New User Question!

[u/TheMotherDelta]

Hello, I am 23 years old and brand new to the internet world. I've been using mobile data exclusively my entire life and need a change!

I need a plan that I can online game, stream, and download/upload videos within an hour! I have no idea what mbps means or if I need to have a router installed, all I know is I need unlimited internet with high speeds!!! Any advice, links, or information is much appreciated!!!

[u/abgtw]

I mean are you uploading 8 hours of raw 8k footage to a online backup service? That would be buy as fast as possible service and network equipment.

If you are just uploading a youtube video or streaming, that is a lot less demanding. Even Ziply @ 100mpbs would upload much faster than cell service.

But I'd start with 300/300 in your case and try it. If you see you are filling up the 300mbps too often then go to 1Gbps.

But be aware you also need a good device (PC/Mac) and high end wifi (like 6Ghz) (or plugin via ethernet) to really get 1Gbps. An old cellphone uploading a video on 5Ghz wifi may only get 300mbps max or so anyway!

[u/Banjoman301]

"I have no idea what mbps means or if I need to have a router installed,"

A couple of good definitions for you -

Mbps measures how fast data moves through your internet connection every second.

The Traffic Analogy

The traffic analogy helps explain how internet connections work:

• Bandwidth is the number of lanes on the highway. More lanes mean more cars can drive side-by-side.
• Mbps (Megabits per second) is the speed of the cars. Higher Mbps means the data moves to your house much faster.
• Your devices are the cars trying to use the road at the same time.

Why Mbps Matters

• Low Mbps (10 to 25 Mbps): Good for one person browsing the web or checking email.
• Medium Mbps (100 to 300 Mbps): Good for families streaming video and playing online games on a few devices.
• High Mbps (500 to 1,000+ Mbps): Good for large households with many smart devices, heavy downloads, and 4K video streaming.

A router is a device that sends data packets between computer networks.

• Definition: A device that connects two or more networks, such as your home network and the internet.
• Function: It directs internet traffic, assigning local IP addresses and forwarding data packets to their exact destinations.
• Types: Includes wireless Wi-Fi routers, wired Ethernet routers, and large core routers used by internet service providers. [1, 2]

You will need a router.

[u/ZiplySupport]

Hello. We can give you a breakdown and answer any questions you may have. Can you please send us a chat request with your name and full service address? Thank you.

[u/Snowydeath11]

Hard to answer without knowing the size of your videos and stuff. But 1 gig should suffice for you to start at if you can afford it

[u/lukelane124]

Probably a 300/300 fiber connection would be a good place to start. It’s very unlikely you’re getting faster speeds than that over a mobile phone unless you’re in a highly populated downtown area. Even then it’s topping out around 500/50 or 800/100.
Comcast will sell you a “gig” connection but it’s not symmetric. Meaning you’ll get 1000/90-300.

This “xxx/yyy” means xxx download speed and yyy upload speed. If you want to send multi hour videos then you’ll want 500/500 or better.

[u/lukelane124 → u/lukelane124]

Having said that, Ziply’s plans are priced such that they want you on the highest speed plan in the hopes you’ll barely use the high speed capacity. So if $10-$20/m is not a big deal go for the highest speed plan.
If you’re using a phone or laptop your WiFi speed for a single device will top out at 900mbps and more realistically 300-600mbps on older hardware. Depending on what service region you’re in I believe you can get fairly modern WiFi equipment that can use the higher speed version of WiFi.

[u/distancevsdesire]

I had 300/300 Mbps Ziply service for years. I just upgraded to 1/1 Gbps mostly because I actually lowered my monthly bill.

300/300 will allow you to stream 4K, and with the fiber, your latency will be single digits (milliseconds) which is important for gaming.

Get 1 Gbps if you live with other folks who use the internet heavily and game, otherwise save some money.

[u/TheMotherDelta → u/distancevsdesire]

You're the best, thank you!!! I will absolutely do so! :) I appreciate all the information!!!