Russia has a very good and, no less important, affordable home Internet. Seriously! In villages and a very deep province, things are, of course, worse, but take any, even a small city in the European part of the country and look at the tariffs. For 300-400 rubles a month, you can bring Internet to an apartment at a speed of around 25-50 megabits per second, and for some promotion, all 100 megabits.
For comparison: in "civilized" countries, fast Internet (both home and mobile) costs an order of magnitude more expensive. And the concept of “monthly data limit” still lives there. We have this left only with cellular operators.
However, cheapness is not a reason to pay for something that you do not use. Even a hundred rubles saved warms the wallet, and therefore the tariff for home Internet must be chosen based on real speed needs. Let's figure out how many megabits per second are required in various situations, and start with basic concepts.
Megabits, megabytes and real speeds
The data size is usually measured in bytes. For example, an HD movie weighs between 700 megabytes (megabytes) to 1.4 gigabytes (gigabytes), while Full HD is 4 to 14 gigabytes.
It is customary to indicate the data transfer rate in bits (not bytes!) Per second, and sometimes this causes misunderstanding.
Byte ≠ bit.
1 byte = 8 bits.
1 megabyte = 8 megabits.
1 megabyte per second = 8 megabits per second.
If the user does not distinguish between bytes and bits, then he can easily confuse them or take them for the same thing. In this case, it will calculate the approximate download time of an HD movie via torrent like this:
- The film weighs 1,400 "mega".
- Internet speed 30 "mega" per second.
- The movie will download in 1400 / 30 = 46.6 seconds.
In fact, the Internet speed is 30 megabits per second = 3.75 megabytes per second. Accordingly, 1,400 megabytes should be divided not by 30, but by 3.75. In this case, the download time will be 1,400 / 3.75 = 373 seconds.
In practice, the speed will be even lower, because Internet providers indicate the speed "to", that is, the maximum possible, and not working. In addition, interference, especially when transmitting over Wi-Fi, network congestion, as well as limitations and features of user equipment and service provider equipment, all contribute. You can check your speed with , and increase it with .
Often the resource from which you download something becomes the neck. For example, your Internet speed is 100 megabits per second, and the site gives data at a speed of 10 megabits per second. In this case, the download will occur at a speed of no more than 10 megabits per second, and there is nothing to be done about it.
What internet speed do you really need
Obviously, the above table needs clarification.
Questions and answers
What to do if the Internet is used on two or more devices at once?
Let's say you watch Full HD streaming video on a smart TV, your wife is surfing YouTube on a laptop with an HD screen, and your child is also watching something from a smartphone or tablet in HD quality. Does this mean that the numbers from the table need to be summed up?
Yes, absolutely right. In this case, you will need about 20 megabits per second.
Why do different sites have different speed requirements for watching videos of the same resolution?
There is such a thing as bitrate - the amount of information that encodes an image per unit of time, and, accordingly, a conditional indicator of picture and sound quality. The higher the bitrate, the better the image, as a rule. That is why on torrents you can find versions of the same movie with the same resolution, but different sizes.
In addition, there are ultra-smooth videos at 60 frames per second. They weigh more and require faster internet.
Is it true that online games are so undemanding to the speed of the Internet?
Yes, for most games like CS, Dota 2, WoT, WoW and even GTA 5, only one megabit per second is more than enough for multiplayer, but in this case, ping becomes decisive - the time it takes for a signal to travel from you to the game server and back. The lower the ping, the lower the delay in the game.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to know in advance even an approximate ping in a particular game through a particular provider, since its value is not constant and depends on many factors.
Why does the picture and sound from the interlocutors go to me normally during video calls, but not from me to them?
In this case, not only the incoming, but also the outgoing Internet speed becomes important. Often, providers do not indicate the outgoing speed in the tariff at all, but you can check it yourself using the same Speedtest.net.
For broadcasting through a webcam, an outgoing speed of 1 megabit per second is sufficient. In the case of HD cameras (and even more so Full HD), the requirements for outgoing speed increase.
Why do ISPs start at 20–30 or more megabits per second in tariffs?
Because the higher the speed, the more money you can take. Providers could keep tariffs "from the past" at a speed of 2-10 megabits per second and reduce their cost to 50-100 rubles, but why? It is much more profitable to increase the minimum speeds and prices.
