume that the 25mb will be carved up when all three of us are using the internet for whatever. That concerns me. Is my concern warranted?

[abracmike]

I currently have Comcast internet service. Right now I have the 200mb plan. I'm looking to get rid of my TV service and phone service from them and also wanted to go with their 25mb internet speed plan. My concern is, will 25mb be OK.

I understand that for streaming 25mb is recommended. Here is a breakdown of what the internet is used for:

I work from home and need reliable internet. Speed for my work doesn't really matter.

Streaming: Netflix is used, along with Youtube. Mostly my wife and kid. Streaming will increase as the TV service goes away. Direct TV Now will probably be added.

Video games: I play WoW, and some other games here and there.

I can only assume that the 25mb will be carved up when all three of us are using the internet for whatever. That concerns me. Is my concern warranted?

You should be ok with 2-4 streams active at a time* + gaming, more than that could get a little dicey. Any updates to wow or other games on top of streaming will probably tear up the pipe pretty badly though.
Something in the 40-60Mbps range would give you lots of space, with a little bit of breathing room for 4k as well.

*Assuming 1080p or less. 4k will likely load that line up in very short order)

[potis]

Yes/No you will probably be fine unless people are running to many youtube videos at the same time, or when you update games or download something without a limiter.

[rorian]

You would survive, but you'd probably notice a difference coming off of 200 down on things like downloads and having multiple streams going on at the same time.

For a while I was using a cheaper 20 down service and have since switched to a 200 and it is quite noticeable. Went from sometimes having buffering to literally never. 200 is probably excessive for most households, I'd imagine somewhere in the middle is a good spot to be in between 50-100.

[abracmike]

Yes and no, you will probably be fine but anything extra might cause you delays, its "at limits" pretty much, depending on netflix quality.

As far as i know, Netflix 1080p requires 40MB connection according to their own posting @5Mb download basically.

I doubt it actually uses all the 5, i am pretty sure its a safety precaution.

Even so, your 25MB, aka 3Mb will probably clog up if something like Netflix + long 1080p youtube video + wow update.

It all depends on "launching everything together".

Huh?

Last I checked, Netflix's chart was
0.5 Megabit/sec required min
1.5 Megabit/sec recommended
3.0 Megabit/sec recommended for SD
5.0 Megabit/sec recommended for HD
25 Megabit/sec recommended for UHD

Youtube is in roughly the same bucket.
In that context, 4 1080p streams = 20 Megabit/sec

DirecTV Now recommends 2.5 - 7.5Megabit/sec for an HD stream

That's why I said the 25Megabit/sec option would work, but be tight.

[Daedius]

I'm surviving off "unlimited" 4G mobile broadband... playing games off the PC while others be watching HD films in another room... you should be fine.

[potis]

Huh?

Last I checked, Netflix's chart was
0.5 Megabit/sec required min
1.5 Megabit/sec recommended
3.0 Megabit/sec recommended for SD
5.0 Megabit/sec recommended for HD
25 Megabit/sec recommended for UHD

Youtube is in roughly the same bucket.
In that context, 4 1080p streams = 20 Megabit/sec

DirecTV Now recommends 2.5 - 7.5Megabit/sec for an HD stream

That's why I said the 25Megabit/sec option would work, but be tight.

Internet "Download" speed, isnt Internet Connection speed.

Your internet "Download" speed, is your internet connection speed divined by 8, aka 40MB/8 =5Mb download.

Which is mostly a precaution overkill, even a 15MB connection can handle a 1080p stream if the stream has good servers and actually always sends at 1.5Mb/sec without hiccups.

[abracmike]

Internet "Download" speed, isnt Internet Connection speed.

Your internet "Download" speed, is your internet connection speed divined by 8, aka 40MB/8 =5Mb download.

I see where you got that from, but they're qouting in Megabits per sec, what you're referring to is Megabytes per sec, so the bits per byte factor doesn't apply here.

[potis]

I see where you got that from, but they're qouting in Megabits per sec, what you're referring to is Megabytes per sec, so the bits per byte factor doesn't apply here.

Brainlag, scrap that, vice versa

[abracmike]

Right..I explained to you why, you didnt get it, let me retype it for you.

A 40 megabyte connection, will have a 5 Megabit download, its how it has been, how it will always be, you are confusing things for whatever reason.

You have that backwards. 40 Megabits/sec is 5Megabytes/sec,8 bits to 1 Byte.

[potis]

You have that backwards. 40 Megabits/sec is 5Megabytes/sec,8 bits to 1 Byte.

Above

[abracmike]

Above

You have bytes > bits, which doesn't work, unless you're telling me 1 > 8.

Either way, all of the rates being qouted are bits/sec, so the factor of 8 doesn't apply anyway.

[potis]

You have bytes > bits, which doesn't work, unless you're telling me 1 > 8.

Either way, all of the rates being qouted are bits/sec, so the factor of 8 doesn't apply anyway.

Nah, i just remembered 5MB@ netflix 1080 and not 0.5MB, brainfart while doing M+ is all, hence the response.

[abracmike]

Nah, i just remembered 5MB@ netflix 1080 and not 0.5MB, brainfart while doing M+ is all, hence the response.

No worries
Just had me head scratching a bit there
(and double checking whether Netflix lists recommendations in bits or bytes)

[Oftenwrongsoong]

Is the speed 25 Mb or 25 MB?

25 mb is not a thing in terms of internet speed.

[potis]

No worries
Just had me head scratching a bit there
(and double checking whether Netflix lists recommendations in bits or bytes)

Indeed, had my own head scratching after i was done too.

[abracmike]

Is the speed 25 Mb or 25 MB?

25 mb is not a thing in terms of internet speed.

Best I can tell, Comcast rates everything in Megabits (Mb).
Netflix, YouTube, and DirecTV Now quote everything in Mb.

That said, a 25 millibit/sec line would certainly be interesting, though physically not possible

[Cerus]

No, 25mb will not be enough for your entire family to stream.

Utter nonsense. Clearly none of you have ever actually tried to stream on slower speeds.


FFS - when did people start believing you needed triple digit speeds to stream Netflix?

Our original connection was 6Mb and we did just fine steaming 1080p on a couple TVs plus regular internet activity. We went to 12Mb and could stream on multiple TVs plus YouTube and regular activity. Would downloads be slower with multiple streams going? Of course but that’s true of just about any connection speed really.


25Mb will be fine. It’s what we’re currently @ now. Two TVs are steaming 1080p, the kid is watching YouTube and I’m downloading via Origin.

[Ellarielle]

We took Comcast's "blast" off a few months ago because 1. I wasn't ever getting the advertised speed. 2. It was an extra $35. Now our plan says we should be at 60 down and 5up. When I run a speed test we are usually around 70-80 down and 5up. The advertised speed for blast was 200 but we maybe got 130 consistently. The only difference I've noticed is that patches take longer

[Lery]

Thank you all for the feedback. I think I might try to go for the next tier up, at 100 Mbps. Mbps is how Comcast writes it here https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service.