Is 100 mbps Fast Enough for Netflix?
For most people, 100 mbps may seem like an ideal streaming speed for watching anything online — but is it really fast enough for Netflix? If you’re a movie lover and have no problem spending those sleepless nights binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows, you may want to prep your internet speed to efficiently stream Netflix in HD.
What mbps stands for is “megabits per second” and it’s a measure of how low or high your internet bandwidth is. The higher the internet bandwidth, the greater the internet speed. So how fast should your internet be for Netflix? Is 100 mbps fast enough for Netflix?
Here’s the simple answer: Yes, according to the official Netflix site, 100 mbps is fast enough for even Netflix’s HD streaming. But if your Internet speed is below 100 mbps, will you still be able to stream Netflix in HD efficiently?
What is the minimum mbps for Netflix?
According to Netflix: “In order to stream UltraHD quality: Make sure your internet speed is 25mbps. To stream in HD quality: Make sure your internet speed is 5mbps or more. To stream SD quality: Make sure your internet speed is 3mbps.”
So if you’ve wondered how many mbps is recommended for Netflix minimum, there you have it.
If you would like to consume less data so as not to be charged a lot by your ISP, you can do so by changing the quality of the video you’re watching on settings.
How to test your Netflix connection speed
While there are tons of online tools that allow you to check your internet’s connection speed, you can also do so within Netflix’s app, so you know whether your device meets the average mbps for Netflix. To achieve this within Netflix’s app:
- While logged in, click on Settings.
- Next, click on Check your Network.
- Once this is done, Netflix will automatically approve that you can reach their servers. It will also check how fast your internet speed is and give feedback.
Common problems with Netflix streaming (and how to solve them)
Regardless of your internet speed, sometimes you can encounter errors such as “cannot connect to Netflix” while streaming. If the system is down from Netflix’s side, you may have to wait till they fix it themselves. If not, you should reset your internet connectivity to see if the problem is with your device.
- Is the video quality bad or loads slowly? This can be caused as a result of bad internet connection. To be sure, ensure you run a speedtest on the device you’re accessing Netflix with. If the speed is acceptable, restart your device. Also ensure that if you’re using Wi-Fi, place the router in an open space with nothing blocking the signal.
- Is the Netflix App crashing now and then? Another common problem with Netflix streaming is when the app keeps crashing. This can be very frustrating, but the first step you can take to solve it is by simply restarting the Netflix app. If this doesn’t work, try uninstalling the app then reinstalling and starting it. If the problem persists, then you should consider contacting Netflix’s customer care support and explain the problem to one of their experts.
