You need download speeds of at least 5Mbps to watch Disney+ in HD, but that requirement jumps to 25Mbps if you want to watch in 4K.

In the U.S., most internet providers offer plans that are fast enough for Disney+ and other streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube TV. Data limits can be a much bigger (and more expensive) problem for binge-happy homes.

We’ll get into the speed and equipment you need to stream Disney+ and give you some options for internet providers that make it possible. Then, we’ll offer ideas for what to do if you have limited monthly data and show you how to make manual adjustments.

Disney+ speed basics

It’s important to understand the basics of video streaming when you’re shopping for internet plans that can support Disney+. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. You need faster speeds the more devices you have on your home Wi-Fi.
2. Streaming in 4K uses a lot of data, but you can adjust your resolution manually if you’re on a data budget.
3. Cable and fiber internet are your best options for streaming because of their speed, reliability, and generous data limits.

Does your Wi-Fi have what it takes?

Run our speed test to see if your internet is fast enough for Disney+.

Is the minimum Disney+ recommendation fast enough?

Disney+ is transparent about the speeds you need to stream on the service. Lucky for you, these are on the low end compared to what other streaming services require.

Speed requirements from Disney+

As you can see, streaming just one show at a time on Disney+ doesn’t take much speed. However, you’re probably using your Wi-Fi for many other tasks at the same time. You’ll need additional speed for the following:

• Browsing on other devices
• Checking email
• Scrolling on social media
• Simultaneous streaming on any other TVs and tablets
• Security cams (especially if they have cloud storage)

For most households, we recommend about 100Mbps of speed per person. But every household is different. Click below and answer six quick questions for a personalized speed recommendation.

What happens when your internet is too slow to stream Disney+?

Disney+ automatically adjusts to the best possible resolution based on the device you’re using and your internet speed. If you don’t have enough speed to stream smoothly, here’s what you’ll see:

• Stuttering audio
• Poor picture quality
• Frequent pauses for buffering
• Videos that won’t play

If this happens to you, try the time-tested trick of restarting your streaming device and your router. If that doesn’t help, log in to your router interface to disconnect bandwidth-hogging devices you aren’t using. If that still doesn’t work, you might need to upgrade your internet speed or switch providers.

Watch your data budget while streaming Disney+

Internet speed is only half the equation when it comes to choosing a great internet plan for streaming Disney+. Streaming also eats up data.

If you’re streaming on a cell phone, this can be a huge issue. We’ve seen plans with limits of 100GB per month on the high end, but some cheap plans offer as little as 10GB.  Satellite internet usually caps high-speed data too.

Home internet providers usually offer much bigger buckets of data. The standard cap for cable providers and fixed 5G home internet is 1.2TB, but you may find truly unlimited data from some cable providers. If you have fiber or DSL internet, you’re in luck! Data limits are rare.

If your plan has strict data limits—whether you’re on a cell network or home Wi-Fi—you need to either adjust your Disney+ resolution manually or limit your viewing hours so you don’t run out of data.

Here’s a look at how long you can stream on Disney+ by resolution and data cap.

Data usage for Disney+

It’s important to remember that you use data for a lot of things other than streaming—think file uploads, photo editing in the cloud, browsing, app updates, and more. Your max data allocations won’t be available for streaming, so budget accordingly.

Learn more about managing data usage in our expert resource library.

Device requirements for streaming Disney+

Disney+ works on a wide variety of mobile devices, streaming sticks, smart TVs, and browsers, plus HDMI and AirPlay. If you’re having trouble with your stream, make sure all your apps and devices have the latest software updates.

If that doesn’t work, check the list of supported devices from Disney+, and consider trying a different device or browser if yours isn’t listed.

What do you need to stream Disney+ in 4K?

All Disney+ plans include 4K streaming, and it’s great! You can watch in Disney’s version of Ultra HD 4K (with support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision) plus Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced without paying extra.

However, you need the right devices to stream in 4K. First, you need a 4K-capable TV. Next, you need a streaming device capable of handling 4K. Our top picks for the price are the Apple TV 4K (for Apple fans) and the Chromecast with Google TV (for Android users).

If you want to enjoy IMAX Enhanced, you’ll need a suitable Android TV.

Learn more about how to stream any video in 4K in our expert resource library.

Best internet plans for streaming Disney+

You need fast, reliable internet for streaming video. If fiber internet is an option where you live, that’s your best bet. Otherwise, look for your local cable internet provider or give a 5G home internet provider a try.

Here’s a look at some of the most affordable internet plans with speeds fast enough to stream Disney+.

If you can’t get these providers where you live, don’t sweat it! Look for plans with speeds of at least 100Mbps from any providers that reach your front door.

What if you have slow internet?

Having slow internet or a low data cap doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Disney+. The service will automatically adjust resolution based on your device and your internet connection, but you can dive into the settings to make manual adjustments as needed.

You can even watch Disney+ without an internet connection if you don’t have Wi-Fi and you’re running out of mobile data on your device. Let’s get into the details.

Can you watch Disney+ without internet?

You need an internet connection to access Disney+ content. However, you can download Disney+ shows onto your devices and watch them later without a connection as long as you subscribe to the Disney+ Premium, Disney Bundle Trio Premium, or Legacy Disney Bundle. Unfortunately, ad-supported plans don’t allow downloads.

You can download shows on up to 10 devices on a single plan. To manage how much storage space each download takes up, you can choose among low, medium, and high resolutions. Your recordings will work unless you fail to connect to the internet for a 30-day stretch.

Learn more about downloading Hulu and Disney+ shows on your mobile device.

How to restrict Disney+ streaming to Wi-Fi connections

If you have a low data limit on your cellular plan, you might want to prevent Disney+ from streaming unless your device is connected to Wi-Fi. Here’s how:

Step 1: In the Disney+ app, tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.

Step 2: Tap App Settings in the list of options.

Step 3: Under Video Playback, tap the gray toggle next to Stream over Wi-Fi only. The toggle turns blue when active.

How to put Disney+ on a data diet

You might need to adjust your resolutions on Disney+ to save on data. Here’s where to find the settings on all the ways you can watch.

How to manually adjust the resolution on Disney+ on mobile

To adjust the resolution of the Disney+ app for mobile, do the following:

Step 1: In the Disney+ app, tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.

Step 2: Tap App Settings in the list of options.

Step 3: Tap on Wi-Fi Data Usage and select Automatic (up to HD) or Save Data (SD only).

Step 4: Tap on Cellular Data Usage and select Automatic or Save Data.

How to manually adjust Disney+ resolution on your browser

To adjust the video setting of Disney+ in a desktop browser, do the following:

Step 1: Navigate to disneyplus.com and enter your login credentials.

Step 2: Select the profile you want to edit.

Step 3: Hover the cursor over your profile icon in the top right corner.

Step 4: Click the App Settings link on the drop-down menu.

Step 5: Choose a setting: Automatic (up to 4K UHD), Moderate (up to HD), or Save Data (SD only).

How to manually adjust Disney+ resolution on your TV

To adjust the resolution of the Disney+ app for Smart TVs and streamers, do the following:

Step 1: Open the Disney+ app on your Smart TV, streamer, or game console.

Step 2: Select the profile you want to edit.

Step 3: Select Settings (the gear icon) listed on the rollout menu on the left.

Step 4: Select App Settings.

Step 5: Choose a setting: Automatic (up to 4K UHD), Moderate (up to HD), or Save Data (SD only).

Disney+ FAQ

Disclaimers

How much speed do you need to play online games? Video games might require a fast CPU, a fancy graphics card, and tons of RAM, but they don’t actually require a lot of download speed. You might be surprised to learn that all you really need is a 5Mbps connection or faster, even for the latest consoles.

But this doesn’t mean that any old internet connection is good for online games. What you really need is a connection with low latency, as no amount of speed will eliminate laggy gameplay if your latency ranges into hundreds of milliseconds.

Latency doesn’t get nearly as much attention in internet ads as download speed, which can make finding a good plan for online gaming more difficult. We’ve boiled down the most important points so you know exactly what kind of connection you need to get the most out of your online gameplay.

Our recommended connections for gaming online

Fiber internet from providers like AT&T , GFiber , and Verizon Home Internet is the best connection for playing games online. It has symmetrical speeds—great for livestreaming—and super-low latency.

Cable internet from Spectrum, Xfinity, and similar providers comes in at a close second. Go with cable before any other internet connection if fiber isn’t available to you.

DSL internet is your next best option if you can’t get fiber or cable. It uses telephone lines and generally introduces more latency, but is better for gaming than wireless connections.

Don’t have access to wired internet? 5G Home Internet is your next best option. It’s a new fixed wireless service boasting lower latency than any other wireless connection. The fastest plan you can get right now is 1,000Mbps, although the technology is capable of higher speeds.

Your carrier’s 5G mobile service would be your backup connection if 5G Home Internet isn’t available to you. The top speed is also 1,000Mbps, but your average real-world speed may be around 200Mbps if you’re lucky.

Finally, 4G and 4G LTE connections (mobile and fixed wireless) generally have much more lag than wired connections but are capable of reaching our recommended latency of below 100 ms.

So how much speed do you need for online gaming?

Games and game systems often don’t give specific recommendations since the actual speed requirements are so low. In fact, very little information passes between games like Halo Infinite and Fortnite and their remote servers.

