Getting fast, reliable Wi-Fi in our home networks is essential. We
connect more devices than ever to Wi-Fi, including smart phones,
tablets, laptops and a growing list of smart devices. And we use
them 24/7 for everything from video streaming and social media
sharing to home automation and monitoring.

But sometimes it seems like we’re not getting the speeds we should be, such as
when it seems to take forever to upload our holiday photos to a photo sharing site,
or when Netflix freezes just when we’re getting to the best part of the movie. And
while it’s possible that there’s something wrong with your Wi-Fi setup or your Internet connection, there are other factors you should consider first before calling your ISP’s Help Desk.

The first thing to understand about Internet speeds is that certain minimum speeds
are needed to enjoy different types of online activities. Video streaming is the best
example of this. The better the video quality, the faster your Internet speed needs to
be to enjoy it.
Streaming companies typically publish minimum speeds for the different levels
of video quality: standard definition (SD), high definition (HD) and ultra high-definition/4K.