When it comes to speed, the Internet’s got it.

For most businesses, however, the idea of Internet speed is an abstract concept that can be very confusing. After all, you don’t want to think about megabytes or gigabytes—you just want a reliable connection that works for your team.

Unfortunately, there’s no getting around the speed factor. As the Internet continues to evolve and programs become increasingly more complex, more bandwidth is necessary to handle the load. Remember your dial-up network? It’s a thing of the past primarily because today’s Internet requires a bigger “pipe” through which to send greater and greater amounts of data. If it weren’t for higher speeds, high-definition videos would be nonexistent, images would always be blurry, and websites would take forever to download.

So, when it comes to Internet speed for business, what are we really talking about?

Uploading and Downloading

The Internet’s speed is measured mostly in megabytes per second across two verticals: uploading data and downloading it. Because people tend to consume more data than they send, downloading speeds are considerably faster than uploading speeds. Basic residential download speeds start at about 5 Mbps., which is enough to support general online browsing and email usage.

The download speeds go up from there:

• 25 Mbps. This is the very basic small business speed. It provides for large file downloading, basic Wi-Fi, and business-class communication for about 3-5 people. This speed is becoming increasingly popular in residential areas as high-definition streaming channels like Netflix and Hulu are becoming more ubiquitous in homes with multiple devices.
• 50-100 Mbps. Speeds in this range will support 5 to 8 users who need to simultaneously stream HD video, conduct point-of-sale transactions, or engage in file sharing.
• 150-250 Mbps. This speed will support all of the above, plus server hosting and live streaming, such as video conferencing, for anywhere from 10-12 people.
• 1 Gbps. One gigabyte per second (or 1,000 Mbps.) equates to lightning fast, enterprise-level Internet. Think multiple cloud backups per day across multiple servers for dozens of people.

Getting Wired

The means of conveyance is important when it comes to incorporating higher Internet speeds into your business operation. For years, copper wiring has been the go-to medium for Ethernet connections for residential households and businesses due to its relatively low cost and ability to convey an array of data types over long distances. Copper has been in use since the earliest days of the telephone, but it has undergone quite a transformation in the last two decades, evolving from CAT3 in the early 2000s to the current CAT6 of today.

While it’s still the industry standard due to its price, copper does have some significant limitations. Not only does its signal strength weaken with distance, it is also prone to electromagnetic interference along the way. CAT6 represents a significant improvement over its predecessor, CAT5e, but the vulnerabilities still exist.

In recent years, a new type of cabling has emerged. Fiber optic cable, a glass compound that depends on light for data transmittal, has taken the computer networking world by storm.

The biggest advantage of fiber optic cabling is that it can carry large amounts of data at lighting fast speeds over great distances without any diminishing strength. While copper can carry data at speeds up to 10 Gbps., fiber can deliver data at speeds up to 10 times faster and at distances 10 times greater! Another major advantage of fiber is that it doesn’t rely on electrons to transmit data the way copper does. This might seem unimportant to you, but if your business network is located in an area that experiences frequent lightning strikes, you already know how copper can affect your entire system (see this case study for more information). Glass is naturally non-conductive, so it can work well under just about any kind of weather conditions.

The Bottom Line on Internet Speed for Business

So … what’s the best Internet speed for your business? It depends. When deciding how much bandwidth you need, ask yourself these two questions:

1. How many people are using the network? If yours is a large company that employs a team of 20 or more people, all of whom are using the Internet simultaneously to share large files or stream HD or 4K video, you’ll want a solution that delivers at least 1 Gbps.
2. How is the Internet being used? If you’re using the Internet with a VoIP phone service to conduct cloud calling as part of a phone center, you’ll definitely need the 1 Gbps. option. However, if you operate a small point-of-sale business with a few employees and a main phone line with cloud calling, 75-100 Mbps. might be more your speed. Even still, you might want to go for a larger plan to allow for business growth down the line.

If you’re still not sure which Internet speed is right for you, contact us at 717-431-6266 and ask to speak with Justin Brian, our Systems Designer and Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD). We’ve got extensive experience in helping businesses identify the right Internet speed and infrastructure cabling system that works for them.