How is it that today’s cutting-edge videogames can get by on such meager connections when other forms of media require ever increasing amounts of bandwidth to offer viewers the latest entertainment experience? It’s because most of the heavy lifting is done by your own computer or console. If you’re watching a Netflix movie in 4K resolution, Netflix has to send a constant stream of high-resolution images from its servers to your screen. If you’re playing Overwatch, you just have to pass a few numbers back and forth between your home and Blizzard’s servers and your console’s processor handles the job of handling input, calculating the game’s physics, and displaying everything correctly on screen.

Here’s what both sides exchange during the session:

• Keyboard input
• Mouse input
• Controller input
• Player location (you and everyone else)
• The current world state
• Player communication
• Server notifications (like in-game announcements)

Out of the items on the list, player location can introduce slowdowns, especially in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. These games can have more real on-screen players than the typical online gaming scenario, causing frame rate drops and “teleporting” players.

As the list implies, communications between you and the remote server travel along a two-way street. Games are interactive, so you need some upload speed to keep you in the game. Even a poor connection can usually meet your gaming needs, which is why upload speed often takes a backseat to more important factors.

Here are the minimum speed requirements across most gaming platforms:

You can play games online as long as your internet connection meets these requirements. But if you want a consistent online experience, you need a slightly better connection.

Here’s what we recommend to play a single game online:

Now let’s look at why latency is also an important issue when playing games online.

What is Latency in Gaming

Latency can be downright evil. Latency can make the greatest gamer on the planet feel like a sloth at the controls. Chances are, you already know exactly what latency does to your elite skills. But if you’re new to the game, here’s why latency can be bad news.

So, what is latency exactly? Picture a racquetball bouncing off a wall—how long does that ball take to come back to you?

To answer this question, the ping utility throws a ball of data at a specific destination and records how long the data takes to bounce back. In other words, it pings the server. A low duration is good. A high duration causes delays in your gameplay. Not cool.

For example, you move a mouse and your game reports that movement to a remote server. The server acknowledges the movement and sends a response showing your movements along with all the other player movements. Your game renders the response, but because your latency is high, your movement appears delayed compared to the other players.

Latency is also referred to as ping rate. A low ping rate is good. A high ping rate is bad.

Factors that impact latency

Several factors impact latency. Here are a few:

Physical distance

Games with co-op and competitive multiplayer modes use regional servers because geolocation does matter, even if a server is just a few states away.

So, why does geolocation matter? Because your gaming data moves through multiple “hops” as it travels between you and the server. The more hops your data must traverse, the longer its journey takes—which translates to higher latency. Traffic congestion between you and the remote server can cause a slowdown, too, delaying your controller input.

Connection type

Some internet connections inherently have more latency than others.

For example, satellite internet has the highest latency because wireless transmissions travel up into space and back to reach a remote server. Insulated cable connections have lower latency than uninsulated phone lines, while fiber optic cables have lower latency than both.

Keep in mind that the speed at which your game and the remote server exchange data is different from your download speed. A movie downloads at a slower rate over a 5Mbps DSL connection than it does over a 50Mbps satellite connection.

But when you play games online, the DSL connection is much more responsive than satellite because the gaming data doesn’t launch into space and back. The high latency of the satellite connection causes so much lag that most fast-paced games aren’t even playable online.

How to reduce latency

If high latency causes lag when you play games online, you can take a few steps to help reduce latency and keep your online gameplay responsive and victorious.

Don’t use Wi-Fi if you can avoid it

Wi-Fi is convenient but finicky. It adds an extra translation step between your gaming devices and your internet connection, so there’s a bit more delay in your connection. Plus, you have all these other factors that can make Wi-Fi less than ideal for gameplay: radio noise, fluctuating speeds, local network congestion, your distance from the router—sometimes you’ll think the evil Wi-Fi wants you to lose.

To bypass all the wireless chaos, use an Ethernet cable to connect your gaming device to your router. You won’t see the latencies associated with Wi-Fi or the dramatic speed fluctuations, making your connection that much more responsive.

With the Nintendo Switch, we recommend you dock it and use a USB-based Ethernet adapter to connect it to your network. The Nintendo-approved Dual USB Playstand works with the Switch and Switch Lite.

You can use a similar adapter on a notebook or desktop that doesn’t have an Ethernet port.

If you absolutely positively must use Wi-Fi

Connect your wireless device to the 5 GHz band. In fact, use the higher, less used channels (149–161) if you can because everyone in your neighborhood is likely saturating the lower ones (36–48) right this moment. Also, use an 80 MHz channel width too, if possible—don’t bother with a 160 MHz wide channel unless you live far, far away from radar.

Use the 6 GHz band if it’s available to you and your gaming device supports it.

In both cases, be sure to stay close to your Wi-Fi router—within 30 feet or so, depending on the router. Also, keep a clear line of sight to the router with as few obstructions as possible for a better connection.

Power cycle network devices

You can power cycle your router and modem to improve their performance. Since very small differences in latency can make a big impact on your gameplay, it’s worth restarting your equipment.

To power cycle, press the Power button or unplug your modem or wireless gateway. After that, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Do the same with a standalone router when your modem comes back online.

Update drivers and firmware

Hardware manufacturers release updates to improve device performance. Updates typically include security fixes, code optimizations, improved device compatibility, and increased stability. You should always keep your firmware and drivers current to prevent issues that can slam the brakes on your internet connection. Be sure to do the following:

• Update your computer’s drivers and operating system, especially the graphics drivers
• Update your console’s operating system
• Update the firmware for all controllers and peripherals
• Update your router’s firmware

Turn off unnecessary applications and devices

If your connection still struggles while you play games online, try to reduce the amount of traffic on your home network. Make sure someone isn’t streaming 4K video in another room when you’re about to start a new match.

You can also turn off smart devices and pause software and OS updates, so they don’t bog down your network while you play. Just remember to reactivate everything when you’re done.

Use the closest server

Distance is one of the biggest factors in latency. Even if every device on your connection runs at peak efficiency, it still takes time for a signal to travel to a remote location and back.

Games almost always connect you to the nearest server, but if you experience unexplained latency issues, double-check that you’re not connected to the European server if you play in North America. You may need to switch servers if the current one has issues causing lag.

Some gaming routers include tools that can filter out servers with a high ping. For example, NETGEAR’S Nighthawk XR1000 and Nighthawk XR500 routers have the Geo-Filter utility that filters out game servers based on location and ping.

Use port forwarding

Game networks like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network encourage you to assign “static” IP addresses to your gaming devices and route incoming and outgoing traffic to those addresses. While routers typically assign dynamic addresses to your devices which change over time, a static address never changes.

When you assign a static IP address, you can tell the router to forward data to that address through specific ports. A port is merely a “dock” that handles a specific type of “ship” (data) arriving to and leaving from your router. Gaming networks typically send and receive internet data through specific ports.

To create a static IP address and open ports to that address, you must make the changes in your router or wireless gateway. Port forwarding works with any device—not just gaming consoles.

Use Quality of Service (QoS) controls if available

You may be able to adjust the QoS settings in your router or wireless gateway to allocate more bandwidth to your gaming devices. The router will consider this traffic as “critical” and will prioritize your gaming data over other applications, like Netflix and YouTube. Many routers include a gaming QoS mode you can assign to specific devices on your network.

On some routers, you can only establish one specific bandwidth amount and list the devices that can use that bandwidth. There are no means to prioritize specific traffic, like gaming or streaming.

Avoid peak hours

You may see a slowdown during peak hours when everyone in your home accesses the internet at the same time. Plus, a router is limited to how many wireless devices it can handle simultaneously before slowdowns occur. This heavy load is why we always suggest a router with four or more streams to better handle busy homes.

Peak hours are also associated with cable internet, but it’s no longer the case now that providers like Spectrum and Xfinity use fiber as their network backbone. Rural areas that are still 100% cable may continue to experience peak hour slowdowns, however.

We suggest that you play games later in the evening, or upgrade your router if it has less than four streams.

Check your connections

A slow or bad Ethernet cable can lead to gaming lag woes, whether it’s the cable connecting your router to your modem or fiber ONT, or the one tethering your wired gaming device to the network. Be sure that you have the right Ethernet cable for your plan—you don’t want a CAT 5 cable if your internet connection is faster than 100Mbps.

Also, check your modem’s internet connection, as a loose cable will cause lag-inducing instability.

Other factors to consider for gaming online

Online gameplay pushes the limits of your internet connection more than any other internet activity, but it’s not the only way games put a strain on your connection. We’ll go over more about other things you should consider, like downloads and livestreaming.

Downloads

Many modern games take up a lot of storage space on your computer or console. Game downloads from online distributors like Steam or the Microsoft Store can take a long time. They can also eat through monthly data caps in no time flat.

Game updates can be data hogs too. For example, Bethesda’s Atlantic City—Boardwalk Paradise update for Fallout 76 weighs a hefty 28.3GB when you download it on the Xbox consoles and 36.8GB when you get it through Steam. It’s a smaller update than The Pitt, but it’s still a sizable download.

Latency should still be your number one priority when you shop for internet, but a plan with unlimited data saves you a lot of headaches. Fast download speeds also help with those big new games. After all, extremely long download times on Day One aren’t much fun.