What does the concept of “normal Internet speed” imply, what should it be for optimal work and leisure time on a personal computer. The same connection will seem to someone quite sufficient, and to someone - the inability to work effectively. What is normal for an Internet cafe, for the University of Moscow State University, for example, "will not be enough."
Using computers at home raises reasonable questions for users: what is the speed of a suitable tariff plan.
If the finances of the PC owner are limited, when choosing a tariff for home Internet, he will definitely come across a number of offers from providers that prevent him from making the right decision. To avoid mistakes, you should know some parameters that determine the quality of the Internet at home.
To determine, you first need to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts.
Bits, kilobits, megabits
Data transfer speed is usually measured in bits / sec. But since a bit is a very small value, kilobits or megabits are used:
- Kilobits = 1024 bits.
- Megabit = 1024 kilobits.
With the advent of optical cables, Internet speeds have increased dramatically. If earlier 128 kbps was considered normal, today the parameter is measured in megabits and is 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
Therefore, megabits per second is the standard unit for measuring the speed of the modern Internet. The conditional classification of Internet communications is as follows:
- slow - 512 Kbps;
- low - 2 Mbps;
- medium - 10 Mbps;
- high - 50 Mbps;
- very high - 100 Mbps.
It must be understood that the lower the speed, the lower the tariff.
A byte is not a bit
Internet users are interested in working with files, their size is usually measured in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes, equal to:
- Byte - 8 bits.
- Kilobyte = 1024 bytes.
- Megabyte = 1024 kilobytes.
- Gigabyte = 1024 megabytes.
Inexperienced users confuse bytes with bits. And they get megabits (Mbps) instead of megabytes. This leads to a serious error, for example, when calculating the download time of files.
It is unrealistic to accurately determine the period for downloading a file, because:
- Providers indicate the maximum connection speed. The average (working) will be lower.
- The speed is reduced by interference, especially if a remote router is used.
- The remote FTP server restricts downloads so much that everything else becomes irrelevant.
But the approximate time, nevertheless, is possible to establish. Calculations will be easier if you round:
- byte = 10 bits;
- kilobyte = 1 thousand bytes.
But it's better to just start downloading and determine the download time using the program than to calculate the time theoretically.
What tasks affect the choice of speed
The lower the Internet connection speed, the smaller the range of available tasks, but the tariff is cheaper. The right choice allows you to feel comfortable without wasting money.
Outlining the circle of interests
The Internet is used to solve various problems:
- Surfing social networks, listening to music.
- Online games.
- Organization of streaming broadcasting (stream).
- video calls.
- Watching videos online.
- Downloading music, movies, other files.
- Uploading files to cloud storage.
Choose a connection
When the circle of interests is defined, we set ourselves tasks and choose the appropriate tariff.
Providers offer various types of connection, for example, 300 rubles per month for Internet access at a speed of 15 Mbps.
There are two numbers in the tariff descriptions: 
If the second number is missing, then the speeds are equal. If necessary, check with your internet service provider.
How much internet speed is enough
To determine this indicator, the user is helped by a number of tasks that he needs to work with a PC:
For social networks and music
You don't need high speed to surf social networks and listen to music. The user will feel quite comfortable with 2 Mbps. Even a speed of 512 Kbps will do, but the pages of the sites will open more slowly.
To watch videos online
The following speed indicators for watching videos online are considered normal, depending on the quality of videos and movies:
- SD Video (360p, 480p) - 2Mbps
- HD video (720p) - 5 Mbps
- Full-HD (1080p) - 8 Mbps
- Ultra-HD (2160 p) - 30 Mbps.
100 Mbps - this speed is more than enough to watch online video in any quality. Because browsing is buffered, small dips in speed do not affect browsing.
For streams
To organize streaming broadcasting, you need a stable Internet connection. For a quality stream, the speed should not fall below a critical level. For video stream:
- 480p - 5Mbps
- 720p - 10Mbps
- 1080p - 20Mbps
But these are risky values. The transmission is the most critical, since broadcasting is the uploading of data to the Internet, so we focus on it.
Still, jumps are possible. The tariff is chosen so as to level them.
We calculate the optimal speed for the Internet by multiplying the speed of a quality stream by 2.5. For example, let's calculate the speed for 480p: 5 x 2.5 = 12.5 Mbps.
