If you’re looking to optimize your home Wi-Fi® connection, the first step you might take is testing your internet speed. There are two things you will want to test: your device speed and your gateway speed. The device speed test checks the speed between your smartphone, tablet, computer, or other device and the internet. A gateway speed test checks the speed between your modem or Wi-Fi gateway and your network.
It's important to understand that the difference between your device internet speed and your gateway internet speed may be substantial. This could be for a variety of reasons, including the strength of your Wi-Fi connection, the quality of your equipment, and the number of devices on your network.
Check the upload and download speeds of your connected devices or home Wi-Fi gatewayThe best internet speed for your household will depend on several factors, including how you use your internet connection and the number of connected devices you have. You’ll often see internet plans measured by download and upload speeds. The download speed tells you how quickly you can move information from the internet onto your device, while the upload speed tells you how quickly you can send information from your device out to other parts of the internet. For example, a high download speed would help you do things like stream videos smoothly, while a high upload speed would help if you were trying to quickly upload a large file to social media.
“On average, it takes around 1Mbps to listen to a song on a streaming platform and around 25Mbps to stream a 4K movie in HDR at its highest quality.”
When choosing your internet service, you should consider the connectivity needs of your whole household. The more connected devices you add to your internet connection, the more bandwidth you’ll need to keep them all running smoothly.
On average, it takes 1Mbps of download speed to listen to a song on a streaming platform and around 25Mbps to stream a 4K movie in HDR at its highest quality. Mbps is an acronym. It tells you how many megabits of data on average will move per second.
People sometimes don’t realize how many devices are on their home networks. For example, it wouldn’t be too unusual for a family of four to have four smartphones, three laptops, a desktop computer, a gaming system, a smart speaker, and a smart thermostat—all running on one internet connection. When you’re choosing a plan, it’s worth considering the possibility that you have more intensive broadband needs than you realize.
People who work from home may also need a lot of bandwidth for things like video calls or uploading large files, while others may need bandwidth for entertainment purposes, such as streaming music or online gaming.
Learn more about which AT&T internet plans are available at your address