Livestreaming

Your internet needs become a bit more complicated if you stream games to Twitch or YouTube. Streaming has all the normal requirements for a low-latency connection for playing games online, plus the additional upload speed you need to keep a steady bitrate on your livestream.

For more information on what to look for in an internet connection for livestreaming, check out our guide to internet speed for live video game streaming. We also provide a guide on how to stream on Twitch that offers all the information you need.

Game streaming

From the cloud

Game streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming have servers dedicated to creating and streaming virtual machines (VMs) to your devices. Games install and play on these VMs in the cloud, eliminating all the hardware bottlenecks that prevent games from running at their highest quality on the devices you own.

In other words, you don’t need a $4,000 desktop or the latest console to play high-end games you can stream from the cloud. Instead, all you need is a browser or an app, depending on the platform, and a good Wi-Fi connection.

But there’s a dark, evil downside. Remote servers render these games and then stream them in HD to 4K resolution across the internet. And because these experiences are interactive and not passive (like Netflix and Hulu), input latency can be problematic.

To play these services without any major issues, you need a good internet connection. Here are the internet speed requirements for the three major game streaming services:

From a local device

You can also stream games directly from a game console or gaming PC to a compatible app or web browser, whether you’re on the local network or not. The internet speed requirements are mostly the same, but we highly suggest you connect your console or gaming PC to your network using a wired connection to give you the best performance when playing them remotely.

Note that Microsoft suggests an upload speed of at least 4.5Mbps for Xbox Remote Play. An upload speed of 9Mbps or more is ideal.

What about Steam Remote Play Together?

Steam Remote Play Together allows one Steam gamer to run a purchased multiplayer game locally on a PC and then invite four or more Steam friends to play remotely from outside the local network. It’s optimized to stream games to four other players at 1080p and 60 frames per second, so Valve suggests a connection of 10–30Mbps at the least.

A note about online games vs. playing games online

We spend a lot of time discussing games you can play online, which are games that target the single-player experience first and include secondary multiplayer components. These games include Doom Eternal, Pokemon Sapphire and Violet, Far Cry 6, and Halo Infinite. They can experience latency when you play them in co-op and multiplayer modes, especially when more than a few players move across the screen.

Online games, however, can be highly susceptible to latency. These include The Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft, Destiny 2, and similar MMOs. The player count is typically high, which means both the server and the client (your game) must keep track of every player. This can be a huge processing load even if you have the best connection available. Your frame rate may drop, and your input may feel slow.

The bottom line: keep your latency low

You don’t need a lot of speed to play games online. If anything, you need a decent upload speed to livestream your gameplay on Twitch or YouTube.

Your biggest concern is latency. You can have the fastest internet plan on the planet, but a high latency feels like you’re running through mud and makes the game unplayable online. No one wants to sit at the bottom of the scoreboard because mouse clicks and button presses become unresponsive.

We list the best internet providers for gaming based on latency to help you decide what’s best for your online gameplay needs. But you should also consider all your other non-gaming devices and online activities before you select a plan, like downloads, streaming services, at-home office work, schoolwork, and so on.

That said, we recommend one of the best gaming routers—paired with a great internet provider—to balance that load and keep your online gameplay lag-free.

Streaming video from any given platform takes up only a few megabits per second, up to about 25Mbps for 4K. However, we recommend choosing an internet plan with at least 100Mbps of download speed for most households.

So why, exactly, do you need 100Mbps of speed when streaming requires only 25Mbps?

It’s because most of the time, home internet connections are doing more than just streaming a single show. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for kids to be streaming Phineas and Ferb on their iPads downstairs while their parents are upstairs watching Squid Game or watching live sports.

We’ll start by listing the minimum speeds needs for streaming on all the big platforms. To make sure your internet connection can keep up, just add up all the different services that could be running at the same time. Just don’t forget to budget a few megabits for people who might be trying to work while everyone else is streaming.

How much speed do you need for your streaming service?

Select a button to find out what you need to stream your favorite service(s).

What speed do I need to stream video?

Everybody eats, everybody sleeps, and everybody streams video. Services like YouTube, Netflix ,and Disney+ are everywhere. But how can you ensure a great experience?

First, you need a good internet connection. Look for speeds of at least 100Mbps on an internet plan with unlimited data.

The next thing you need is a streaming service. Most services provide TV shows and movies on demand, but there are also some—like YouTube TV—that offer live TV channels, just like cable TV. Many of these services offer free trials, and some—like Crackle and YouTube—are completely free.

If you don’t know which service to sign up for, try a few. If you’re looking for more information, check out these other articles:

• Disney+ vs. Netflix
• Netflix vs. Hulu
• Netflix vs. Amazon Prime Video
• HBO Max vs. Netflix
• 4K Streaming Guide

How much speed you need for Netflix

Netflix has clear recommendations for speed based on the quality of video you want. Just know that the speeds listed are for streaming on a single device, so if multiple devices on your network are watching Netflix at the same time, you need enough speed to handle all those streams at once.

How much speed you need for Apple TV+

Apple doesn’t give official requirements for download speeds on its Apple TV+ streaming service. Like most streaming services, it will adjust the quality of the video automatically to match your download speed. It streams at higher bitrates than most competitors, often exceeding 25Mbps for 4K.

We recommend speeds of at least a 25Mbps  per device if you want to watch in 4K quality. To take full advantage of all the features Apple offers—4K HDR video with Dolby Vision—you’ll need an Apple TV 4K as well as a broadband connection of at least 25Mbps.

How much speed you need for Hulu

Hulu’s speed recommendations are based on picture quality and the type of content you’re watching. Similar to other streaming providers, Hulu automatically adjusts the video quality based on internet speed. It also recommends higher speeds for live content than library content. These recommendations are also the bare minimum, so we suggest a slightly faster connection to make sure you always get the video quality you want.

How much speed you need for Amazon Prime Video

Like many services, Amazon automatically adjusts the quality of your videos to serve you the highest quality picture possible based on your speed. It doesn’t have much in the way of speed recommendations, but it does warn that even if you’re watching on a supported device, you may experience issues below a certain connection speed. Since these are minimum requirements, we would recommend having a faster connection if possible.

How much speed you need for YouTube

Like Netflix, YouTube does a great job of making its internet speed recommendations easy to understand. YouTube also points out that even if your connection can hit these numbers on a speed test, there are other factors like Wi-Fi performance, the type of connection, and the number of other devices on your network that can reduce your actual speed. We’ll talk more about other factors that affect buffering below.

How much speed you need for YouTube TV

Although it does offer recommended speeds for reliable streaming, YouTube TV notes that you can still use the service with slow internet speeds. For example, you can stream an HD video with a 7Mbps download speed, but you’re more likely to run into buffering issues. You can also watch with speeds slower than 3Mbps, but any content may load slowly or rebuffer when you try to watch.

How much speed you need for Disney+

Disney+ has speed recommendations that are on par with other streaming video services. If your connection is fast enough for 4K UHD video but you still find yourself being served low-quality video instead, it’s worth noting that some titles aren’t available in 4K.

How much speed you need for Sling TV

Sling TV issues its speed recommendations based on the type and number of devices you plan to use, recommending at least a 25Mbps connection if you’re going to be streaming on multiple devices. It also notes that these recommendations are for constant speeds. If you had a cable connection that slows during peak-use times, for instance, make sure that your speed never dips below these requirements for Sling to run properly.

How much speed you need for HBO Max

HBO Max offers troubleshooting advice based on which device you’re using to stream. You need at least 5Mbps of speed to watch in HD and at least 50Mbps for watching in 4K.

How much speed you need for Paramount+ Premium Streaming Service

Paramount+ suggests minimum speeds of at least 25Mbps to watch in 4K, but you can get away with speeds that are much slower if you’re watching live TV or shows on demand. Get a list of full system requirements from Paramount+.

How much speed you need for Peacock

Peacock recommends a minimum speed of 3Mbps, but says that to enjoy certain high-quality live events and ultra-high definition premium content, you’ll need at least 8Mbps. That’s a decent speed for standard HD streaming, but it should be noted that ultra-high definition is usually synonymous with 4k resolution, which needs much more bandwidth. We recommend a connection with at least 25Mbps to get the bes-quality video.

When watching live events, it’s also important to use a low-latency connection like fiber for the best real-time experience.

How much speed you need for STARZ

STARZ has some of the lowest speed requirements we’ve seen among premium streaming services, recommending speeds up to just 12Mbps for streaming on a TV. You’ll still be happiest with speeds of at least 25Mbps, though.

How much speed you need for VUDU

VUDU offers streaming in HDX, which is a format developed by VUDU that claims a better movie experience by preserving a film’s native 24 frames per second frame rate. If your internet connection can’t maintain the required minimum speed, you can use the VUDU app to download the video in HDX format.

How much speed you need for Crackle

Crackle is an ad-supported streaming service, so in addition to playback issues related to your internet speed, ad blockers might interfere with your video. If you’ve checked your speed but are still having issues, try disabling your ad blocker and see if it makes a difference.

Acorn TV cites only a minimum speed requirement. This minimum is also fairly low compared to other streaming services. For higher-quality streams, especially on multiple devices, you’ll want more speed.

What if you meet the minimum speed requirements and still have problems?

