Tick what happens in your home at the same time, and we'll tell you how many Mbps your internet plan actually needs — with headroom built in so evenings don't crawl.
HD video streaming (Netflix/YouTube 1080p)
~5 Mbps each
4K video streaming
~25 Mbps each
Video calls (Zoom/Meet/WhatsApp)
~4 Mbps each
Online gaming
~4 Mbps each (ping matters more)
Music / podcasts
~1 Mbps each
General browsing & social apps
~2 Mbps each
Smart home devices (cameras etc.)
~1 Mbps each
Large downloads / cloud backup running
~10 Mbps each
Why your “100 Mbps plan” still buffers
The plan number is the speed into your house — what each device gets depends on router placement, band, and how many things are sharing it. If your math here says your plan should be plenty but evenings still crawl, the problem is almost always inside the house: start with our 9 Wi-Fi fixes sorted by effort. And for the full breakdown of what different households really need, read how many Mbps do you actually need.