Question for the cord cutters - how fast is your internet?

I'm considering cutting the cable cord with "Wrecktum", but am fighting ghosts in my internet/wifi and suspect I'm not getting the speed (or reliability) to start streaming video content.

How do you test what your internet speed is?

I've tried two different free sites and they measure different; guess it depends on what server the speed test is being conducted from.

So, how do you get an accurate speed result from your actual ISP?

And once you've got your speed result, what do you think is the mininum bandwidth is that works well for you?

Worst case for our house would be 4 people watching 'tv' related content at the same time.

I don't want to buffer or have macroblocking! Hate that!

TIA!

 

I haven't cut the cord but I do use Netflix for streaming. I have Spectrum cable with 100 mbps but what is most important IMO is that I'm using ethernet instead of wireless. When I tried to stream via wireless and the results were terrible. I switched to ethernet and the results are very good.

 

Yeah, that's gonna be problematic in my house - to hardwire the rooms with actual tvs with ethernet.

 

Go to YouTube and type 4K video. You'll have a bunch of results. It doesn't matter if your TV or monitor don't support 4K. During playback, set it to 4K in the video window. If it starts buffering, stuttering, etc. You'll know you don't have a solid connection.

Also, you'd have to ensure your router is capable of supporting the proper speeds and is using protocols destined to provide you with superior speeds and range.

In case of issues with speeds and reliability of signal, you can always buy access points to put throughout your house which will relay the signal and therefore strengthen it and increase your range.

 

Got it.

But, any 'rules of thumb' for what b/w I would need to support 4 simulataneous HD streams?

If I can't get that - then that's a show stopper. I don't want family members yelling to 'log off' or 'I was on first' if multiple streams cause buffering, hiccups or macroblocking.

 

Try this site to find your internet speed. It is pretty accurate: Speakeasy Internet Speed Test - Check Your Broadband Speed

 

Speeds frequently vary different times during the day. Even minutes apart.

I’ll probably get rid of everything but very basic cable soon but stick with the Infinity blast because my download speed hovers around 275 mps.

 

My internet is fast enough - but they've started strictly enforcing data caps and I'll likely have to pay $50 more a month because of it.

Factor that in to your decision making.

 

Anyone care to share/divulge what your internet speeds are and how many are in your family and how many simultaneous streams you can get?

I'm still grappling with what my house to curb interface needs to be for bandwidth to support the number of family members.

Thanks!

 

I'm at 50Mbps down, 10Mbps up. I stream all kinds of things via 5G wireless, and get HD with no stuttering, buffering, etc. Sometimes there's an issue with the source, and I will get some issues until the stream settles down. This mostly happens with Crunchyroll, and I don't notice it on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc., so I assume it's a Crunchyroll issue (they have lots of issues).

You can also do a quick speed test via Netflix's Fast.com.

For wireless, it really comes down to how good the router and modem are, and the distance the router is from your destination hardware. I had tons of issues with my past router, but since I bought my Asus dual-band, it's been smooth sailing.

 

Google Fiber. One gigabit up and down.

 

I also switched to Spectrum (from TWC although actually the same thing as far as billing right now) and I have
108 mbps Ethernet (on my main PC) and 55 mbps wireless with their router. Have five devices (not including PC's) accessing Netflix (two at a time) and all work flawlessly. Make sure your wireless is set up correctly.
I currently have no problems at all with Spectrum and it's new router (which is a major change from Time Warner/Roadrunner's lousy router).

 

Don't have Google fiber in our area.

So is 1 Gbps claimed as a Google promise or did you measure it?

 

Some variation. Download speeds have been as slow as 990 Meg's, but upload speed as exceeded 1000 on occasion.

 

Just did the test at the link posted by 200 Motels up-thread. It came back 84 mbps download/81 upload. There are two people in the house on two different computer setups. I will say that I think that download number seems low. We have Google Fiber and the downloads I do are very fast compared to the cable company we had prior. I'm pretty sure I've had d/l speeds in the neighborhood of Mazzy's 275.

ETA: Chris DeVoe & I are in the same area, I don't know that I've gotten the speeds he is getting, but I've always been very happy with Google Fiber.

 

That is *screamin'*!

 

I have 130 down but the thing is..its very hard to get good speeds via wifi at least in a dense suburban area. So if you can hard connect you'll get much better speeds. Its still fast enough for what i need but i only get around 30-40 mbs down via wifi.

 

How much are you paying monthly for those types of speeds?

 

The hard part is finding servers that can keep up. For instance, I upload a ton of video to YouTube, and in theory it should upload to their servers as quickly as I can copy from one computer to the other via my gigabit network...but it's always a lot slower.

 

The internet portion is $70 a month.

 

Run everything in the 5 gigahertz band, and use 2.4 only for that handful of devices that have no 5g support.

If you have an Android phone, download the free WiFi Analyzer app. You'll see 2.4 crowded as all get out, and tons of free space in the 5.6 band.

 

On average, you need 8mbps for 1080P viewing. Times 4, you're at 32mbps. That's the floor which means that you need that minimum! Then, you add all the rest of the devices (cell phones, tablets, PCs, etc) that will be browsing, gaming, etc. I wouldn't be comfortable with anything less than 50mbps guaranteed for what you want to do. And that's assuming you have perfect signal everywhere. If not, you'll need to implement some of the suggestions in my previous post.

And then, if you decide to get a 4K TV, that's more bandwith ; 25mbps per viewing device. So you'd need 100mbps minimum for that purpose. Plus whatever peripheral usage you might have, I'd go for 125-150mbps minimum.

Also, don't forget that Internet connections via cable tend to go up and down in terms of available bandwith for your household due to the shared pipe architecture so if there's a lot of usage in your neighborhood, your available bandwith might go below what you'd like. So those numbers would only for guaranteed bandwith! Otherwise, it's best to shoot for a higher plan if possible to avoid the dreaded symptoms of not having enough bandwith (stuttering, buffering, slow reaction times, etc).

 

Fast enough to download a full blu-ray in 30 minutes.

 

Yeah I run the 5ghz on most things but my speed is still half what it is when connected directly to the router.

 

AT&T 1000 Plan (1000Mbps connection). $70 a month.

I think I need to upgrade my Apple TV (4th gen) as I'm only getting 100Mbps when I test it (I have Cat5e from the router plugged directly into it - not over wireless). I think the 4th gen RJ45 jacks only have only a 10/100 connector. Over wifi I get anywhere from 100 to 300 Mbps through the Apple TV. I've read the 4K Apple TV's have a gigabit port so that might be my next purchase. That being said, 100 Mbps does the job nicely. No complaints here.

My laptop and desktop computer get really great speeds over wifi (up to about 600 Mbps). That's after the signal passes through several walls and doors as well.

I used the Ookla Speed Test App to get those numbers.