Keep in mind that even if your internet speed meets the recommended speed of the streaming service you’re using, you could still have trouble with the quality of your video. If someone is downloading a large file or on a video chat while you’re trying to stream video, your bandwidth is going to be split between all these activities.

Some types of internet connections can experience slowdown at peak-use hours. Fast internet connections also need fast Wi-Fi routers that can handle multiple devices streaming at the same time. Watching a movie on Netflix uses more bandwidth than surfing the web, Voice over IP, or even online gaming. As such, one of the most basic reasons to upgrade your internet service is to make sure that the video you stream has a crisp, clear picture and buttery-smooth playback.

What download speed do I need to watch YouTube?

YouTube has been around since 2005, and while it has kept up with the times by continually offering higher quality video for those with newer devices, it still also offers lower resolutions made for the days of dial-up internet.

To watch YouTube in 8K, you will want an internet plan with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and unlimited data. To watch in 4K, get speeds of at least 20Mbps per device. For en even smoother viewing experience, though, we recommend having a slightly higher speed than is required for the resolution you’re watching. That will let the video stream buffer so you never have to wait.

Although faster internet connections are very helpful in watching online video, YouTube can deliver good quality, even on relatively slow connections. For example, you can watch HD video in 720p with a bandwidth of just 2.5Mbps. Even the slowest DSL and satellite internet connections shouldn’t have a problem with that.

If you don’t have a fast connection, no worries. While YouTube offers resolution up to 4K, you can reduce the resolution of your videos all the way down to 144p. For reference, that’s smaller than the resolution of the original Nintendo.

YouTube doesn’t give specific speed recommendations for its lowest resolutions (they’re pretty low quality), but it lists 500Kbps as the minimum speed requirement for using the site. It also previously listed these lower resolutions as good options for 56Kbps dial-up connections (though it admits that you might have to wait a bit for the video to load). That means no matter how slow your connection is, there’s probably a way to make YouTube videos work on your device.

How do I control my resolution?

By default, YouTube sets your resolution to Auto, which automatically uses the highest resolution that it can playback smoothly. The Auto setting will also change the resolution of the video on the fly if the speed of your connection fluctuates, so most of the time, you don’t have to do anything to get the highest quality video possible.

If you want to see a video in a specific resolution, or if you just don’t like your video quality going up and down, you can select the playback resolution by opening the video’s settings.

To open the video’s settings, click on the gear icon in the bottom right of the video. Then select Quality to see the available video resolutions. Just remember that if you select a resolution that requires a higher download speed than your internet connection can maintain, your video will have to pause to buffer anytime your bandwidth can’t keep up.

Are you getting enough speed from your connection to watch high-quality video?

Find out how much speed your connection actually has by taking our speed test.

Download speed is fairly consistent across devices, which means that it doesn’t matter if you’re watching on a TV, a smartphone, or a computer—you still need the same speed to watch higher quality videos. If some of your devices are having trouble at higher resolutions and others aren’t, it might be a problem with the device or a problem with your Wi-Fi network.

What else do I need to watch YouTube?

Download speed is the most important requirement for watching YouTube videos, but there are also software and operating system requirements for using the site. If you’re watching YouTube on a mobile device or a smart TV, the easiest way to watch is to simply use the appropriate YouTube app on your device. You can also watch YouTube using a mobile browser, though the app usually works better.

Officially, the site supports the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari

This will allow you to watch most content on the site; however, YouTube notes that some “premium” videos like movies, TV shows, and livestreams require faster connections and have additional requirements, such as specific operating systems:

• Windows 7 or higher
• Mac OS X 10.7 or higher
• Ubuntu 10 or higher

The Opera browser is notably absent from the list of browsers required for premium content.

One other important note is that if you’re watching YouTube videos in a browser, 4K and 8K playback is unavailable unless you’re using Google Chrome. YouTube officially says that Chrome is required for watching all HD content in a browser, but we were able to watch 1080p in Firefox without any issues, so it seems that only 4K and 8K require Chrome. Both YouTube and the Chrome browser are owned by Google.

What upload speed do I need to make YouTube content?

If you’re a content creator, you have to worry about your upload speed in addition to your download speed. If you plan on livestreaming on YouTube, you probably want upload speeds of at least 20Mbps.

Fortunately, you have a lot more flexibility if you’re not streaming live. The site has lots of handy tools for uploading, so while a faster upload speed will get your videos on YouTube faster, you can still be a YouTube creator with a slow upload speed.

If your uploads are taking too long, you can try the following:

• Reduce the file size of your video by using a different video format.
• Upload during off hours when there’s less internet traffic.
• Choose a lower resolution for your video.
• Upgrade your internet connection to get more upload speed.

If you want to upgrade your internet connection to get more upload speed, the easiest way is to choose an internet connection that has symmetrical upload and download speeds, like fiber.

Gigabytes. Megabits. TBs. Kbps. Whew! What a mega headache. There’s more jargon associated with computing, networking, and the internet than you can shake a stick at. And you’ll likely bring out the hecklers if you jump on a Reddit forum and type the wrong “b” as you complain about your internet speed. Sigh.

But here’s the skinny: Each of these terms describes a digital amount, but talking about an amount of data is different from talking about how fast that data is transferred. The capital B’s and lowercase b’s make a real difference.

What’s the difference between KB, MB, GB, and TB?

File storage size is measured in KB (kilobytes), MB (megabytes), GB (gigabytes), and TB (terabytes), with KB being the smallest measurement and TB being the largest. Check out the chart below for specifics and real-world examples.

How many megabits per second (Mbps) does your internet plan deliver?

To find out, run our speed test from a wired connection and compare the results to your plan’s advertised speed. If you’re on Wi-Fi, move next to the router (if you can) to get the best results from our test.

To find out, install our mobile app, run our speed test next to the router or gateway to get the best results, and then check your numbers against your plan’s advertised speed. For the most accurate speed readings, run the test from a wired connection instead.

Read on to learn about how internet speeds relate to Mbps. Then, get the full explanation of bits vs. bytes … so there’s no chance of catching shade on your next Reddit expedition.

Megabits vs. Megabytes: the quick comparison

The term “megabits” is almost always used to show how much data you can transfer across a network in a second, abbreviated as Mbps. For example, an internet connection may have a bandwidth (or speed) of up to 940Mbps. The term “megabytes” is almost always used to show how much data a storage device can transfer in a second, abbreviated as MBps (or MB/s).

In short, Mbps means speed and MB means storage. It follows, then, that GB means file size and Gbps means speed, and the same is true of KB vs. Kbps and GB vs. Gbps.

The capitalization of that “b” does make a difference.

Do you need gigabit internet?

Gigabit internet is shorthand for internet speeds of 1Gbps, which is equal to about 1,000Mbps. All fiber internet providers we review offer speeds of at least a gigabit, and many cable internet providers now offer plans in that range as well.

Those speeds are impressive, but most households don’t need gigabit speeds. An internet plan with 500Mbps speeds is plenty fast for even the biggest, most binge-happy homes.

Bits vs. bytes: What is the difference?

We promised to get into the technical stuff, and that time has come.

First, it’s true the digital universe is made of nothing but ones and zeroes. In fact, the term bit is short for binary digit, the smallest unit of data. The value is either a “1” or a “0,” although the two values can signify “on” and “off” states or something similar.

So, what is a byte? It’s not what you do when you grab a piece of chicken—that’s a wholly different word. A byte is a group of eight bits, but we also use the term to describe the smallest unit of storage—we’ll explain more about that later.

Keep in mind that any measurement written in bytes is eight times larger than the corresponding unit measured in bits. In other words:

1 megabyte (1MB) = 8 megabits (8Mb)

1 gigabyte (1GB) = 8 gigabits (8Gb)

With us so far?

What are bits and bytes used for?

So, let’s do a quick recap:

• Bit – a single unit of data represented as a one or a zero.
• Byte – a combination of eight bits, like 11001100.

Simple enough, right? Now, let’s look at how we use the two terms.

Bit

Uses: networking and computing

Bits refers to the amount of data you can transfer in one second. Why? Because measuring data in motion (downloading and streaming) is trickier than measuring data at rest (files, programs, etc.).

For instance, everything you download—websites, pictures, emails, software, cat videos, and so on—divides into packets and transmits in several different directions, often arriving on your device out of order (and then reorganized). This erratic flow of data isn’t always easy to divide into bytes, so we use bits instead.

So, what does Mbps mean?

Bits per second (bps) is the number of bits moving between two points in a single second. Data transfer rates, upload speeds, download speeds, and bandwidth are almost always measured this way.

So, we obviously don’t want to say or write that our internet connection is 500,000,000 bits per second—500Mbps per second is far shorter.

When we apply this measurement to an internet connection, the most you can download at any given second from a 500Mbps plan is 500 megabits. Plus, we generally think of this number as our top speed, but it’s really the full bandwidth set by your internet provider.

Clear as mud? Read this quick primer on speed vs bandwidth from our expert archives.

Byte

Uses: storage and software

A byte is the smallest storage unit. Hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, and system memory have almost always listed their maximum capacity, read and write speeds, and transfer speeds in bytes.

Software size is also measured in bytes. One standard character requires a single byte of storage, so storing the word “hello” needs five bytes, one for each letter. This is why all forms of device storage—from RAM to hard drives—are generally measured in bytes.