Taking into account the fact that the boundary values are risky, we select Upload not lower than 15 Mbps.
Online Games
Games are undemanding to speed parameters. For most popular games, 512 Kbps is sufficient. This value is suitable for:
- Dota 2.
- World of Warcraft.
- GTA.
- World of Tanks.
But downloading the game and downloading updates at 512 Kbps will be very slow, as you will have to download tens of gigabytes. In order not to wait for hours, it is better to provide speeds up to 70 Mbps.
For games, the determining factor is the quality of the communication channel, characterized by the parameter "ping" (ping). the time it takes for a signal (request) to reach the server and return back (response). Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).
Ping is affected by:
- The reliability of the Internet provider, which consists in the ability to maintain the declared quality of communication.
- Distance from client to server. For example, the player is located in Sevastopol, and the World of Warcraft game server is in London.
Acceptable ping values:
A persistent ping value above 300ms on any servers is seen as a symptom of serious network connection problems. The reaction time is extremely low.
For smartphones and tablets
If the device is connected to the router via Wi-Fi, it will work in the same way as a computer. The difference is that advanced sites offer pages for gadgets with convenient placement of information on a small screen.
But smartphones and tablets are “sharpened” for mobile Internet. Cellular operators for working with the Internet offer:
- 3G standard - up to 4 Mbps;
- 4G standard - up to 80 Mbps.
The operator's website contains a coverage map with marked 3G and 4G zones. The relief of a particular area makes adjustments, then instead of 4G there will be 3G, and instead of 3G there will be 2G - the standard is too slow for the Internet.
4G communication is provided only by devices equipped with modern radio modules.
In the mobile Internet, the client pays for traffic, not for speed. The question of choosing a normal Internet speed for the device is not worth it. The user selects the appropriate amount of megabytes of traffic.
For video calls
- voice calls - 100 Kbps;
- video calls - 300 Kbps;
- video calls (HD standard) - 5 Mbps;
- voice video communication (five participants) - 4 Mbps (reception) 512 Kbps (transmission).
In practice, these values are multiplied by 2.5 to compensate for spikes.
Factors affecting connection speed
The following factors affect the quality of the connection: 
- Wi-Fi standard supported by devices.
- The frequency at which data is transmitted.
- Walls and partitions in the signal path.
- Computer and browser settings.
- VPN and proxy.
- Outdated drivers.
- Interference from other networks.
- Viruses and malware.
You can find out the current connection speed (it is better to check at night) using the SpeedTest service. If it is very different from the one declared by the provider, you need to find the reason.
When choosing a connection speed, the number of users connected to Wi-Fi, the speed characteristics of tasks used in parallel mode and taken into account when choosing a suitable tariff are taken into account.
Conclusion
You can use the Internet in different ways. It is difficult to enumerate all the tasks set. But among those considered, it is necessary to find a similar one and decide on the connection.
In order to take into account all the nuances when choosing an Internet tariff, you need to know a few facts about the principles of the network that will help you use the services more efficiently.
Megabits and megabytes are two different things. 1 Mbps is about 8 times larger than 1 Mbps. It turns out that having an Internet speed of 8 Mbps, we get a real speed of about 1 Mbps. A 5 MB music track will download (or fully download) in 5 seconds. Thus, knowing your needs in the network, you can calculate the time for which this or that task will be completed at the current tariff.
The final speed of the Internet is determined not only by your provider. Its performance is influenced by the most important factors, for example, network equipment, the speed of the remote server, the level of the wireless signal, the speed of the end device, and so on. If your provider proudly claims 50 megabits per second, then when watching a movie online, you may simply not get such a speed, because that computer with the movie is somewhere far away. The server is busy distributing this film to several thousand or even tens of thousands of the same users.
This is comparable to a wide pipe through which a small stream flows: the source (server) is no longer able to give, and all the extra space is empty. A similar situation occurs if you are with a tablet through 2 walls and a layer of furniture from the router - the speed of the Wi-Fi channel will drop, and no matter how fast Internet comes to your house, it will reach the device at other, lower speeds.
An important indicator of the quality of communication is ping. In essence, ping is the speed of access to data on the Internet, i.e. How fast is the request. If the ping is high at high speed, then there will be practically no sense from it: requests will go slowly. A large ping has a particularly negative effect on ordinary web surfing, where each mouse click is sending a request, as well as on online games, where real-time synchronism depends on ping.
