No, 20 Mbps is not a fast internet speed. But then, it's not too slow, either. It can hardly take care of all the needs of 2 users. For instance, if one user is streaming Netflix in 4K, the other person won’t have much bandwidth to do anything.
With an internet speed of 20 Mbps, you can have at max four HD Netflix streams, up to 10 gaming sessions but at low bandwidth, 2 HD Zoom calls, and around 31 Spotify streams. So, if you have more than 2-3 users sharing the connection, you must upgrade to a better speed, like 50 Mbps internet.
But if you wonder what you can do with this speed, keep reading as I shared some of the most interesting insights based on my week-long usage of the 20 Mbps plan from Cox Internet.
How Fast is 20 Mbps?
With a 20 Mbps internet speed, you can perform low data-intensive tasks if you are the only person using it. This speed is fair enough for work-from-home employees. However, downloading and uploading large files might not be a good experience at this speed.
Below is the table that lists bandwidth requirements of different internet activities and lets you know if 20 Mb per second can support it.
| Activities | Required Download Speed | Required Upload Speed | Can 200 Mbps support it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media | 500 Kbps - 2 Mbps | 200 - 300 Kbps | Yes |
| Messaging & Email | 100 Kbps | 12.5 Kbps | Yes |
| Web Browsing | 100 - 1000 Kbps | 12.5 - 125 Kbps | Yes |
| WhatsApp Voice Call | 100 Kbps | 12.5 Kbps | Yes |
| WhatsApp Video Call | 2-3 Mbps | 250 - 300 Kbps | Yes |
| Skype HD Call | 1-3 Mbps | 125 - 300 Kbps | Yes |
| Skype Group HD Call | 4-5 Mbps | 500 - 600 Kbps | Yes |
| Zoom HD Call | 3.5-4 Mbps | 400 - 500 Kbps | Yes |
| Zoom Group HD Call | 4-5 Mbps | 500 - 600 Kbps | Yes |
| Watching YouTube Videos [480p] | 500 - 1000 Kbps | 200 Kbps | Yes |
| Watching YouTube Videos [1080p] | 2-3 Mbps | 250 - 300 Kbps | Yes |
| Streaming Netflix [720p] | 1.5-2 Mbps | 250 Kbps | Yes |
| Streaming Netflix [1080p] | 5-7 Mbps | 600-800 Kbps | Yes |
| Online Gaming | 3-4 Mbps | 300 - 400 Kbps | Yes |
| Streaming Audio Music | 400 Kbps | 50 Kbps | Yes |
So, 20 megabits per second internet is not fast enough. But it is much better than the 5 Mbps or 10 Mbps speed. You can have video calls and gaming sessions and stream content on limited devices at this speed.
Is 20 Mbps Good for Streaming?
Netflix’s Ultra HD stream requires a download speed of 25 Mbps. So, with 20 Mbps speed, you can hardly have one Ultra HD streaming session. But then forget that you will able to do anything else.
Coming to HD streaming, the bandwidth requirement is less i.e., 5 Mbps. This means you can have at max four HD streams with this plan. Spotify users can have around 31 streams simultaneously as this music platform's bandwidth is quite low.
Is 20 Mbps Good for Gaming?
Online gaming has two important points: good upload and download speeds.
Well, required upload and download speeds vary from game to game. However, the average upload speed of online games ranges between 1 and 3 Mbps. That allows you to have 8-10 gaming sessions at the same time.
Coming to the downloading part, low-end games like Fruit Ninja and Puzzle games can be easily downloaded within seconds with this plan. But if you have to download heavy game files like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey has 110 GB size. It will take you around 13 hours to download it fully.
Is 20 Mbps Good for Working From Home?
Working from home involves a couple of activities, including web browsing, video conferencing, using a couple of gadgets, seamless internet access, etc.
Video conferring also requires a good upload and download speed. You will upload the same amount of data as you are downloading when making a video call. Typically, the upload speed is 1/8th of the download speed. In the case of 20 megabits per second, the upload speed will be 2 Mbps.
But that’s just on paper. For the 20 Mbps connection, you may get an upload speed of 5 Mbps. This can help you get away with a couple of HD Zoom calls. You can even have up to three group video calls with this plan.
So, if you are the only person using this internet plan, an internet speed of 20 Mbps will be fine. However, you might have to face some lag in case of downloading large files frequently or making video conferences.
Downloading Files with 20 Mbps Internet
20 Mbps download speed is great for downloading low-end files. Be it games, applications, or email attachments up to 30 GB, you can download them within an hour. However, downloading large-end files might need some patience and time.
For example, Assassin's Creed [110 GB] needs around 13 hours to download.
| Type & Size of File | Download Duration |
|---|---|
| Apps and Games [Up to 20 GB] | Up to 17 minutes |
| Email Attachments [Up to 25 MB] | Around 1.25 seconds |
| HD Movies [Up to 5 GB] | Up to 5 minutes |
| HD Music Album [Up to 800 MB] | 40 Seconds |
| 1080 p videos [Up to 1.5 GB] | Around 1 and half minutes |
Note: Web browsers show download speeds in megabytes, abbreviated as MB, while your internet speed is measured in Megabits, abbreviated as Mb. In case you don't know, both are not the same. You may learn the differences between Megabits and Megabytes.
How Much Does 20 Mbps Internet Cost?
Different internet providers have different plans and pricing for 20 Mbps WiFi. How much you need to pay solely depends upon the provider and the region you are subscribing to. Also, before choosing any plan, you should see the number of devices and people it can support.
ISPs that offer 20 Mbps speed plans:
| Internet Provider | Service Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity by Comcast | 20 Internet | Up to 20 Mbps | Up to 29 Mbps | $20 / Mo |
| Cox | Blast 20 | Up to 38 Mbps | Up to 30 Mbps | $35 / Mo |
Frequently Asked Questions
20 megabits per second internet can be good for single users. However, even single users won’t be able to carry out bandwidth-intensive tasks at this speed.
That depends upon your usage. For example, almost 25-30 devices can support this plan if you have to do general web surfing. But, if you are into online gaming, you can simultaneously have just 7-8 devices connected to the plan.
This speed allows you to have almost four Netflix HD streams. But then, you won’t have much bandwidth left to do other tasks.
To conclude, an internet speed of 20 Mbps is not the best. I would suggest you switch to at least a 50 Mbps plan if you are the only person using the internet. In the case of families, you can opt for 100 Mbps speed. However, before subscribing to any plan, you must first address the internet needs and the number of devices sharing the plan.