So, what does MBps mean?

Generally, megabits per second describe the data transfer rate between an internal component and its parent device. For example, a WD Black SSD may have a set storage capacity, but the specifications also list a transfer rate of up to 7,300MB per second. If we wrote that in megabits, the number would be a longer 58,400Mbps, so manufacturers list the shorter number.

You can technically measure speed in bytes per second simply by taking the speed in bits per second and dividing by eight. For example, a 1,000Mbps internet speed converts to 125MB/s. But network speed is almost never measured in bytes, so if you see a speed listed for an internet connection, it’s safe to say that it’s using bits per second.

Megabits vs. megabytes: Why it matters

These subtle differences in units make it easy to flub your math when dealing with your internet speed. If you happen to get them mixed up, your calculations will be off. Way off.

For example, let’s say you want to download a 500MB file, and you have a 100Mbps internet connection. If you don’t notice the capital B in the file size, you might estimate that this download would take five seconds. However, the units don’t match up. The file size is measured in megabytes, while the connection speed is measured in megabits. Since the file size is eight times larger than you originally estimated, it actually takes eight times as long to download—40 seconds.

Now, waiting 35 seconds longer than you expected isn’t too bad, but waiting an extra 35 minutes on a download that was supposed to take only five is more of an inconvenience. This can also be frustrating if you realize you’re paying for an internet connection that gives you a lot less speed than you thought.

Megabits vs. megabytes: Why it doesn’t matter

If you’re having trouble keeping track of all these numbers, relax. Take a deep breath, and get yourself a snack. While it’s important to know the difference between bits and bytes (and to know that there is a difference), you don’t have to worry about making an expensive blunder.

Bits and bytes are used in different contexts

Generally speaking, network speed always uses bits, and storage capacity and speed always use bytes. More specifically, all internet providers list plans in megabits and gigabits, like 500Mbps and 5Gbps. All storage drive manufacturers list capacities and transfer speeds in megabytes, like 500MB and 7,500MB/s, respectively.

You never have to worry about converting between units. Even if a provider wanted to be sneaky and measure its speed in MBps instead of the standard Mbps, it would only make their connection look eight times slower than competing plans. What looks faster to you? 1,000Mbps or 125MBps?

You’ll never need to calculate exact download times

When you download a large file, modern browsers calculate the download time for you automatically. But even these exact calculations are rarely spot-on because there are so many other factors that impact how long it takes your data packets to download.

The important thing to know about your internet speed is not what volume of data it could download in an ideal situation, but whether or not it’s fast enough to do what you want it to do.

Our verdict: Knowing the difference can be useful

Megabits are used to measure wired and wireless speeds (Mbps). Megabytes are used to measure storage capacity and how fast storage devices transfer data (MB/s). Bytes are made up of eight bits, so to convert a value in bits to bytes (or Mbps to MBps, Gbps to GBps, etc.), simply divide the value by eight:

• 1,000 megabits per second ÷ 8 = 125 megabytes per second
• 250 megabytes per second x 8 = 2,000 megabits per second

Knowing the difference between bits and bytes is useful for navigating discussions about internet technology and other digital devices. It can also help you ask more useful questions when dealing with tech support or customer service.

Fortunately, in this case, knowing is significantly more than half the battle. Situations where you have to actually do the math rarely pop up outside of a computer science quiz. But now that you can do the math if you need to, get ready to amaze your friends next time this category pops up on Jeopardy!

Related content

• This Is Why Your Internet Slows Down at Night
• 5 Myths People Believe about the Internet—Debunked
• How Important Is My Wireless Router to My Internet Speed?
• How Much Speed Do You Need for Live Video Game Streaming?
• How to Pause Your Internet Service

You can watch YouTube TV on almost any internet connection type, but you’ll have the best experience with speeds of at least 50Mbps per device. If you want to watch in better quality or take advantage of simultaneous streams, you’ll need a faster connection.

For most households, an internet plan with speeds up to 250Mbps is fast enough for everyone in the family to watch without buffering or lag. If you live alone, you can get away with 100Mbps speeds even if you watch in 4K.

Internet speed matters the most for watching YouTube TV, but data limits and internet tech types are important too. We’ll recommend a few internet plans that play nice with YouTube TV—whether you’re watching in 4K on multiple screens or live alone and need internet access on a budget.

Is your Wi-Fi fast enough for YouTubeTV?

Find out what speeds your device is getting on your current connection.

YouTube TV speed basics

There are a few things you need to know as you decide on an internet connection suitable for YouTube TV. Here are our golden rules of streaming:

Higher picture quality requires faster speeds. YouTube TV automatically selects the best picture quality based on your device and your connection. If you have a slow connection, you’ll automatically get a lower resolution. However, you can make manual adjustments if necessary.

Adding devices requires faster speeds. You need speeds of only 7Mbps to stream one show on YouTube TV in HD, but most people use their internet connection for more than one activity at a time—think mobile phones, smart home gadgets, laptops, gaming consoles, and more. If any of those devices is also trying to stream video or download big files, you need even faster speeds.

Connecting via Ethernet is better than connecting via Wi-Fi. Most devices connect over Wi-Fi these days. Usually, it works great! But if you want bulletproof connectivity for watching YouTube TV, use an Ethernet cable instead. Most Smart TVs and game consoles have Ethernet ports, as do streaming devices such as Apple TVs and the Roku Ultra. To connect via Ethernet with a Chromecast device, you’ll need an Ethernet adapter.

These download speeds let you watch without lag

Back when YouTube got its start, fast internet was a lot harder to come by. YouTube TV—the company’s answer to cable TV—wasn’t launched until 2017. But whether you’re watching classic YouTube or YouTube TV, most modern internet connections meet the bare minimums.

Here’s the official word from YouTube TV on minimum download speeds you need for different resolutions:

With a standard YouTube TV subscription, you can watch shows or games in HD on up to three devices at a time as long as your internet connection is sufficient.

If you spring for the 4K Plus add-on, you’ll have to pay an extra $4.99–$9.99 per month, but you’ll get the following benefits:

• Shows and games in 4K (when available)
• Up to six simultaneous streams
• Downloads on mobile devices for offline viewing

Lucky for you, it’s easy to find out how much internet speed your household needs. Get started on your personalized recommendation by clicking below.

You can learn even more about internet speeds in the following articles from our expert resource library.

• 4K Streaming Guide
• Internet Speed Guide
• Internet Streaming Guides
• The Best Internet Providers for Streaming

Steps for controlling your resolution on YouTube TV

YouTube automatically adjusts screen resolution based on your device and the quality of your connection, but you might want to adjust it manually to save on bandwidth or data. That process looks different on different devices, but here’s a quick tutorial:

How to adjust Youtube TV resolution on a TV

Step 1: Click the gear icon in the video player.

Step 2: Navigate to Quality.

Step 3: Select your desired resolution.

Your chosen settings will remain until you change them back to Auto, even if you turn the TV off and on again.

How to adjust YouTube TV resolution on a smartphone or tablet

Step 1: Open a show in the YouTube TV app.

Step 2: Tap on the gear icon followed by the Quality option.

Step 3: Select your desired picture quality.

You can choose Higher Picture Quality for the best possible picture, but that uses the most data. You can choose Data Saver for lower quality and less data usage or Advanced to set your own resolution. The player will default to Auto for the next show.

How to adjust YouTube TV quality on all videos

Step 1: Tap on your profile picture and open Settings.

Step 2: Under Video Quality Preferences, make your selection. You will have the same options you would on your smartphone.

If you don’t change the settings at all, YouTube will adjust your resolution automatically. If you have an unlimited data plan and sufficient bandwidth, you’re in luck! You shouldn’t have to mess with the resolution settings at all.

What else do you need to watch YouTubeTV?

You can watch YouTube TV on virtually any screen that’s connected to the internet, but you may have to download a specific browser or use the YouTube TV app.

To watch YouTube TV on a computer, use the Chrome, Safari, or Firefox browsers. If you’re having issues, make sure you’ve downloaded the most recent version of the browser.

Watch YouTube TV on the YouTube TV app with a wide variety of consoles, smart TVS, smartphones, tablets, streaming devices, and smart displays. For the app, make sure you have Cobalt version 20 or higher.

Regardless of how you watch YouTube TV, it’s important to note that the DVR is cloud-based. That means all your shows are saved on YouTube’s servers, not on your local devices. The benefit is that you can access your DVR content from anywhere you have a decent internet connection. The bad news is that you’ll be locked out of YouTube TV if you don’t have internet access (and haven’t used your 4K Plus add-on to download shows to a mobile device ahead of time). Even worse, YouTube automatically deletes your recordings after nine months.

Want YouTube TV? Get fiber internet

While it’s technically possible to watch YouTube TV on slower internet connections like DSL or satellite, you’ll get the best experience with fiber internet connection. Download speed and price are the most important numbers to pay attention to when you’re shopping for internet for YouTube TV.

Best fiber internet for streaming YouTube TV without a hitch

Watching YouTube TV on a budget

In our 2024 annual internet provider review, we identified $50 per month as a good budget price for home internet. Since YouTube TV itself costs even more than that every month, it makes sense to look for a cheap internet plan.

The plans available to you will depend on your exact address, but the following are some of the best budget plans with speeds fast enough to stream live TV.