One of the most frequent and demanding user tasks - online video. If everything is not so important with music, because the size of the compositions is small, then with the video you should always pay attention to the quality in which you watch it. The higher the quality, the slower the buffering (loading) of the movie or clip. For example, 480p quality requires almost half the speed of 1080, although many reputable sites automatically set video quality, so the problem is not so significant.
Torrents are the surest test of speed. Here, users' computers act as a server, and the speed of sending information to your computer is summed up over all servers. As a result, the overall upload speed can be very high, capable of loading any Internet channel.
Considering all these factors, the following recommendations can be made.
- about 5 Mbps will be more than enough for web surfing and listening to music at the same time, and the Internet channel can be shared by several devices with such tasks
- 10 Mbps can ensure uninterrupted playback of FullHD video on 2 devices, and on the third one you can browse pages quite comfortably
- 20 Mbps is already a serious speed that will allow you to watch a FullHD movie with simultaneous torrent download, and you can still safely hang a phone with a tablet on the channel and comfortably watch Youtube. For correspondence and web surfing, the speed is excessive.
- 40 Mbit. Older routers just don't support these speeds anymore. Needless to say, 40 Mbps is enough for everything. It can only be recommended to users with special tasks, such as an FTP server or working with files in cloud systems. You should not take such a speed if you are just listening to music, chatting on the Internet and sometimes watching movies. It will be an overpayment.
- 60 Mbps and above. Yes, at present, some providers offer such numbers, and they are really rarely needed. It happens that the provider promises even 100 Mbps and higher at night, but to support this speed you need expensive powerful routers and "gigabit" cables. Almost all mobile devices will not be able to open at this speed, and the computer needs either an expensive motherboard with a 1000mb network card, or a gigabit network card.
Taking into account the average requirements of Internet users, in modern conditions, an Internet speed of 15-20 Mbps is enough for almost all tasks. Most often, large numbers mislead users, as if promising that "everything will be fast." But providers are well aware that only a quarter of the same 60 Mbps will be used, so in fact you are supplied with 15-20 Mbps at the price of 60. Most often, the difference is felt only when working with torrent clients, but for most users this is hardly worth the overpayment.
About a week ago, I suddenly discovered that my home provider can give noticeably more than 100 megabits per second, but the process of switching to a higher speed was not so simple. Putting a tick in the interface, paying with a card is just the tip of the iceberg.
Immediately remark: I decided to try it for a reason - I want to backup about 60 terabytes of photos taken over the past 12 years into the unlimited Acronis True Image Cloud (here) . With a hundred megabits, it would take almost two months. Under the cut in more detail what and how it was
For two months, for a moment, the backup would go if you give the entire channel only for reservation (a terabyte per day), enjoying the brakes of surfing and even Youtube. If you cut the channel, leaving fifty megabits for personal needs, and half for backup, then for four months you would have to not turn off or pull the laptop busy with this process.
Let's start with speed. Here's what happened:
The first step was to change the router - the old one did not support more than 100 megabits.
Fortunately, the provider gave me a new one a long time ago and it was gathering dust on the shelf. The ZyXEL Keenetik Extra that stood before it supported 4 gigabit ports (for the local network) and a 100-megabit WAN for the incoming Internet. In addition, his Wi-Fi was also not the fastest - only 802.11n, which resulted in brakes when working with network folders over the air.
It’s good that this ZyXEL supported at least 5 GHz - now in the city it’s almost impossible to get a sane speed in the 2.4 GHz band, because each neighbor has a router, or even two, and the entire range is full. For comparison, here's what the Internet speed showed iPhone 6 Plus, working through a network of 2.4 GHz:
I took measurements right next to the router, because from the next room, two meters away, there were 10 megabits, and even less. In the 5 GHz band, things were decently better:
Below I will tell you what happened when switching to a new router. Instead of Zyxel, I installed the Totolink A2004NS, which is already equipped with a gigabit WAN and supports the 802.11ac standard, which is much faster.
Then I had to get into my personal account with the provider and change the tariff. It was just not difficult - it turned out to be more difficult to understand how much I would pay for the next month, because NetByNet has buggy billing and in SMS and personal account the numbers "for payment" it gives out strongly from the bullshit. There are some other discounts, Internet TV and all sorts of other things. My brain boils right away...
