A fast package on paper does not guarantee stable television. The useful number is the speed and stability available at the streaming device while the household is using the connection.
Practical speed targets per active stream
| Picture quality | Planning target per stream |
|---|---|
| Standard definition | 5 Mbps |
| HD or Full HD | 10 Mbps |
| 4K | 25 Mbps |
These values include operating margin. Actual bitrates vary. Two simultaneous HD streams therefore need roughly 20 Mbps available to the two devices, plus capacity for phones, cloud backups, games and other household traffic.
Why a speed test can be misleading
A test beside the router may show the full fibre speed while a television behind two walls receives much less. Run the test on the actual streaming device or in the same position. Repeat it in the evening, when local networks and household Wi-Fi are under more load.
Fibre, LTE and 5G behave differently
Fibre normally offers predictable latency and capacity, but poor Wi-Fi can still create pauses. LTE and 5G speed changes with signal quality, tower load, weather, router placement and network management. A mobile connection that reaches 100 Mbps at midday may be less stable during a busy evening.
Connection order
- Use Ethernet where possible.
- Otherwise use 5 GHz Wi-Fi near the router.
- Keep the router elevated and away from thick walls and electrical interference.
- Pause large downloads and cloud backups during diagnosis.
- Restart the router and device, then retest one stream.
Choose capacity for the whole home
Do not buy an internet package based only on the minimum for one screen. Add the target for every simultaneous stream, then add the household’s normal usage. Stability, packet loss and Wi-Fi quality can matter as much as headline download speed.
See the device compatibility guide and setup guide before ordering.