Best budget internet plans for watching YouTube TV

FAQs about YouTube TV

Disclaimers

Watching other people play video games is almost as popular as playing them yourself. And people aren’t just watching big-name internet celebrities either. Twitch, the most popular game streaming platform, has over four million unique creators streaming every month.¹ If you like sharing your gaming experiences with the world, or even just your friends, you could become one of them.

One of the keys to a successful stream is an internet connection that can handle the video (like fiber). No one wants to spend time and money getting your lights and camera just right only for your internet connection to reduce your stream to a choppy, pixelated mess.

But not to worry! We’re here to walk you through everything you need to know about internet speeds and live video game streaming so you can get your stream just right.

Livestreaming is all about upload speed

Livestreaming is one of the few situations when download speed (the speed your internet plan typically advertises) doesn’t really matter. All you have to worry about is your upload speed. You can learn more about the difference between download and upload speed here.

When you’re livestreaming, video captured from your device is sent, or uploaded, from your home to video servers somewhere on the internet. This is the opposite direction that video data usually flows since most people consume more online video content than they create.

One more time: download speed doesn’t matter for livestreaming.

Upload speed is often a bit more difficult to estimate because most internet service providers (ISPs) don’t advertise it as prominently as they do download speeds (your “advertised” speed refers to your download speed). For most kinds of internet connection, your upload speed will be much lower than your download speed. Upload speed can also fluctuate, so the easiest way to find your actual upload speed is to take a speed test. If you want an upload speed that can match your download speed, your best bet is fiber.

Test and track your internet speed on your phone

Download our free, easy-to-use speed test app for quick and reliable results.

Get your upload speed

Want to find out what upload and download speed you’re currently getting? Take a speed test.

That said, there are still plenty of online activities that require a good download speed. If you’re playing a game online or streaming royalty-free music while you’re on stream, you need to make sure you have enough download speed to ensure a smooth experience. However, the only number you need to worry about for getting your stream online is your upload speed.

Upload speed requirements for livestreaming across video platforms

We recommend having a minimum upload speed of at least 10 Mbps for livestreaming. On most platforms, this will give you a slight buffer to account for fluctuations in upload speed.

Different streaming platforms have different requirements when it comes to video quality. Some are optimized so that you can broadcast low-resolution video from your cell phone whenever you want, while others try to make it possible for viewers to tune in to TV-quality streams. While you can technically stream as long as you meet the minimum requirements, you should always plan to have at least an extra 5 Mbps to account for fluctuations in speed.

Here’s the breakdown of how much upload speed you’ll need to livestream on different platforms.

Twitch

Twitch is the biggest site for video game streaming, so if you want to be a streamer, you should be able to stream on Twitch. Fortunately, it gives streamers a few different recommendations for resolution and frame rate.

For context, 30 frames per second (fps) is the standard frame rate for television, while 60 fps is a common framerate in video games. Just like resolution, frame rate affects the amount of speed you need to stream, so if you don’t have the fastest connection, you might have to make a trade-off.

Facebook Live

Facebook keeps it simple, listing only the absolute minimum requirements for streaming on the platform. But that’s not to say you can’t achieve a decent video quality with Facebook.

Although you can start a livestream on Facebook with nothing more than your phone and the Facebook app, Facebook Live is also compatible with standard streaming software like OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and vMix.

YouTube Live

YouTube has a staggering amount of recommendations, ranging from a 240p stream (which is the resolution of an old Nokia cell phone or a Game Boy Advance) to streaming in full 4K UHD.^{2, 3} We’d recommend shooting for somewhere in the middle. Plenty of professional streamers stream at 1080p, and that’s a high enough resolution to look good on everything from cell phones to TV screens.

You need extra internet speed for a stable video stream

We suggest that you try to have 10–15 Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video you’re trying to stream and even more if you know that your connection has regular issues with slowdown.

Another good rule of thumb is to have twice as much upload speed as whatever you set your bitrate to be, just to be safe. Not all your viewers will notice the subtle difference between 30 and 60 fps, but everyone will notice if your stream starts freezing and stuttering.

If you just barely meet the speed requirements for the video you’re trying to stream, the slightest fluctuation in your connection can interfere with or even crash your stream. That’s because livestreaming is a lot trickier than streaming video from Netflix. Since your stream isn’t prerecorded, the server can’t buffer to smooth out the normal ups and downs in internet speed.

Also, remember that if you’re streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, you need enough total bandwidth that each stream has plenty of upload speed. For example, if you’re streaming 1080p video to both Twitch (6 Mbps minimum) and YouTube (3 Mbps minimum), you’d need an upload speed of at least 9 Mbps, though realistically, you’d need 15–20 Mbps to keep both streams stable.

Why is a stable video stream so important?

Livestreaming is much more technologically demanding than just playing games. Most online games can get by on a pretty modest internet connection, as long as there’s low latency. Livestreaming turns your home into your own personal TV station, broadcasting high-resolution video to your fans.

To grow an avid fan base on a platform like Twitch, you need to deliver a quality experience. A reliable camera, good audio equipment, and a fancy gaming computer are all important investments for any dedicated streamer, but none of that makes much of a difference to those watching if your stream freezes and staggers throughout the broadcast.

A reliable internet connection is one of the first investments an aspiring streamer should make.

What type of internet is best for livestreaming?

The best internet connection for livestreaming is fiber. To livestream, you need a reliable connection with good upload speeds and low latency. In all three of those categories, fiber-optic connections are by far the best option. If fiber isn’t available in your area, you probably want to go with a wired connection, as wireless connections tend to be more susceptible to interference and generally experience higher latency.

Fiber, is the best connection for livestreaming. It has symmetrical upload and download speeds, which means if you have gigabit download speeds, you get the exact same speeds for your uploads. Fiber is also a much more stable connection and doesn’t suffer from the same kind of slowing issues that cable has to deal with. All these factors make fiber the ideal connection for streamers.

Cable connections can reach upload speeds between 5 Mbps and 50 Mbps, so the best cable plans can handle HD streaming, but slower connections will be lucky to deliver anything above Game Boy quality. Cable is also prone to slowing down at peak hours, so unless you stream in the middle of the night, you might have to plan around the inevitable drop in speed.

DSL and satellite connections generally aren’t fast or stable enough for streamers, so you’re probably going to need either cable or fiber internet.

For more information, check out our page on fiber providers.

How does latency affect livestreaming?

Latency is the time it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to a server on the internet. It essentially determines the reaction time of your internet connection. Having high latency will cause lag in games or calls, delaying your reactions and causing problems.

Because streaming is primarily one-way communication, latency is handled a bit differently than it is in a video call. Streaming software usually performs more encoding and compression on your video (though you can adjust this in your settings) in order to improve the final quality at the expense of a few seconds of delay. This isn’t usually noticeable to your audience unless you’re streaming a Q&A session or a live event.

One important precaution for streamers to take is to use a wired connection to your router instead of Wi-Fi when possible. Even fast, reliable Wi-Fi introduces a bit of extra latency into your connection, so a wired connection is definitely preferable. If you don’t already have one, get yourself an Ethernet cable.

Why am I still getting dropped frames?

Do you have a solid internet connection but your video still looks choppy? Video game streams often suffer from dropped frames, where instead of the video playing smoothly from one frame to the next, the same frame will play twice in a row and then skip forward. If enough frames are dropped, it can lead to jittery, uneven video.

Although a slow or unstable internet connection can cause a stream to drop frames, dropped frames are often a problem with your capture card. If your capture card can’t record and encode your video data fast enough to keep up with your framerate, the result is dropped frames in your stream.

Before you fork out the money to upgrade to a better capture card, there are a few things you can try. First, check your internet speed to make sure you’re getting the upload speed you think you are. Also, make sure that you’re plugged into your router and not relying on Wi-Fi.

If you try those things and are sure that it’s not your connection, try adjusting the settings in your streaming software, lowering your bitrate. You can also try updating your computer’s network drivers.

You need only about 10Mbps of download speed to use Zoom for video conferencing, but you also need fast upload speeds, low latency, a laptop or smartphone that’s up to snuff, and a decent router or gateway.

Our guide below explains why you need more than Zoom’s recommended 1.5Mbps of download speed to have a good experience. We’ll also help you troubleshoot, shop for a great internet plan for Zoom, and offer ways to help you save on internet data during Zoom sessions.

How much internet speed do you need for Zoom?

You need a minimum internet speed of 0.6–1.5Mbps to use Zoom, but we recommend download speeds of about 20Mbps and upload speeds of about 5Mbps for the best experience.

You also need to save speed for everything else happening on your internet connection, whether that’s a kiddo gaming in another room, a roommate on a video call of their own, or app updates on your smartphone.

If you disconnect all your other devices from Wi-Fi and close all your other apps, here’s the minimum internet speed you need for Zoom.

In our Zoom testing, we experienced buffering delays, choppy video and audio, and other interruptions on Zoom calls with speeds as fast as 15Mbps. That’s why we recommend planning on at least 20Mbps of bandwidth for every video call.

The rule of thumb is that you need an internet plan with about 100Mbps of download speed per person so everyone can work, play, and stream smoothly.

Lucky for you, most internet providers offer speeds in that range. If that’s not the case for you, it might be time to switch to a faster internet provider.

