What broadband speed do I need ?

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Dsherston
Dsherston Posts: 1 Newbie
in Broadband & internet access
Is 17mb broadband speed enough for internet surfing, email, watching smart TV and some films ? In the flat we have one laptop, 2 smart phones and use them mainly evenings and weekend ? We are in central London.
It seems that the cheaper deals offer 17mb. Do we need more than that ?
A basic question but to avoid an argument we need some objective advice !!
Thanks .

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  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,086 Forumite
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    Yes, that should be more than enough
  • J_B
    J_B Posts: 6,445 Forumite
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    We have 2Mb to do what you require!
  • Robisere
    Robisere Posts: 3,237 Forumite
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    A Stable speed of over 2 Mbps, is more important than just the actual speed.

    Carry out daily speedtests at speedtest.net and see if the speed changes over time. "Yo-Yo" speeds, which change all the time, can affect your service just as much, if not more, than continual but stable, low speeds.

    17Mbps is quite good and will support all the needs you list, but check to see if it varies by more than 2 Mbps. Are you an ADSL or Fibre customer?
    I think this job really needs
    a much bigger hammer.
  • iniltous
    iniltous Posts: 3,098 Forumite
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    Dsherston wrote: »
    Is 17mb broadband speed enough for internet surfing, email, watching smart TV and some films ? In the flat we have one laptop, 2 smart phones and use them mainly evenings and weekend ? We are in central London.
    It seems that the cheaper deals offer 17mb. Do we need more than that ?
    A basic question but to avoid an argument we need some objective advice !!
    Thanks .

    When you say 17Mb, is that the speed you will get, or the 'upto' speed the product is advertised at ?, if your address is very close to the exchange then that sort of speed is possible from non FTTC broadband but the further away from the exchange the slower the connection, if you haven't already done so, you need to check your actual phone number or postcode on a speed checker site, and it would be based on that speed prediction if regular broadband would be sufficient fo your needs
  • tastyhog
    tastyhog Posts: 847 Forumite
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    I currently have 1.5Mbps (on an up to 17mb line) and do everything you mention without issue, iplayer, streaming films, phones and laptops connected at the same time etc

    however we are having 38mb fiber put in next week and been given a guaranteed line speed of 35mb, the boost in speed will be very much appreciated for faster downloads etc

    the price difference between up to 17mb and 38mb fibre isn't much, you're taking maybe £5 difference a month, so if you can get it to your house, it's worth it.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 5,186 Forumite
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    Dsherston wrote: »
    Is 17mb broadband speed enough for internet surfing, email, watching smart TV and some films ? In the flat we have one laptop, 2 smart phones and use them mainly evenings and weekend ? We are in central London.
    It seems that the cheaper deals offer 17mb. Do we need more than that ?
    A basic question but to avoid an argument we need some objective advice !!
    Thanks .

    Use http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/ to check what's available. If you don't pay BT for the phone line use the address checker, it'll give you an idea of what you should expect to get. The different suppliers have their own checkers but usually require a phone number to check 'more accurately' (and to phone you up constantly trying to sell their product).
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