What Internet speed do you need to work remotely?

The right speed for different tasks

When choosing an acceptable Internet speed for your home office, you should consider the nature of your work tasks. These may include the following:

• Text messaging, web surfing
  Since text does not require high bandwidth, a minimum Internet speed of between 1-5 Mbps will suffice for receiving/sending text messages.
• Working with audio files
  If your work involves listening to music, podcasts, books, voice messages, 1-2 Mbps incoming speed is sufficient for this type of tasks, provided you have a stable connection.
• Working with large files and cloud services
  If you need to regularly upload large files to cloud storage, the minimum recommended speed should be between 10-25 Mbps.
• Video calls and video conferencing
  To make stable video calls with low resolution, for example, through the popular Zoom programme, the recommended speed starts from 1 Mbps. Whereas the recommended HD-quality speed for video conferencing is 5-10 Mbps.
• Handling large amounts of data and using a VPN
  For processing large amounts of data, using VPNs and other bandwidth-intensive services, speeds of 25 Mbps or higher are required.

While in the past a data transfer speed of 15 Mbps for a single person was considered sufficient, today a speed of 100 Mbps or more has become the standard. This is due to the fact that most people access the Internet not only from a computer, but also connect a smartphone, tablet, smart speaker and many other devices to Wi-Fi.

When should you choose gigabit Internet speed for your home office?

In some cases for remote work it is better to connect the Internet at a speed of up to 1000 Mbps, i.e. ten times faster than the standard one. Such a solution is reasonable if:

• 2-3 or more people work at home, each of whom is an active Internet user.
• You actively use any cloud services.
• You need to hold regular video conferences and download large files.
• You or someone in your family plays cyber sports professionally and broadcasts online.

Compare your needs with the possibilities of tariff plans offered by providers and decide whether you should connect gigabit Internet. If not, it is better to choose an average speed of up to 500 Mbps.

What type of connection to choose for online work?

To comfortably work remotely, you also need to choose the right type of Internet connection:

• Wired connection. This is the most reliable way to connect to the Internet, which provides high speed and stability. Usually, a wired connection via Ethernet cable or optical cable is used.
  
  By the way, optical connection is used by such modern technology of data transmission as GPON, which works on the principle of passive network equipment and provides stable Internet speed up to 1 Gbps. At the same time, several devices can be simultaneously connected to the network. And also Internet connection using optical cable is not affected by the lack of electricity, provided that the appropriate equipment (subscriber terminal and Wi-Fi router) is powered. Therefore, if you need high-speed and stable Internet access, you should take advantage of the modern GPON standard.
• Wi-Fi connection. A wireless connection allows you to surf the Internet without using wires. However, the Internet speed over Wi-Fi can be slower than with a wired connection, especially if the router is located far away from the device. So if you are working online from a large private home, it is a good solution to organise a Wi-Fi Mesh system on its territory to strengthen the signal.

4G modems, portable routers and 4G Wi-Fi routers

Most portable devices are equipped with a SIM card slot and are capable of accessing the Internet. However, many users use two or more gadgets to work remotely, and it is expensive and inconvenient to select a separate SIM card for each one or to move the SIM card from one device to another. It is much more convenient to organise common Internet access by providing high-speed connection from several devices. In this case you will need a USB 4G modem, a compact mobile router or a 4G Wi-Fi router.

An external 4G modem is one of the devices designed to use mobile Internet on a PC or laptop. This is a convenient solution when you need to connect one device to the Internet for a short period of time or when travelling.

A portable router also belongs to the category of compact devices that work autonomously. In essence, it is a Wi-Fi router in which you can insert a SIM card, but cannot connect it to a wired network. Such a device is convenient to use when you need to provide Internet connection to several devices at the same time.

And remote employees can also use a 4G Wi-Fi router with SIM card support. It's a familiar Wi-Fi router that runs on wired internet, but additionally has a SIM card slot and switches to 4G/LTE in case of wired network signal loss.

Although many operators offer unlimited traffic packages, you may still experience slower connection speeds when you reach certain limits. With this in mind, please review the package terms and conditions carefully.

Summary

All Internet users who work remotely, we advise you to wisely approach the issue of choosing the speed of data transfer. In turn, the company Maxnet is ready to provide the appropriate speed of Internet connection, offering a choice of tariff plans for different needs of home office workers.