How much upload speed do you need for Zoom?

You need a minimum of 0.6–1Mbps of upload speed in order to use Zoom, but we usually recommend uploads speeds of about 5Mbps for the best possible experience.

Internet plans are measured primarily in download speed since we often consume most of our internet content by downloading it (think streaming video or downloading an attachment in an email). But upload speeds are also important—especially when it comes to Zooming. Watching someone else on Zoom uses download speed while sharing your own video and screen uses upload speed.

Upload speeds in most internet packages tend to be significantly slower than download speeds—in the case of cable and DSL packages, your uploads could be up to 10 times slower than your downloads. However, fiber internet often gives you matching download and upload speeds. That makes your Zoom calls go super smoothly.

Put your internet speed to the test

Take our quick speed test below to see how fast your speeds are with your current provider. Connect to your router with an Ethernet cable for the most accurate results.

Is your internet fast enough for Zoom?

Your internet is fast enough for Zoom if you have a basic Wi-Fi package on a cable or fiber connection with at least 1.5 Mbps download speeds. You also likely have fast enough speeds if you’re on a DSL or satellite plan, though you may experience slower upload speeds than what would be ideal for a totally smooth Zoom session.

If you compare Zoom’s speed requirements to the speeds you usually get from an internet provider or cellular company, it’s clear that Zoom’s bandwidth requirements are pretty easy to hit.

It won’t be hard to hit Zoom’s basic internet speed requirements with a cable, fiber, or DSL plan.

Nowadays, you can even get solid speeds for using Zoom over a satellite internet connection. But since it involves streaming video, Zoom consumes a great deal of internet data—so you’ll want to be sure to get a satellite internet plan that doesn’t have strict data caps or a lot of lag.

Internet providers with the best Zoom speeds

Many internet providers can get you Zoom’s minimum speeds, but we wanted to highlight some of our favorites. Xfinity is probably your best bet because it has a wide network, incredibly fast speeds, and great customer ratings.

But fiber providers such as Google Fiber and AT&T give you the added advantage of having very fast upload speeds, ensuring your video feed stays strong.

T-Mobile 5G home internet also did well on our Zoom tests, and we love that it’s available almost anywhere you can get a strong 5G signal on your phone.

You can find more great providers on our fastest internet providers guide. Also, make sure to run a search to see which of these providers are available in your area.

Speed requirements for other videoconferencing apps

You need a minimum of at least 500Kbps (0.5 Mbps) to make video calls on videoconferencing apps other than Zoom.

The internet speed requirements on apps like Skype, Slack, and Google Meet are pretty much the same as Zoom’s requirements. You don’t need a lot of bandwidth to make the apps work, but a faster internet speed reduces the chance of frustrations like poor connections or dropped calls.

How to troubleshoot your Zoom connection

If your Zoom sessions frequently lag or freeze up, it might be an internet connection that’s too slow. But it could also be a problem with your laptop, your router, or Zoom itself.

Follow the steps below to get back up and zooming in no time.

Step 1: See if Zoom itself is the problem

Sometime’s the problem isn’t you—it’s Zoom itself. Head over to the Zoom Status checker to see if the service is reporting any widespread problems.

Step 2: Update your Zoom app

We recommend downloading and using the Zoom app on your laptop rather than trying to join meetings from your browser or smartphone. If you’re on the app but still having trouble, make sure you’re using the latest version and have installed all the updates.

Step 3: Close other applications

If you’re on a slow internet connection, multitasking can slow down your Zoom connection. To bring your Zoom call back to normal, close out your email, web browser, and any other applications or windows you might have open.

Step 4: Restart your modem and router

The quickest and easiest way to address slow internet at home is by restarting your modem and router. Unplug both devices from the wall, let them rest for a minute or so, and then plug them back in. A simple reset clears potential bugs and programming cobwebs that may be weighing down your equipment.

Step 5: Use mobile data or a hotspot

Has your home internet cut out? Simply whip out your cell phone and log on to Zoom with your mobile data. Most cell phones also have a built-in hotspot feature, so if your cellular plan allows it, you can switch on your phone’s hotspot to create Wi-Fi access for your laptop or desktop computer.

Step 6: Switch off “Enable HD” and “Touch up my appearance”

Zoom’s “Enable HD” and “Touch up my appearance” features both take extra bandwidth and data to function, so you can get better performance by switching them off.

To turn them off, head to the video settings menu by clicking the tiny, upward-pointing arrow next to the Start Video button in the bottom left corner of your screen. There you can click off the check marks on both features.

Step 7: Turn off the Wi-Fi on other devices

The more people using your Wi-Fi connection, the more strain it puts on your home internet speed. If your kids or roommates are streaming video or playing games on their devices while you’re in a Zoom meeting, ask them to switch it off so you can get a better connection. If asking nicely doesn’t work, you can kick them off by logging into your router.

Step 8: Move your device closer to your router (or move your router to a better place in your house)

You may be in a part of the house with a Wi-Fi dead zone, where the router’s signal can’t reach your device. If that’s the case, take a seat on a couch or a chair within eyeshot of your router to improve the signal.

To improve the Wi-Fi signal, you could also move your router so it’s in a more centralized position in your house. Place it on a table or shelf, away from metal objects, microwaves, and other obstacles. If your home has multiple floors or a complex layout, consider investing in a mesh wireless system or long-range router.

Step 9: Connect to your router with an Ethernet cable

Instead of relying on a Wi-Fi signal, you can plug your computer directly into your router with an Ethernet cable. That gives you faster speeds and more reliable performance.

Step 10: Upgrade your internet plan—or switch providers

If you’re still having trouble, consider calling your internet provider to upgrade your internet speed. Or, if other options are available in your area, you can switch to a new provider that gives you faster speeds and better performance overall.

How much data do you need to use Zoom?

Even though using Zoom doesn’t require fast speeds, it can use quite a bit of data. Drawing from our knowledge of the difference between megabits and megabytes, we did some calculations to get a baseline estimate. We found that you can end up using anywhere from 0.5GB to a whopping 2.5GB per hour on a Zoom call with video enabled.

The chart below gives you an idea of some other popular tasks and how much data they devour. Zoom doesn’t appear to need as much as streaming services like Netflix—but keep in mind that your Zoom data usage could vary depending on your connection and your device.

How do you use less data on Zoom?

The best way to use less internet data while on a Zoom call is to switch off your video.

If you have strict data restrictions on your internet or mobile plan, you can save data by using Zoom as an audio-only VoIP service. By our calculations, voice calls eat up only around 31.5MB of data per hour—a fraction of how much you would use when your video is switched on. Screen sharing with no video uses 22.5–67.5MB per hour.

Of course, you won’t have to worry about that if you have unlimited data on your internet or mobile plan.

Zoom FAQs

Use the tool below to check your internet speed and get results in seconds. You’ll learn upload and download speeds in megabits per second (Mbps) and latency and jitter in milliseconds (ms) based on your device, your local network, and your connection to the internet.

That’s it! You have the raw numbers, but there’s a little more to it. We’ll walk you through what it all means so you can decide whether it’s time to make a change.

What an internet speed test measures

What are Mbps?

Internet speed is measured in bits per second, and megabits stands for one million bits. Speeds are usually measured in Mbps, but sometimes measured in gigabits per second (Gbps), which is a billion bits per second.

What is download speed?

Download speed measures how fast information from the internet gets to your device (for example, how fast your Netflix show loads) in Mbps. Think of it like the time it takes a car to get from the store to your home.

What is upload speed?

Upload speed refers to how fast information on your device can be sent to some other destination on the internet (like how fast your vacation pictures post to Instagram) in Mbps. Think of it like the time it takes for a car to get from your home to the store.

What is ms?

This one’s easy! It’s the standard tech abbreviation for milliseconds, or thousands of a second. No analogy required.

What is latency?

Latency, or lag, refers to the time it takes for a signal to be sent to and from your computer to a remote server somewhere. Think of it like the round-trip travel time of a single car.

What is jitter?

Jitter refers to the consistency of your latency over time. If latency is the round-trip travel time of a single car, jitter measures the difference in arrival times of separate cars.

What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth refers to the width of the metaphorical pipe through which you’re downloading and uploading data, and it relates to your local area network rather than speeds on a single device. When you’re shopping for home internet plans, max download and upload speeds refer to your connection’s total bandwidth at any given time.

What determines your internet speed?

Your internet speed is determined by your device, your local connection, and your internet provider. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Your device: Your laptop, smartphone, desktop, or smart TV is the first link in the chain. Newer and higher-quality devices process data faster.

Your local connection: Whether you’re connected through Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable, your local network is the next link. Like with personal devices, newer and higher-quality Wi-Fi routers and Ethernet cables translate to faster speeds.

Your internet provider: Your internet provider connects your local area network to outside networks, but is limited by both the internet plan you choose and your connection type. Generally speaking, faster connections cost more.

How internet type determines your speed

Dial-up internet is the slowest kind of internet connection and is too slow for uses like streaming video, with average speeds of 50Kbps or so (0.5Mbps). It’s mostly a relic of the past.

Satellite internet connects your local network to satellites in space, and its speeds and latency are highly variable. It’s also expensive, but you can get it almost anywhere.

