Is gigabit internet worth it? When 1,000 Mbit/s pays off

You may have received an offer and are wondering whether Gigabit Internet is worth it. Various parameters, such as the number of your devices, are decisive.

When is Gigabit Internet worthwhile?

The name refers to the speed of one gigabit per second. This means that at this speed you can download an average HD movie in less than a minute. Something much bigger, like a Blu-Ray or a 4K movie, can be downloaded in less than five minutes.

• Usually, the speed rating refers to the download. Upload speeds can be much lower. While most people download more than they upload, you should still take this into account when choosing your tariff.

• For standard resolution streams, a connection speed of about four Mbit/s is sufficient. For HD streams it is eight and for UHD streams up to 25 Mbit/s are required. Therefore, a fibre optic connection is sufficient for streaming. Provided there are not too many people trying to stream UHD movies at the same time.

• The main reason for the gigabit connection and against a normal high-speed fibre connection is the higher bandwidth. An internet connection of 100 Mbit/s is enough if you live alone and are mainly online with your smartphone and laptop. An increase in bandwidth becomes interesting as soon as more devices are online or many people live in your household.

This will affect your bandwidth

If you live in a small household and every member streams or plays online games at the same time, you can get by comfortably with a traditional fibre connection. If you work from home or have lots of smart devices, it’s worth looking at gigabit internet.

• If you control your home with Alexa and have many smart devices integrated, your bandwidth could run out. Home office and online education also contribute to bandwidth consumption.

• Your home internet may be sufficient for recreational use, but it can run low for remote work. Especially if the whole family needs to be online. Video calls and conferencing can put extra strain on your network, as you need a lot of bandwidth for downloads and uploads.

• Here, upload speed could also be a problem. If you regularly need to send large files such as videos and pictures, upload speed becomes important. A slow upload speed can mean that you waste hours of your time.

• If you want to get gigabit internet, consider your budget and other circumstances. In a crowded household, the purchase may pay for itself. However, if you are offered a good deal, you may consider it. If you live alone and are online with only a few devices, such an upgrade is unnecessary.