Choosing the Right Internet Plan for Your Streaming Needs

The modern era of TV and movies is one built on internet connectivity. Like with so many other aspects of our lives, staying online is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity to navigate our work and personal lives. This rapid pace of evolution can be confusing, however, especially for those who don’t follow changing hardware and speeds.

Looking at how these platforms and connections interact with real-world entertainment, we want to explore the right internet plan for you. What do you need to keep in mind, how much do you need, and what sort of speed will be enough for you in the future?

Ahead of the Curve

If you experienced when the internet hit the mainstream, you understand the old pain of the dial-up modem. The iconic dialing screech was followed by slow speeds, where pages and images could take minutes to load. This was the case even with the famous 56k modems, which were the fastest most of us experienced before the arrival of DSL.

Over time, issues of speed were significantly reduced. Newer technologies and lowering costs meant that instead of needing and lacking the speed we wanted, we were getting ahead of the curve. In the modern environment, the newly touted standard gigabit speed illustrates this point perfectly, where we have far more speed than the vast majority of households will need.

The Ease of Overkill

To understand just how easy it is to purchase more speed than you’ll need for video streaming, we could start with a similar example of online casino services. Using a modern website here like an NJ online casino includes browsing, collecting bonuses like deposit matches and free spins, and playing the games hosted within. These titles are cutting-edge, including live-streamed releases that combine the convenience of online play with the feel of physical dealers. They also would run without issue on the average internet speeds of fifteen years ago.

Ultra-high-definition streaming finds itself in a similar position, as the most data-intensive use that most people will place on their online connections. At the high end, you can expect a bandwidth cost of around 30 Mbps for this type of use, though to be safe it’s important to add at least another 10 Mbps for wiggle room.

The issue here is that most ultra-fast internet connections today fit the standard of 1 Gbps or 1,000 Mbps. While it is true that bandwidth requirements are multiplied by the number of active users, it’s unlikely that more than 25 users will access the same internet connection simultaneously.

Choosing a Plan

With this information in mind, the obvious conclusion is that internet speeds of more than around 300 Mbps will be largely useless for users just interested in video streaming. What’s more important is unlimited data, so you can watch as much as you like without experiencing additional charges.

The bandwidth requirements of 4K are unlikely to change much over at least the next ten years, so you won’t have to be worried about hitting a performance wall anytime soon. So, if you’re considering upgrading your plan or changing your existing one, keep these elements in mind before committing to something different, and your wallet will thank you.