Digital subscriber line (DSL) internet uses aging telephone networks and achieves speeds up to 100Mbps. It’s not much faster than satellite, and its speed and latency are affected by the distance to your internet provider’s central office.

4G LTE and 5G fixed wireless internet uses excess capacity on cell towers to provide internet to your home. Speeds can vary depending on traffic congestion and your distance from the nearest tower, but speeds can be as fast as 1,000Mbps in ideal circumstances.

Cable internet uses fiber-optics on the street and coaxial cables to connect to your home, just like cable TV. You can get download speeds up to 2Gbps, but you’ll have much slower upload speeds and may have congestion during peak hours.

Fiber internet connects you to the web via fiber-optic cables. You can get residential speeds up to 10Gbps, and you have the benefit of symmetrical upload speeds. Fiber also excels in reliability, latency, and jitter.

By understanding what kind of internet connection you have, you should have a good idea of how fast your connection should be. The question, though, is how much speed you’re actually getting from your connection.

Tips to get the most accurate speed

You know how to see the speed you’re getting on a single device at a given moment in time, but you need a little more info to determine whether you’re getting the bandwidth you deserve from your internet provider.

Here are a few things you can do to get the most accurate results:

Pause automatic downloads

Downloads can take up a lot of your bandwidth, and that means slow speeds on a speed test. You can check the Task Manager on Windows or the Activity Monitor on macOS to see if any programs are trying to download updates or other large files.

Get rid of freeloaders

Next, make sure that no one else on your home network is using a chunk of your bandwidth. You’re not going to get very accurate results if you have people streaming Netflix in three different rooms of your house while you test. You can ask them nicely to pause their activities while you test, or go scorched earth and kick them off by logging into your router interface or changing your Wi-Fi password.

Check for wireless router issues

As mentioned above, plugging directly into your router via Ethernet will give you the fastest possible speeds. It’s impractical, though, and may not be super helpful.

We suggest you check your internet speed where you most often use your computer, on Wi-Fi. If the speed is less than you expect, try plugging it into your router. If you get a dramatic increase in speed, it might be time to get a better router.

So, what do my results mean?

Once you know the speeds you’re getting over your internet connection, what do you do next? First, look up your plan info on your provider’s mobile app or your bill. Then, compare it to your results.

Fair warning, you probably won’t see an exact match. That’s to be expected. Here’s some additional context.

Interpreting download speeds

The download speeds that show up on your test will likely be slower than your plan speed, for a variety of reasons. If you have DSL, your speeds will be slower the further you are from neighborhood infrastructure. On satellite, cable, or fixed wireless, they’ll be slower depending on congestion in your neighborhood. With fiber, they may be slower based on factors like your device, your router, and your distance from that router.

Check multiple times a day on a few different devices to get a clear picture of whether your provider is living up to its end of the bargain.

Checking your latency

If you play online games or watch live video, you also want to pay attention to your latency. If your latency is below 20 milliseconds (ms), your experience should be perfectly smooth. If your latency is above 150 ms, you’re going to have some significant issues with lag.

Replacing an old router can reduce latency. Connecting directly to your router via Ethernet cable instead of over Wi-Fi will make a huge difference in preventing lag. Finally, you can upgrade to a type of connection with naturally lower latency, like fiber.

Diagnosing problems

If you’ve done everything you can to get the most accurate speed test and your download speeds are still way below what you expect, it could mean a few different things.

Malware: You might have malware on your device. Network worms and other malicious software hijack part of your bandwidth, but this is often the least of your worries. Run antivirus software to check for and remove malware.

Outdated hardware: You might have outdated hardware that’s incompatible with your provider’s requirements. For example, Xfinity’s gigabit services require a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. Although DOCSIS 3.0 equipment can technically get up to gigabit speeds, Xfinity doesn’t support it.

Internet service provider (ISP) issues: There might be a problem with your provider’s infrastructure. Sometimes these are just network interruptions caused by your ISP upgrading part of its network or simply doing maintenance. It could also be a more serious problem that can be fixed only by your provider. If you’ve explored the other options and are still having issues, call your ISP’s customer service.

Malfunctioning equipment: If your speed is lower than expected, but there are no problems with your internet service, there might be a problem with your equipment. Reset your modem and router by turning them off, waiting for a minute or two, then turning them back on. Try connecting to your router using an Ethernet cable instead of over Wi-Fi. If you’re already using a wired connection, try swapping out your Ethernet cable for a different one. You can also try running the speed test from a different device to see if you get the same results.

Interference: Wireless signals can experience interference from physical objects, like trees or the walls of your house, and from other electronic devices, such as your microwave or even your neighbor’s Wi-Fi router. Most of the time, this can be fixed by moving your router to a better position, but it might require changing the settings in your router’s menu.

• What Is a Good Download and Upload Speed?
• Mbps vs. Gbps: Do You Need Gigabit Internet?
• Improve Your Wi-Fi Speed in 10 Simple Steps
• Your Ultimate Guide to Internet Speed

Satellite internet isn’t known for being the fastest or most reliable way to connect to the internet, but there’s no need for satellite customers to suffer more than they have to. Although it’s never going to get the same performance as other connections, there are a few things you can do to get a better experience with your satellite internet.

Getting a Wi-Fi booster

A Wi-Fi booster or extender is a type of repeater that expands the range of a wireless network by rebroadcasting the signal from the router. This means your connection will bounce from your router to the repeater and then to your device, extending your network range and sidestepping obstacles to reach the farthest corners of your house.

Most satellite internet customers connect their devices over Wi-Fi, just like with any other internet connection. Because satellite internet has relatively low download speeds and is prone to interference, it’s easy not to notice when the problem is actually your home wireless network, rather than your internet connection.

If your internet is slow or inconsistent in some rooms of your home, while consistently performing better in others, then your Wi-Fi is likely the problem. You can also try plugging a device directly into your router with an Ethernet cable.

If your Wi-Fi is the problem, a Wi-Fi extender is an easy way to boost the signal to the rest of your house. Our top pick for satellite customers is the TP-Link RE315

Troubleshoot speed problems

Wi-Fi boosters will help you fix weak signals or dead zones in your house, but they can’t increase your internet speed. If you’re getting slower than expected speeds, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot satellite-specific issues.

Check your monthly data

Satellite plans have some of the most restrictive data caps of any internet type, so it’s very easy to go over your monthly allotment of data. Once you’ve passed your data cap, your data is deprioritized, which can drop your speed dramatically, especially during peak usage hours. If you notice a sudden drop in your internet speed, check your data to make sure you haven’t passed your limit.

Remove physical obstructions

To maintain a strong connection, your satellite dish needs to have a clear view of the south sky where your provider’s satellite is located. Physical obstructions, like a fallen branch, can block or interfere with your signal. Snow buildup on the dish itself can also interfere with your connection. Be extremely careful when removing snow or debris so as not to injure yourself or damage your dish.

Look for damage or antenna misalignment

Satellite dishes can be damaged in storms or high winds. Wind can also turn them just enough that they are no longer in alignment with the orbiting satellite. If you can see obvious damage or notice that your antenna has moved out of alignment, contact your provider to replace or realign your equipment.

Wait out bad weather

Satellite internet is uniquely vulnerable to interference from the weather. Rain, snow, extreme heat, high winds, and even sun transit can temporarily interfere with your internet connection. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do during bad weather if you’re experiencing interference, though hybrid satellite connections like Hughesnet Fusion are slightly more resilient to this kind of interference due to having a backup network to fall back on if the other is experiencing issues.

Troubleshoot other problems

In addition to these satellite-specific issues, satellite internet can encounter the same problems as most other internet technologies. If you’re still having problems with your connection, check out some of our other troubleshooting articles for possible solutions.

Alternatives to satellite

If satellite internet doesn’t provide you with the speed or reliability that you need, there may be other options available, even in rural areas. Even if these other connections offer slower speeds than your satellite provider, there are other benefits to non-satellite internet besides speed.

5G home internet uses the same networks as cellular phones to deliver home internet. It’s widely available, has higher data caps than satellite, and has low monthly costs. Depending on where you live, you can get much faster speeds from 5G than you would from satellite internet. The set up is simpler too.

Much like satellite, DSL is slow and often overpriced when compared to other internet options; however, because it’s a wired connection, it has many advantages over satellite, such as lower latency, more (or unlimited) data, and a much more reliable connection. And although DSL plans can be overpriced when compared to similar speeds offered by cable or fiber, they’re still much cheaper on average than satellite.

Fixed wireless internet uses a ground-based system of antennas to connect people to the internet, especially in areas with no physical infrastructure for DSL or cable. As a wireless connection, it deals with many of the same issues as satellite, but they’re much more manageable. You’ll usually get faster speeds, more data, and less interference.

Boosting satellite internet FAQ

Download speeds of 25Mbps are no longer fast enough to fully participate in modern society, according to a report adopted today by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Instead, the agency has announced a new speed benchmark of 100Mbps for download speeds and 20Mbps for upload speeds for fully wired connections. In agency shorthand, that’s 100/20.

How fast is 100Mbps?

For 5G service, which is delivered over the air, the new FCC standard is download speeds of 35Mbps and upload speeds of 3Mbps (35/5). Right now, T-Mobile is the biggest 5G provider out there.

In a controversial move, satellite internet from companies like Starlink was excluded from the report.