how much internet do i need?

I get asked this question weekly, maybe even daily: "What speed internet do I need? How fast should my internet be? They want to upgrade me , should I?" It is not a "one size fits all" answer but the reality is, we don't need as much as we think we do. Although it's called internet "speed" they should really call it internet "capacity". Think of your internet connection as an interstate highway with multiple lanes and the things you use your internet for as vehicles. Netflix, Facebook, Hulu, Zoom, Email, etc. are each a couple of cars trying to make it form Point A to Point B. Let's assume you're in the Netflix car and you're trying to get from Monroe to Shreveport - no matter if there's 1 lane or 500 lanes, it will take you the same amount of time to make the trip unless... you run into traffic! That is when more "lanes" or more "speed" becomes important. Your internet won't necessarily be faster with a higher package, but you will be able to do more things at once with nobody noticing a slowdown. 

The average American Family typically uses about 6 megs consistently. Why do the big name providers push 100, 500, and even 1,000 meg plans? Money! They want more of your hard earned cash! A regular American family should be able to consistently operate with 20-50 megs of connectivity with absolutely no issues. Some remote users can only get 5 or 6 MB and they are still able to stream HD video with no problems. The only time a larger package would be needed is if you're downloading/uploading a lot of large files like large CAD files, Video Game Downloads, or full length HD downloads.  If you are simply streaming Netflix, browsing social media, and using typical web services- you will not really see huge benefit in paying for hundreds of megs of internet.  I have never had more than 50 Mbps at my home and we are consistently streaming music, TV, Outdoor security cameras, and everything in between with no issues. In fact, we had almost 20 people in our house during Hurricane Laura with lots of devices streaming, social media, email, etc. with absolutely no problems! 

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