What bandwidth do I need for 4K streaming?

Netflix recommends 25 Mbps for 4K Ultra HD streaming. YouTube 4K requires around 20 Mbps. For multiple simultaneous 4K streams, 50–100 Mbps is recommended.

How do I calculate required bandwidth?

Required bandwidth (bps) = File size in bits ÷ Transfer time in seconds. For example, to transfer 4 GB in 30 minutes: (4,000,000,000 × 8) ÷ 1800 = 17,777,778 bps ≈ 17.78 Mbps.

What is the difference between bandwidth and internet speed?

Bandwidth is the maximum data capacity of a connection (like a pipe's diameter), while speed is how fast data actually flows through it. In practice the terms are often used interchangeably to mean download/upload rate in Mbps.

How much data does streaming use per hour?

At 100 Mbps continuously for 1 hour: (100,000,000 × 3600) ÷ 8 = 45 GB. In practice streaming services compress video, so actual usage is much lower — Netflix 4K uses about 7 GB per hour, HD uses about 3 GB per hour.

Bandwidth Calculator

Calculate required speed or total data usage

What speed do I need to transfer a file in a given time?

File Size

Desired Transfer Time

Enter values above to calculate

Bandwidth determines how quickly data can be transferred. To move 1 GB. The table below shows which connection types can meet the required bandwidth.

Connection Type	Average Speed	Transfer Time (1 GB)
Dial-Up Modem (1990s)	56 Kbps	~1.7 days
ISDN	128 Kbps	~17h 22m
Satellite (Early)	512 Kbps	~4h 20m
ADSL	8 Mbps	~16 min 40 sec
VDSL	25 Mbps	~5 min 20 sec
Cable Internet	100 Mbps	~1 min 20 sec
Wi-Fi (802.11g)	54 Mbps	~2 min 28 sec
Wi-Fi (802.11n)	150 Mbps	~53 sec
Wi-Fi (802.11ac)	433 Mbps	~18 sec
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)	1.2 Gbps	~7 sec
3G Mobile	2 Mbps	~1h 7m
4G LTE	20 Mbps	~6 min 40 sec
5G Mobile	1 Gbps	~8 sec
Fiber (FTTH)	1 Gbps	~8 sec
High-End Fiber	10 Gbps	< 1 second

Note: Actual speeds vary due to network congestion, signal quality, and server limits. Speeds listed are typical averages for each connection type.