What Internet Speed Is Best for Streaming?

Whatever you're streaming, your internet connection is the foundation of the experience. Here's a practical breakdown of what different speeds generally support.

General speed guidelines

• Around 10–15 Mbps: generally comfortable for standard-definition to HD streaming on a single device
• Around 25 Mbps and above: more comfortable headroom for HD streaming, including some flexibility for a second device
• 40 Mbps and above: more comfortable for higher-quality streaming and multiple devices used at the same time

These are general guidelines rather than guarantees — actual performance depends on your specific connection, provider, and home network setup.

Wired connections vs Wi-Fi

A wired Ethernet connection typically delivers more consistent speed than Wi-Fi, since it isn't affected by distance from the router or interference from walls and other devices. See our dedicated comparison of Ethernet vs Wi-Fi for streaming for more detail.

How to test your actual speed

1. Run a speed test using any reputable online speed test tool
2. Test on the same network and, ideally, the same device you plan to stream on
3. Test at the time of day you'd normally be watching, since speeds can vary

What to do if your speed is lower than recommended

• Switch to a wired connection if your device supports it
• Reduce the number of devices active on your network at once
• Contact your internet provider if speeds are consistently below what you're paying for