What Internet Speed Do You Really Need for IPTV and Live TV?

The numbers to remember

These are comfortable minimums per screen watching at the same time. They leave a little margin, so the picture stays stable when the network gets busy.

A stream can play on less than this. The margin is what keeps it from freezing during a busy evening or a fast-moving game.

Add up every screen

Each screen that watches at the same time needs its own share. Add them together, then leave room for everything else in the house: phones, video calls, game downloads and school work.

Most internet plans sold in Canadian cities today are well above these totals. The question is rarely the plan itself. It is how much of that speed actually reaches the TV. For how screen limits work with several TVs, see our article on IPTV on several TVs.

Why a fast plan can still buffer

The speed on your bill is what arrives at the modem. Between the modem and the TV, a lot can get lost:

• Distance and walls. A router in the basement and a TV two floors up is a classic recipe for buffering.
• The 2.4 GHz band. It reaches far, but it is slower and crowded by neighbours' networks. The 5 GHz band is much faster at short and medium range.
• Everyone else on the Wi-Fi. Every phone, tablet and console shares the same airtime.
• An older device. An old TV or stick may not support the faster Wi-Fi standards of your router.

That is why a gigabit plan does not guarantee a smooth picture on the TV upstairs, while a modest plan with a cable to the TV can be perfect.

How to test the speed that matters

1. Test on the TV or stick itself, with a speed test app, not on your phone next to the router.
2. Test in the evening, between 7 and 10 p.m., when your neighbourhood is busiest.
3. Test twice, a few minutes apart, and keep the lower result.
4. Compare with the table above for the number of screens you use at once.

If the result is much lower than your plan, the problem is inside the home. Our 10 buffering fixes show what to change first, starting with the router position and the 5 GHz band.

How much data does live TV use?

Speed is how fast data arrives. Data is how much arrives over the month. As a rough guide, an HD stream uses around 2 to 3 GB per hour, and 4K several times more, depending on the channel. A household that watches four hours of HD a day can use 250 GB or more in a month from TV alone.

Many Canadian home internet plans are unlimited, but not all. Check your plan for a monthly cap before you replace cable, especially if several people stream.

Do you need a faster plan?

• Upgrade the plan if your speed test on a wired computer, right next to the modem, is below the total you need.
• Fix the Wi-Fi instead if the wired test is fine but the TV test is low. A cable, the 5 GHz band, a better router position or a mesh point usually costs less than a faster plan, and works better.