Why Is My Download Speed Slower Than the Internet I Pay For? Jason Fitzpatrick @jasonfitzpatric Updated July 14, 2017. If we divide the speed of your connection (measured in megabits) by 8, we arrive at something resembling the download speed you’re seeing in your speed tests: 40 megabits divided by 8 becomes 5 megabytes.
Gig speed. No, it's not roady slang for how quickly a rock show can be set up; it's the next big thing in home internet. Gigabit-speed internet, also called ultra-high-speed internet, is leaps and bounds better than traditional cable internet, and it may even be cheaper, depending on which services are available near you.
Read on to learn why you should find out if gigabit-speed internet is available in your town.
What is gig-speed internet?
Gig-speed internet is shorthand for broadband service with up to gigabit-per-second download speeds. It's been around for only a few years, and in only a handful of cities, but it's the future of internet connectivity in the home.
The biggest bottleneck in home connectivity is presently the internet connection, and as we add more uses for it — like Netflix streaming, gaming and myriad smart home devices — we'll need faster connections with more data.
It's also likely that as gigabit speeds become mainstream, the cost of connectivity will come down as well. In areas where gigabit speeds have been introduced, prices drop for internet access across the board, even for lower-tier plans.
Who offers Gigabit internet, and what does it cost?
While ultra-high-speed internet is becoming more widely available across the U.S., the rollout is still in its early days. If you live in a major city, chances are good that some people in your area have gigabit speeds available to them, but it's still pretty much a neighborhood-by-neighborhood thing. All major internet service providers offer some form of gigabit service, though the locations where it's available vary greatly from one company to the next.
Gigabit Internet Services Compared
Smaller cities and towns aren't completely out of luck, however. Many communities have proactively invested in local fiber networks, providing ready-made infrastructure for any service provider that wants to offer ultra-high-speed internet. Check your local options when considering internet providers, as many smaller companies are using the shift to gigabit as an opportunity to compete against the big boys, offering blazing speeds in places where the major companies aren't.
Pricing is also varied, but the overall trend is clear: Internet providers are charging prices similar to those for broadband, but delivering gigabit speeds. While this may change over time, right now, you can get the fastest internet around for the price of a good cable internet subscription.
Now, bear in mind that this is internet service pricing we're talking about, and that comes with a lot of caveats. Finding actual pricing data is difficult, and many of these prices are introductory rates that apply for the first year or two with a long-term agreement. You may be able to get a better deal when bundling your internet with TV service, or you may be charged an additional monthly fee for the unique hardware that gigabit speeds require. As always, you'll want to look into what options are available in your area, and you will definitely want to research pricing.
How does Gigabit internet work?
While gigabit internet is still rolling out across different parts of the U.S., internet service providers are offering gigabit speeds using two technologies.
The first is over fiber-optic networks. The data capacity of fiber-optic lines and the lack of interference (a common issue on standard copper lines) makes the light-driven data technology perfect for delivering blistering gigabit speeds. Until recently, gigabit speeds were offered only by providers with fiber infrastructure, like Verizon Fios and Google Fiber.
But a second player has entered the game, in the form of the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, which enables gigabit speeds over the same coaxial cables used for standard cable internet. But it's not quite the same, since the new format boasts 1-Gbps download speeds but only 35-Mbps upload speeds.
How does gigabit compare to current broadband speeds?
Gta vice city mobile game download and install in computer. Compared to standard cable-based broadband packages, which offer download speeds of 20 to 100 Mbps, gigabit speeds are an exponential increase. We're talking 1,000 Mbps, or 1 million bits per second.
The other major benefit of gigabit (in most current implementations) is that download speeds are matched with similar upload speeds. Traditionally, you'll get a much smaller pipe for uploading, which is part of the reason you can watch a 5-minute YouTube video in roughly 5 minutes, but uploading the same amount of footage can take over an hour.
Faster upload speeds are also a boon for activities such as streaming your gameplay with services like Twitch.
What can I do with gigabit speeds?
All that data — a million bits per second — means that you can do everything you already do online, but a lot more of it, and faster. All of your usual web browsing and streaming will be supported, but with higher speeds and less congestion on your home network. That said, there are several specific uses that benefit dramatically from the new fat pipe of data that gigabit connectivity offers.
Can my current modem handle gigabit speeds?
The short answer is no. Without equipment to support either high-speed fiber-optic or the DOCSIS 3.1 standard for gigabit over coax, you're out of luck with your current networking gear. The good news is that existing fiber and cable internet users may be able to upgrade simply by swapping out their old router for a newer gigabit-capable one.
