How much fibre speed (Mbps) do you really need ?

How much Mbps (read speed) do you really need from your new fibre connection for your household?

Updated (2022-08-22)

FibreTiger gives feedback and an easy-to-use chart to help you understand which fibre internet package is best for you and your family.

Complaints like "it"s buffering", "but I watch Netflix in HD and work from home" or "Jannie is a gamer and I need a fast connection" are all valid, but we find that most of the time people grossly overestimate the amount of speed a household really needs.

For example, did you know that Netflix's own stated requirements for HD streaming is only 5Mbps? But my "movies are always buffering" I hear you say. Well which "movies" are you referring to? YouTube, Netflix and Showmax are all under 10mpbs for HD streaming. We can only guess that these "movies" or "TV series" you are referring to are being streamed from sites "with lots of pop-up ads and CAM versions" ? Don't worry we"re not here to realign your moral compass, but we can tell you from first-hand experience that a faster connection probably won't help too much with "these" types of streaming sites.

The simple reason is that streaming movies or series is a two way street.

You need a "fast-enough fibre (not wifi) connection" - 5Mbps and upwards - "to receive" the content, but the site or server also needs ENOUGH speed and bandwidth themselves to stream the movies to you without buffering. These "non-official sites" definitely don't have the network infrastructure like the bigger official streaming companies like Netflix or YouTube, and that"s why many a "wooden-leg-with-an-eye-patch-viewer" still prefers torrents to streaming - no judging!

One of the best reasons to get a "high speed connection" (50mbps and upwards), is if you have teenagers or more than three people in the household.

Why teenagers? Well teenagers are basically "Bandwidth-Vampires", with all their social apps and TikTok addiction, you want more speed so you also have a little something in reserve to do what you need to. We recommend that you bargain about 10Mpbs EXTRA per teen!

Use our guide below to see the minimum Mbps you will need.

Why Is My Fibre Internet Slow ?

There are multiple reasons why your internet connection might be slow, or appears to be slow. Doing a quick and reliable internet speed test, is step one in solving your slow fibre or wifi internet problems.

Pro Tip: It's much faster to upgrade or downgrade your fibre internet speed with your fibre isp (Telkom, RSAWeb, Vox, Afrihost etc) then it is to change your fibre isp.