What is a good internet speed for gaming?

For competitive gaming, you need 15 Mbps download, 2 Mbps upload, under 30ms ping, and under 3ms jitter. Cloud gaming requires 50+ Mbps download. Ping and jitter matter more than raw speed for gaming.

How much internet speed do I need for 4K streaming?

For 4K streaming: Netflix requires 25 Mbps, YouTube requires 20 Mbps, Disney+ requires 25 Mbps, and Amazon Prime requires 25 Mbps. If multiple devices stream simultaneously, multiply by the number of streams and add 20% buffer.

Is fiber internet better than cable?

Yes, fiber internet has lower latency (7-14ms) compared to cable (15-25ms), more consistent speeds, and better performance under load. Fiber is ideal for gaming and cloud services. Cable can suffer from congestion during peak hours.

What Internet Speed Do I Need in 2025? (Complete Guide)

What internet speed do I need? The FCC says 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload is the new standard. But the actual speed you need depends on your activities: gaming, 4K streaming, video calls, or household size. This guide breaks down exactly what speed you need.

2024 FCC Broadband Standard Update

In March 2024, the FCC raised the national broadband benchmark from 25/3 Mbps to 100 Mbps download / 20 Mbps upload. This is the new minimum for what constitutes "broadband internet" in the United States.

Is ScanPing Accurate?

Yes. ScanPing leverages the Cloudflare Speed Test engine, which utilizes a global edge network to ensure you are testing against a server physically close to you. Unlike "single-threaded" tests that can be bottlenecked by a single server's performance, ScanPing uses multi-threaded HTTPS streams.

By opening up to 8 or more concurrent connections, we saturate your bandwidth to find the absolute ceiling of your connection, mirroring how modern platforms like Steam (downloads) or BitTorrent function.

Official Streaming Requirements

These are the official minimum speed requirements from each streaming platform:

Platform	SD	HD (1080p)	4K UHD	Source
Netflix	3 Mbps	5 Mbps	25 Mbps	netflix.com
YouTube	1.5 Mbps	5 Mbps	20 Mbps	google.com
Disney+	5 Mbps	10 Mbps	25 Mbps	disneyplus.com
Amazon Prime	1 Mbps	5 Mbps	25 Mbps	amazon.com

The Universal Requirement Matrix

Below is the definitive matrix for network requirements based on modern digital activities:

Activity	Download	Upload	Ping	Jitter
Cloud Gaming (GeForce Now/Xbox)	50+ Mbps	10+ Mbps	< 15 ms	< 2 ms
4K/8K Video Streaming	25-100 Mbps	5+ Mbps	< 150 ms	N/A
Competitive FPS Gaming	15 Mbps	2 Mbps	< 30 ms	< 3 ms
Remote Work (4K Zoom/Teams)	25 Mbps	15 Mbps	< 60 ms	< 10 ms
Music Streaming (Spotify/Apple)	1 Mbps	N/A	< 200 ms	N/A

Understanding "Bufferbloat"

Have you ever noticed your internet slows down when someone else in the house starts a download? This is called Bufferbloat. It happens when your router's buffers become overloaded, causing massive latency spikes (Lag) even if you have plenty of raw speed.

A truly elite connection isn't just fast when idle; it's fast under load. ScanPing measures unloaded latency to give you a baseline of your ISP's performance.

The Silent Killer: Packet Loss

Packet loss is when data traveling across the network fails to reach its destination. In video streaming, the player might just buffer for a second. In gaming, packet loss results in "Rubberbanding" or total disconnection.

Warning Signs

Even 1% packet loss is enough to ruin a competitive gaming session. ScanPing recommends checking your physical cables if you notice consistent instability in your jitter readings.

Connection Type Performance (FCC Data)

Based on the FCC's 2024 Measuring Broadband America Report:

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH): The gold standard. Median idle latency of 7-14ms with virtually zero jitter. Perfect for cloud gaming and competitive esports.
Cable (DOCSIS 3.1): Median latency of 15-25ms. Good for streaming, but can suffer from congestion during peak hours due to shared neighborhood infrastructure.
DSL: Higher latency (25-45ms) and more susceptible to jitter. Latency increases significantly under load.
5G Home Internet: Convenient but variable. Latency ranges from 20-80ms depending on tower load and atmospheric conditions. Not recommended for competitive play.

Accuracy Tips

To get the most accurate result:

Close Background Apps: Windows Update, Steam, or Chrome tabs with auto-playing video can skew results.
Use Ethernet: WiFi introduces variable latency and jitter.
Test Multiple Times: Network performance varies throughout the day.
Compare with Multiple Services: Test with ScanPing, Fast.com, and Speedtest.net for validation.