Internet Speed Guide

Households can require different download speeds based on the number of devices in use at any given time and the activities performed on each device. Below is a very general break down of the download speed needed from your Internet Service Provider to be able to accommodate simultaneous activities or devices:

1-5 Mbps Checking email, browsing the web & social media
6-12 Mbps Video conference, small file downloads & browsing the web
13-25 Mbps Video meetings, multiple file downloads & playing online games
100+ Mbps Video meetings, streaming 4K video, playing online games & downloading large files

 

Internet Speed Test

Test your own networking speed to compare to the speeds in the above chart: https://www.speedtest.net/
Note: Speeds may be lower when using a VPN. You do not need to use the VPN for Webex, Brightspace or accessing your email via the web.

Speed test results:

  • Download speed. How quickly content from the internet transfers to your computer.
  • Upload speed. How fast you can upload content to the internet. For residential service, upload speeds are typically significantly lower than your download speed. Upload speeds are much more important  for interactive applications such as Webex, or when adding content or video to a course being delivered remotely.
  • Ping. The amount of time it takes data to travel from one computer to another on the network. Anything below 20ms is a great ping result. Anything over 100ms could result in noticeable lag. Normal results are in between these numbers and can vary widely. This is the least important of the three numbers, unless it's very high.

Troubleshooting your internet connectivity

If you are experiencing slow internet or connectivity issues, the following things may help:

  • If you have multiple people using your home network stop or limit their activity to speed up your connection.  Some uses that can really slow down your connection: streaming video, video conferencing, downloading large files, 
  • If you are experiencing problems during a video conferencing session it may help to turn off your camera feed and only use audio for the session.
  • If there are some areas in your residence where you experience slowness, moving closer to your router sometimes improves your speed. The fewer walls between you and your router, the better your signal will be.
  • Try connecting directly to your internet router from your computer with an Ethernet cable. Some older Wi-Fi routers have a slower wireless connection speed versus being directly wired to the router.
  • If you cannot connect directly to your router using a wired connection, you may need to replace your Wi-Fi router with a newer model to get a faster connection speed.
  • If your home WiFi offers a choice of connecting at 5GHz or 2.4 GHz, connect to the 5GHz band.This higher band is less crowded but has a smaller range.
  • Do some housekeeping: 
    • Close unused browser windows & tabs on your machine. They slow you down.
    • Clear cookies and browser cache: Old searches may slow your computer down.
  • Reboot your computer. Occasionally, applications left running in the background can negatively impact network speeds.
  • You may need to contact your Internet Service Provider to have your internet connection speed increased if possible.
  • Sometimes restarting your home cable modem or router addresses connectivity issues.
  • Did you know you can use your mobile phone as a wireless hotspot? Data charges may apply.