What Internet Speed Do I Need for My Router?

Whether you want to connect a 5G router or just a small mobile hotspot to the Internet, choosing the right speed can save you some money. As with most services, the principle of needs-based pricing also applies to mobile Internet for routers. Why pay for ultra-high-speed Internet if you’re just streaming Netflix or making the occasional video call anyway? At the same time, you should not save on speed if you want several people to be online at the same time or if you like to participate in extensive online gaming sessions.

First, you should ask yourself how mobile you want to be with your router. Since 5G routers or hotspots connect to the mobile network, your connection is subject to certain fluctuations, especially if you are on the road a lot.

If you only want to use your router at home, you should check the network coverage at your location and, if available, also test the possible speed. For example, new customers can order a free test SIM card from Digital Republic and test the achievable speed for a month.

If you have already ordered a trial SIM card and therefore cannot get another free card, you can also contact our support and ask for a location analysis of your address.

When multiple devices are connected to a WLAN, they share the available Internet bandwidth provided by the Internet service provider (ISP). The bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over the network at any given time.

Because the available bandwidth is shared by all devices on the network, the more devices that are connected to the network, the less bandwidth is available to each device. This can result in slower Internet speeds and longer load times for web pages, streaming video, and other online content.

That’s why we recommend a connection speed of 300 Mbits for a normal multi-person household. If you live alone and only surf with one or two devices at a time, 50 Mbits may be enough.

But it can also be even faster. If you live in an appropriate location where you can use the full 5G speed, you will have up to 2000 Mbits available. However, such speeds are only recommended if you either want to download very large amounts of data frequently or a large number of people share the connection (6 people and more).

In most other cases, you are well provided for with 50 or 300 Mbits and do not necessarily need to pay for a faster connection.

Mobility and shared bandwidth aside. Finally, your usage behavior will determine which Internet speed is right for you. You should also ask yourself how fast you want to transmit which types of data.

If you mainly stream media content such as music and videos, 50 Mbits is usually sufficient for a single or two-person household. However, if you want to stream games, you will need a faster connection of about 300 Mbits.

Also, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time on large uploads and downloads, you should choose a faster rate. You can see how the Internet speed affects the download time for different file volumes on this online calculator.

Once you’ve found the right speed for you, all that’s left is to choose your provider. Digital Republic offers you the free choice between all speeds mentioned in this article, 5G included, no minimum contract period and no cancellation period. Take a look!