How Much Internet Speed Do You Need for 4K Streaming on Several TVs?
Work out the internet speed your home needs for 4K and HD streaming on several screens at once, with a simple formula, examples and Wi-Fi tips.
"Is my internet fast enough?" depends on how many screens stream at once, at what quality, and what else your household does online at the same time. Here is a simple way to work it out.
Typical speed per stream
These are rough, commonly recommended figures. Exact needs vary by service and by what you watch: fast-moving sport needs more than a talk show.
| Quality | Typical recommendation per stream |
|---|---|
| Standard definition (SD) | about 3 Mbps |
| HD (1080p) | about 5 to 8 Mbps |
| 4K Ultra HD | about 15 to 25 Mbps |
Netflix, for example, recommends about 15 Mbps for Ultra HD. Live 4K channels and sport often need more than on-demand films, so many people plan for 25 Mbps per 4K stream to be safe.
The simple formula
- Count the screens that might stream at the same time at peak, usually in the evening.
- Multiply each by its quality figure.
- Add about 10 to 20 Mbps for phones, video calls, game downloads and smart home devices.
- Add 25 to 30% headroom, because real speeds vary during the day.
Examples
A couple with one 4K TV
25 (4K TV) + 15 (phones and laptops) = 40 Mbps, plus headroom: about 50 Mbps.
A family with two 4K TVs and a tablet in HD
25 + 25 + 8 + 20 (other devices) = 78 Mbps, plus headroom: about 100 Mbps.
A shared house with four screens, mixed quality
Two 4K screens (50) + two HD screens (16) + 25 for everything else = 91 Mbps, plus headroom: about 120 Mbps.
Your plan speed is not your TV's speed
The speed on your internet bill is measured at the router, usually over a cable. A TV on Wi-Fi in another room might receive half of that or less. To see what you really get:
- Run a speed test on the TV or streaming device itself, not on your phone.
- Test in the evening, when your connection is busiest.
Getting more speed to the TV without a new plan
- Use Ethernet for the main TV. It is the most reliable fix for 4K.
- Connect to 5 GHz Wi-Fi when the TV is close to the router.
- Add a mesh Wi-Fi system or powerline adapters for TVs far from the router.
- Schedule big downloads (game updates, cloud backups) overnight.
- Restart the router every so often, and update its firmware.
Do upload speed and latency matter?
For watching, download speed is what counts. Upload speed matters for video calls, uploading videos and cloud backups. Latency (ping) matters for gaming, not for streaming films.
Signs your connection is the bottleneck
- The picture starts sharp, then becomes blurry for a while
- Buffering happens mainly in the evening
- Quality is fine on one TV but drops when a second TV starts streaming
If that sounds familiar, see our guides on IPTV buffering and Netflix not playing in 4K.
Ready to stream?
Browse our streaming services and IPTV plans. Not sure which plan suits your home? Tell us how many screens you have in the chat and we will recommend one.