Speeds by video quality
| Quality | Netflix | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| SD (480p) | — | 1.1 Mbps |
| HD (720p) | 3 Mbps | 2.5 Mbps |
| Full HD (1080p) | 5 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| 4K Ultra HD | 15 Mbps | 20 Mbps |
Other services publish similar figures on their help pages; check the ones you use. These numbers are what a single stream needs to play smoothly on its own. Your connection also carries everything else happening in the home.
Planning for several screens
Add up the streams that commonly run at the same time and add headroom for phones, updates and browsing. A practical rule is to plan for about 25 Mbps per 4K stream and 5–8 Mbps per HD stream.
- One HD stream plus browsing: 10–25 Mbps.
- Two HD streams and a 4K TV: about 40–50 Mbps.
- Three 4K TVs, plus calls and gaming: 100 Mbps or more.
The internet speed chart shows how many streams each tier can realistically handle.
Why streams buffer on a fast connection
If your speed test is well above the numbers above and video still buffers or drops quality, look at:
- WiFi to the TV or streaming stick. TVs are often far from the router, behind furniture, with weak built-in WiFi.
- Other activity at the same moment, like a game download or cloud backup.
- Evening congestion on your provider’s network.
- The device itself. Older smart TVs and sticks can struggle with modern apps and high-resolution video.
- The streaming service, which may be busy, especially during big live events.
Streaming apps load video ahead into a buffer, so they cope well with jitter and moderate ping. What they need is enough sustained speed. A connection that bursts fast but dips repeatedly will cause quality drops.
Testing what your TV actually gets
Most smart TVs can’t run a browser speed test well. Instead, run the test on a phone or laptop held next to the TV. If the result there is much lower than near the router, the TV’s WiFi is your bottleneck. Solutions include a wired connection to the TV, moving the router, or a mesh point nearby. Our WiFi speed test page explains how to compare.
Live streaming yourself
If you stream your gameplay or broadcast live, upload speed is the limit. Each platform publishes its own recommended bitrates for each resolution. Leave plenty of headroom above your stream’s bitrate, because upload is also used by everything else in the home. Check your upload speed.