How Internet Speed Works

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How do I measure internet speed?

What internet speeds can I get as part of the NBN?

How much upload speed do I need?

Does it matter how many people use my internet connection?

What else affects my internet speed?

How should I compare different speeds?

Long story short

Your download speed is how fast you get data

For emails and web surfing, under 15 Mbps works, but 30–60 Mbps is best for 4K streaming and gaming.

NBN plans offer download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps to suit your household

Choose a plan based on how many people use the internet and your online activities.

Your internet speed also depends on your modem, location, and how many people share it

Old hardware or a crowded network can slow your connection, even if your plan is fast.

What would we do without the internet? If your answer is, ‘Have an actual conversation with an actual human’, well then … hi Mum, we’re working now, we’ll call you later.  

For most of us, having a functional internet connection is essential for most aspects of our lives. That’s why it’s so important to find out how internet speed works, how much you might need, and what you can do to push it faster. Luckily, your good friends at iSelect are here to help you out. 

How do I measure internet speed?

The most common measure for internet speed is Mbps: megabits per second. 

For those of you who aren’t shameless tech nerds like us, a megabit is just a measure of data. It’s a useful measure because it’s not too big or too small. Kind of like how we measure the distance a car travels in kilometres rather than centimetres. 

An internet connection that can download more megabits per second can get the data to you faster. This includes how quickly it can stream video from services like Netflix or receive content when you game online. Generally speaking, here’s a breakdown of comfortable speeds for different online activities: 

What internet speeds can I get as part of the NBN?

Most providers offer a range of plans for people who are connected to Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN). 

A lot of different names for internet plans get thrown around. On top of the names individual providers might use, you’ll often see ‘NBN’ written with numbers after it – say, NBN 50 or NBN 500. This is the way the NBN used to categorise its tiers, and the way providers usually still do. The numbers are meant to correspond to the plan’s download speed, so they can be a handy way to check what speed you can expect on a particular plan. 

To keep you on your toes, NBN Co (the company that operates the NBN) now uses different terminology for its speed tiers. If you’re thinking it’s a lot to keep track of, you’d be right! Don’t worry – we’ve outlined the loose tiers and the different names you might see for them below. 

If you’re not sure what download speed a plan is offering, look out for its Key Facts Sheet on the plan’s webpage. Key Facts Sheets are official documents summarising the details of financial agreements, so you should generally be able to find the download speed on there.

How much upload speed do I need?

When you browse internet plans, you’ll see the download speed displayed more prominently than the upload speed. It makes sense: when it comes to things like streaming TV, your download speed is more important. Also, you generally need a higher download speed.  

That doesn’t mean the upload speed isn’t relevant. Basically, if you’re using the internet for activities that involve sending data elsewhere – say, online gaming or videoconferencing – you want to make sure that your upload speed will let you do those things smoothly. Here’s what you’ll need for a few of those activities:

The NBN doesn’t advertise the upload speeds of its tiers, but you can get some clues from the types of activities it lists under each. To upload data for videoconferencing or online gaming, NBN Co recommends its Home Standard tier. 

If providers are still using the old NBN numbers to categorise their tiers, the number corresponding to the download speed is often followed by the upload speed. So, a plan labelled, say, NBN 100/20 has a rough download speed of 100 Mbps and an upload speed of 20 Mbps.

Does it matter how many people use my internet connection?

Absolutely! Imagine you’re driving on the information superhighway. The top’s down, the sun’s setting, the wind’s in your hair … and there’s so much traffic on the road you’re at a complete standstill.  

Yep, ‘traffic’ on the internet works the same way as on the road. The fewer people sharing the space, the faster you can reach your destination. The more people in your lane, the likelier you are to get stuck in second gear. 

That being said, some NBN plans are set up to handle more traffic. Here’s the maximum number of users the NBN recommends for each of its tiers:

What else affects my internet speed?

The type of internet plan you pick usually has a huge impact on your internet speed. It’s not the only factor, though. There are a lot of things that can bring your internet to a crawl, and while you can adjust some of them, you won’t be able to control others.

Technology type

This is a big one. If you’re one of the few Aussies who still uses ADSL, you’ll see top download speeds similar to the slowest NBN plans. The different types of NBN Connections also differ in speed. For instance, fibre to the premises (FTTP) has a (slightly) higher speed profile than fibre to the node (FTTN). 

Location

Not only does location determine your technology type – that is, you could be in either an ADSL or an NBN area – it also determines the quality of your network. For example, some NBN areas require more copper cabling than others. The length of copper cable can reduce your internet speed, as copper conducts data less effectively than fibre-optic cables.

Hardware

The type of modem you use to access the internet can make a big impact on your speed. If the modem is out of date, your connection can suffer. But it’s not just your modem; if you’re connecting your 10-year old PC to the network, that can also affect your download speed. Your wi-fi will only work as quickly as the device it’s connected to. 

Restrictions

If your broadband connection has a data limit, you may find that your speed decreases once this limit has been reached. Fortunately, unlimited data plans are now pretty standard. Hello, unlimited streaming!

How should I compare different speeds?

There’s a bunch of different ways you can compare internet plans. However, one big-brained approach is to compare like with like. 

For instance, it’s pretty rare that you’ll find a NBN 500 plan at the same price as a NBN 12 plan. Comparing the two probably won’t give you a great idea of how much value you’re getting for either. Instead, you’d be better off comparing the price tag and benefits of one NBN 500 plan with other NBN 500 plans. 

You can also give this strategy a spin with us online. iSelect has partnered with CIMET to help you compare a range of internet plans and providers. So get started comparing plans online.