Estimate your household needs
Count activities happening at the same time, rather than every device you own.
One person can have several devices connected without using them all heavily. Choose the busy moment you want your connection to handle, then add the streams and calls below.
How this estimate is calculated
We add the selected activities, multiply each total by 1.25 and round up to the next whole Mbps. The 25% margin is our planning assumption. Browsing rates and streaming upload allowances are also assumptions, not requirements published by an app.
| One active task | Download | Upload |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing | 2 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Full HD stream | 5 Mbps | 0.5 Mbps |
| 4K stream | 15 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| HD video call | 4 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
Streaming download examples follow Netflix’s 1080p and 4K guidance. The call allowance rounds Zoom’s 1080p guidance up to 4 Mbps in each direction. Other apps, resolutions and meeting layouts can differ. Large downloads, game updates, cloud backups and Wi-Fi losses are not modelled. Read the sources
What the numbers mean
Download: what comes to you
Pages, films and downloaded files arrive over the download side of your connection. More concurrent activity increases the amount you need to receive.
Upload: what you send
Your camera, shared files and backups send data away from your device. Check the upload figure even when a package advertises only a download speed.
Capacity and responsiveness answer different questions
Mbps describes a data rate. Latency describes delay; jitter describes how that delay varies. A larger advertised Mbps figure alone cannot tell you whether a call will feel stable or a game will respond quickly. Check the actual experience as well as the headline rate.
Mbps is not MB/s
A byte contains eight bits. For a rough unit conversion, divide Mbps by eight to get MB/s before protocol overhead. A download app and an ISP package may display different units for the same transfer.
Streaming, calls and everyday use
For films, count screens and resolution
Netflix lists 5 Mbps or more for one 1080p stream and 15 Mbps or more for one 4K stream. These are service-specific recommendations. Two streams and other household activity share the connection; a single-screen recommendation is not a household total.
For meetings, leave room in both directions
Zoom’s 1080p guidance lists 3.8 Mbps upload and 3 Mbps download. Video quality and meeting layout affect demand. A household with two separate calls should account for both cameras and avoid assuming every advertised package has equal upload and download rates.
For downloads and backups, consider time
An occasional large transfer is different from a continuous video call. Decide whether it must finish quickly during a busy evening or can run later. The calculator leaves these transfers out so you can make that choice deliberately.
Choose a plan with confidence
- Compare the total monthly costAsk about VAT, setup, equipment, deposits and any fair-use terms. An unknown fee should stay a question until the provider answers it.
- Confirm your building and upload rateA national provider listing is not evidence that installation is available at your address. Confirm the building, expected installation time and upload speed directly.
- Separate internet, BDIX and cache claimsAsk which destinations each advertised rate covers. Do not use a local-cache claim as the speed available to every website or meeting service.
- Read the support and change termsCheck support hours, fault reporting and upgrade or cancellation conditions. Keep the written offer and the source date for your own comparison.
Check the connection you have
Before changing your package, compare a wired connection with Wi-Fi, check another device and note the time of day. A problem affecting one room or one device needs a different investigation from a problem affecting the whole home.
Common questions
Is the calculator a speed test?
No. It adds planning assumptions for activities you select. It sends no test traffic and does not identify your ISP, connection speed or location.
Should I count a 4K television twice?
Count each simultaneous stream once. Put a 4K stream in the 4K row, not in both the 4K and Full HD rows. Count another screen only if it is watching separately.
Will a faster plan fix a weak Wi-Fi signal?
It may not. Compare performance near the router and over Ethernet first. If the issue appears only in one room or on one device, investigate that part of the connection before upgrading.
Does this recommend a specific ISP?
No. Use the estimate to ask better questions, then compare sourced prices, conditions, upload capacity and installation availability. The guide does not score providers or invent performance rankings.
Sources and calculator limits
App requirements can change. The calculator uses the stated assumptions above, not live application telemetry or current offers. Check the linked product guidance for your chosen resolution and settings.