You're Paying for Internet Speed You'll Never Use

"Upgrade to gigabit internet for just $20 more!"

You imagine lightning-fast downloads. Instant streaming. Zero buffering. So you upgrade.

Three months later, nothing feels different. Because you never needed gigabit in the first place.

What Speed Do You Actually Need?

Here's what common activities require:

Activity	Required Speed
Basic browsing, email	1-5 Mbps
HD video streaming (1080p)	5-10 Mbps
4K video streaming	25 Mbps
Video calls (Zoom, FaceTime)	3-5 Mbps
Online gaming	10-25 Mbps
Large downloads	As fast as possible

Notice anything? Most activities need under 50 Mbps. Even 4K streaming — the bandwidth hog — only needs 25 Mbps per stream.

The Simultaneous Usage Calculation

The key is: how many people/devices use bandwidth at the same time?

Household math:

• Person 1: 4K Netflix (25 Mbps)
• Person 2: Video call (5 Mbps)
• Person 3: Gaming (20 Mbps)
• Background devices: Updates, smart home (10 Mbps)
• Total: 60 Mbps

Add 50% buffer for overhead and peak spikes: 90 Mbps

A 100-200 Mbps plan handles this household easily. Gigabit is overkill.

Calculate your household's actual needs: Internet Speed Calculator

The Real-World Speed Check

Most activities don't improve beyond certain thresholds:

Web browsing: Your eyes can't read faster. A page that loads in 0.5 seconds at 100 Mbps doesn't load noticeably faster at 1 Gbps.

Streaming: Netflix buffers ahead. Once you have enough bandwidth (25-50 Mbps), more speed doesn't improve the experience.

Gaming: Latency (ping) matters more than bandwidth. A 1 Gbps connection with 80ms ping plays worse than a 50 Mbps connection with 20ms ping.

Video calls: Zoom caps at ~5 Mbps. Having 1 Gbps doesn't make your call clearer.

When Speed Actually Matters

There are legitimate use cases for high-speed plans:

Large file downloads:

• Downloading a 100 GB game takes 13 minutes at 1 Gbps vs 2 hours at 100 Mbps
• If you download games often, speed saves time

Multiple power users:

• 5+ people streaming 4K simultaneously
• Home office with constant large uploads
• Content creators uploading videos

Upload-heavy work:

• Streaming on Twitch (8-20 Mbps upload)
• Backing up large files to cloud
• Working with large video files remotely

The Upload Speed Scam

Most ISPs advertise download speeds prominently. Upload speed? Hidden in fine print.

A "gigabit" plan might have:

• 1000 Mbps download
• 35 Mbps upload

For video calls, cloud backups, and working from home, upload matters. That 35 Mbps upload could bottleneck you while you're paying for 1000 Mbps you don't use.

Fiber symmetric plans (same upload and download) are worth the premium if you upload frequently.

The Speed Test Reality

You probably don't get the speed you're paying for anyway.

Factors that reduce actual speed:

• Router limitations: Old router caps at 300 Mbps
• WiFi overhead: WiFi rarely hits wired speeds
• Device bottlenecks: Old laptop NIC maxes at 100 Mbps
• Peak usage: Neighborhood congestion at 7pm

Before upgrading your plan, test:

1. Speed at the router (wired connection)
2. Speed on WiFi (where you actually use it)
3. Speed at peak times (evenings, weekends)

If your router delivers 200 Mbps of your 400 Mbps plan, upgrading to gigabit won't help until you upgrade the router.

The Monthly Math

Let's compare costs over a year:

Plan	Monthly Cost	Yearly Cost
100 Mbps	$50	$600
300 Mbps	$70	$840
500 Mbps	$80	$960
1 Gbps	$100	$1,200

The jump from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps costs $600/year extra.

If you're a family of 4 streaming and gaming, 300-500 Mbps probably covers you. That's $240-360/year less than gigabit.

What to Actually Buy

1-2 people, light use: 100-200 Mbps is plenty. Save your money.

3-4 people, normal use: 200-400 Mbps covers streaming, gaming, and video calls with headroom.

5+ people or power users: 500 Mbps-1 Gbps makes sense. You'll actually use it.

Content creators/streamers: Prioritize upload speed. Fiber symmetric plans are worth it.

Before Upgrading Your Plan

1. Run speed tests — are you getting current plan's speed?
2. Check your router — is it capable of higher speeds?
3. Calculate actual needs — add up simultaneous usage
4. Consider upload — do you need symmetric speeds?
5. Negotiate — ISPs often have unadvertised deals

You might find that a better router or fixing WiFi dead zones improves your experience more than a faster plan.

Calculate your household's real bandwidth needs: Internet Speed Calculator