Netgear brought it's first DOCSIS 3.1-ready modem to market just last summer: the Comcast-approved Nighthawk X4S AC3200 Ultra-High Speed Cable Modem Router. Since then, new gigabit-ready cable modems have emerged from Netgear, Arris and Motorola. Fiber-based services, like Google Fiber and Verizon Fios, actually require a different modem-like piece of networking hardware, called an optical network terminal, that converts fiber-optic signal to electronic ethernet. Without the right hardware, there is no way to get gigabit speeds.
The stickier issue is that similar upgrades need to be made throughout an internet provider's infrastructure. As long as some areas are being serviced with old equipment, there will be parts of the country where gigabit speeds just aren't available. Along those same lines, if you're still using dial-up or DSL, you're fresh out of luck.
Can my Wi-Fi router handle Gigabit speeds?
The best Wi-Fi routers can, in some instances, handle gigabit speeds — 802.11ac Wi-Fi, running on the 5-GHz band, with a MU-MIMO router using two or more antennae, you can get speeds up to and slightly faster than 1Gbps. And newer draft standards for 802.11ad and 802.11ax are showing up on new routers that can handle gigabit speeds with ease.
MORE: The Best Wi-Fi Routers Available Right Now
Older wireless standards, like 802.11g and n, cannot offer the same sort of throughput. If you haven't upgraded your router to 802.11ac, you'll definitely want to do so when switching to gigabit internet, or your old router will be a major bottleneck that kills all the benefits of your zippy new gigabit speeds.
Can my computer or phone handle gigabit speeds?
Maybe, but maybe not. Most modern ethernet connections are capable of handling gigabit speeds, and you'll find those on plenty of laptops and nearly all desktops today. If you want the best speeds possible on your PC, ethernet is the way to go. The bad news is that ethernet ports are getting harder to find on laptops. And phones have no options for wired connectivity; Wi-Fi is all you've got.
If you're up to speed with the latest Wi-Fi standards, you can get a full gigabit connection to your phone or laptop, but it's highly unlikely that you'll ever hit that full capacity during normal use. But does it matter? In practical terms, any device that can connect to the internet will work with gigabit internet, since it dictates only the speeds coming to and from your home. And all of your connected devices benefit in some way, because a gigabit connection is like a multilane freeway, with plenty of data for every device to use at once.
Credit: Tom's Guide
4G and 4G LTE wireless service providers like to talk about their super-speedy 4G wireless networks, but just how fast is 4G compared to 3G? 4G wireless delivers service is at least 10 times faster than 3G networks and much faster than that, in many cases.
Speeds vary by your location, provider, mobile network load, and device. If you live in a large city, the speed is usually higher than the speed available in remote areas of the country.
All of the information below should apply to iPhone and Android phones (no matter which company made your Android phone, including Samsung, Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc).
4G and 4G LTE
4G is the fourth generation of mobile network technology. It replaces 3G and is more reliable and much faster than its predecessor. It accommodates streaming media on your phone, where its speed means you won't see any buffering delays. It is considered a necessity, rather than a luxury, for use with the high-powered smartphones on the market.
Some people use the terms 4G and 4G LTE interchangeably, but 4G LTE, which stands for the fourth generation long-term evolution, delivers the best performance and fastest speeds. 4G is offered in most areas of the country now, but 4G LTE is not as widely available. Even if your provider offers 4G LTE speed, you must have a compatible phone to access it. Most older phones can't accommodate 4G LTE speeds.
4G LTE networks are fast — so fast, that when you use one on your phone to access the internet, you enjoy an experience similar to that provided by a home router.
Advantages of 4G LTE Service
In addition to its high speed, which makes streaming video, movies, and music possible, 4G LTE service offers some other advantages, particularly when compared with Wi-Fi networks:
Disadvantages of 4G LTE Service
4G Speed of Popular Mobile Carriers
In all cases, download speed is faster than upload speed. These 4G speed measurements are reported as those the average users can expect. They may or may not be reflected in your device given your service area, network load, and phone or tablet capabilities.
The 4G speeds are expressed in megabits per second (Mbps).
Verizon 4G LTE Speed
T-Mobile 4G LTE Speed
T-Mobile has a reputation for performing well in metropolitan areas, although its speed is known to drop indoors.
AT&T 4G LTE Speed
Sprint 4G LTE Speed
What's Next?1gb Download Speed On Vmware
5G is the newest mobile network technology. Although it is not yet available, it promises to be 10 times faster than 4G service. 5G will differ from 4G in that it is designed to use radio frequencies broken into bands. The frequencies are higher than those used by 4G networks and have been expanded to handle the large number of bandwidth demands the future will bring.
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