Friday, March 29, 2024

Netflix speed test: Here’s how to check if you can stream 4K Ultra HD

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A snappy internet connection is paramount to a fluid, quality connection to everyone’s favorite streaming service. Netflix has one of the best delivery mechanisms for streaming video on the web, so if you’re trying to stream something and it isn’t quite in the 4K Ultra HD resolution you were expecting, chances are it’s your internet connection that’s to blame.
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Don’t just take our word for it, though. There’s a simple experiment you can carry out to test your Netflix speed to check to see whether your connection is at fault. If it is, chances are it’s because you’re trying to watch something during peak hours when everyone in your neighborhood is firing up their preferred on-demand streaming services to catch the latest must-see show while dining on a microwave meal and sipping a glass of wine. Here’s how to see if your internet is up to snuff to help you avoid Netflix streaming woes.

What to know about Netflix streaming speed

Before we run through the steps required to execute the oft-used Netflix speed test, we first need to touch on the sort of results you can expect to see. In a nutshell, the average download speed in the U.S. is a colossal 94Mbps, according to Ookla — twice as fast as the global average. That’s more than enough pull to stream two 4K Ultra HD shows on the same Wi-Fi network, with each needing at least 25Mbps.

However, most households out in the sticks tend to receive around a third of that nationwide average, or just 30Mbps, to distribute across the entire network. That’s enough bandwidth to stream one 4K Ultra HD show on one television in one household. If you’re receiving anything under 10Mbps and there’s more than once device using the internet, you’ll be hard-pressed to tap into a Full HD stream, let alone a high-res 4K Ultra HD one.

Here are the download speeds Netflix recommends (again, for one stream):

  • SD — 3Mbps
  • Full HD — 5Mbps
  • 4K Ultra HD — 25Mbps

How to test your Netflix speed

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s turn our attention to how to test your Netflix speed. The process itself couldn’t be easier. Just head over to Fast.com — the official Netflix speed test website — and wait for a number to be thrown up on the screen. Done? That’s your current internet speed. If it’s a few Mbps (no more than 10) less than what you’re promised, there’s no cause for concern — the speed fluctuates more than the value of Bitcoin.

If the speed is a lot less than you were expecting (more than a 10 Mbps drop), you may need to take action. Fortunately, we have an in-depth look at everything you can do to get Netflix back to serving up piping-hot bowls of 4K Ultra HD content in no time. Just be warned that if the issue stems from a local drop in speed during peak hours, there isn’t much you can do outside of flagging the problem with your internet service provider.

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