How Fast Is 18 Mbps?

18 Mbps is not very fast but that does not mean that it is not usable, currently speeds that are below 25mbps don’t hold much water, given that the FCC has moved its standards to 25mbps for broadband.

18mbps is therefore fast enough for streaming 4K movies, the Amazon prime Tv shows/ videos, and Netflix.  18mbps is also standard for most homes given that it can even be used for gaming at least in consideration to the FCC gaming speeds that stand at 3-4 Mbps; with 18mbps therefore, homeowners can carry out the basic internet activities. If you are however, looking for fast internet speeds then you might want to settle for 50 or 100mbps.

What you can comfortably do with 18mbps

Well, most internet service providers are scaling up their services, and are now offering either 50mbps or 100mbps, a move that inadvertently makes the common 18mbps seem even less fast. Ideal internet speeds therefore, vary from home to home and from office to office, the reason why some of the providers have even scaled higher and are offering up to 1Gbps to 2Gbps internet speeds.

And while the above speeds are exceptionally high, there is so much more that you can do with 18 Mbps internet speeds check below.

• Watch movies and shows in standard or high definition
• Back up data
• Game online
• Engage in a video conference
• Stream high-quality music
• make calls on VoIP or Skype
• Multi-stream on the same network

How much internet bandwidth do you really need?

Working from home is greatly underrated given that you wouldn’t need to invest so much on the initial set up, which basically involves getting a router and subscribing to a plan that will take you through the month. So, apart from the data caps, how you use your subscription matters a lot, most homes will therefore have a couple of devices, connected to the network and which could cause lagging with regards to the engagements and the plan.

Smart homes also use the internet for various customizations, and when combined with the bandwidth-intensive applications then using the same network for work becomes even harder. Ideally, therefore, for as much as we would want other household members to use the same network, considerations should be given on whether one can effectively engage their bosses and other workmates over zoom among other social networking applications.

Applications and their recommended internet speeds

If you will be networking through Skype, a video call with 5 or more participants will require download speeds of about 4mbps and upload speeds of up to 600kbps. Zoom on the other hand, will require about 150-300kbps if you will be sharing your screen, and 2.0 upload and download speeds, if you will be using a single screen.

Both Zoom and Skype use voice calls, for the former, therefore, Audio Voip will require about 60-80kbps, While skype voice calls will require about 200kbps download speeds and 100kbps upload speeds. Some bosses like to use Google Hangouts, so for the group video calls, you will require at least 3.2mbps for an inbound with about 5participants and up to 4.0mbps with an inbound of more than 10 participants; outbound will require about 3.2mbps.

Which are the fastest internet service, providers?

Now that the coveted corner office has been brought back to the residential homes, we need to find the fastest internet provider to ensure that office work proceeds smoothly from the current location.

Fast Internet Service Provider	Download speeds	Starting Price
Google fiber	1000mbps	Begins from $70.00/month
Verizon	940mbps	Begins from $39.99/month
RCN	25-1000mbps	Begins from $19.99/month
Xfinity	15-1000mbps	Begins from $20.00/month
Grande communications	300-940mbps	Begins from $35.99/month

Conclusion

The above table should give you a rough idea of the internet speeds that you will be getting, and the probable pricing, and you can therefore, settle with one that has the best coverage in the area that you reside. 18 Mbps is fast for basic internet activities, such as streaming, gaming, and making calls on VoIP or skype. However, if you will be needed to make consistent video calls then you might have to evaluate your subscription and get one that can take on the load with zero to minimal lag.

FAQ’s

1. Can I use 18mbps to download large files?

With 18mpbs you can download a 2.25Mb file in one second

2. Can 18mbps stream Netflix?

18mbps can perform a good deal of streaming tasks, and you can therefore stream, Netflix, the Amazon Prime Videos, and the 4K movies