Okay, I broke through the annoying blocking of the Internet "due to insufficient amount on the account", it turned out that ... the speed is still 100 megabits. The thought crept in that on the provider side my router is not plugged into a gigabit port at all, which was confirmed by the support.
That is, you can change the tariff to a 300-megabit one, change the equipment at home too, but not the fact that everything is connected on the other side - check if you are also going to.
Further it was more interesting. I connected to the tariff on Sunday, the port poking specialist arrived at the request on Monday. The port was plugged, but found that a 4-core cable was laid in the apartment, through which more than 100 megabits could not come. He said that he would issue an application for the arrival of specialists in re-laying the cable.
The second specialists arrived today, just an hour ago. On the spot, it turned out that an 8-core cable still goes to the apartment, and it can even be gigabit, but from their equipment to my cable, through the shaft, there is a 4-core wire that needs to be changed. In the shield, the cables are connected by an adapter. Ok, they changed it in 15 minutes.
I enjoy.
With the advent of spring, many home Internet providers have updated their tariff lines. "Winter" and "New Year's" promotions have changed to "spring", but the essence remains the same - providers are trying to interest subscribers with a lower cost of standard tariffs. Package deals are also popular. Banki.ru reviewed the tariffs of seven major Moscow providers (the selection was made based on the size of the subscriber base according to Banki.ru data).
Tariffs were considered, within which the incoming Internet speed of 100 Mbps is offered. The exceptions are MGTS and AKADO: the rating includes several tariffs of these companies with speeds up to 150 Mbps. This is due to the fact that MGTS has promotional tariffs for the Internet at a speed of 150 Mbps, the cost of which is lower than the standard 100 Mbps. And at AKADO, part of the tariffs assumes a speed of up to 150 Mbps when connected via HFC (DOCSIS 3.0 standard).
LLC "Company 2KOM" offers new subscribers the tariff " » at a reduced price and at a discount: in the first three months of service, the subscription fee will be 290 rubles per month, starting from the fourth month - 490 rubles. At the request of the subscriber, you can connect home TV, in this case, within the framework of the tariff " » The user will pay 390 rubles for the first three months, and starting from the fourth - 640 rubles. The basic tariffs "Maximum Opportunities" for the Internet at a speed of 100 Mbps cost 549 rubles and 699 rubles per month (without home TV and with TV, respectively).
On April 15, Central Telegraph PJSC (QWERTY brand) ends the “Sweet Life” campaign, but it has already been replaced by a promotional tariff “ ”, the acceptance of applications for which will continue until September 30, 2017. The cost of the Internet under the new action has decreased and now amounts to 365 rubles per month. At the same time, the provider's basic tariff - "My Internet 100" - without a promotion will cost 700 rubles.
OnLime (a brand of PJSC Rostelecom in Moscow) offers the most favorable tariff to subscribers who actively use mobile communications. The basic cost of high-speed Internet at the tariff "" is 750 rubles per month, however, when connected within the framework of the promotion "" for two months, the subscriber is given a 50% discount - thus, the cost is reduced to 375 rubles. Starting from the third month, the discount depends on your expenses for mobile communications from OnLime. The 50% discount remains if the expenses are at least 399 rubles per month. And for new subscribers, OnLime offers the tariff "", where the cost is reduced from 750 to 500 rubles per month (the promotion will be valid when connected until April 15).
PJSC MGTS has a basic tariff for the Internet at a speed of 100 Mbps is 700 rubles per month (if you have a home telephony connection from MGTS, the cost of the Internet will drop to 600 rubles). However, the promotion is valid until August 31 « » , within which you can connect the Internet at a speed of 150 Mbps for 450 rubles per month. And for 549 rubles, the price will also include the Optimal TV package, which includes 79 channels.
PJSC VimpelCom (Beeline brand) offers to the Internet at a speed of 100 Mbps. The basic cost is 650 rubles per month, while the tariff can include additional services in the form of installment payment for a Wi-Fi router or home TV with 130 channels. Each service will add to the cost of 100 rubles per month. A set of the Internet, television and a router will cost 850 rubles per month.
The provider NETBYNET (WiFire brand) has a basic cost of high-speed Internet - 699 rubles per month. As part of the action » The same price includes home TV with a package of 127 channels (the promotion is available when applying for connection until May 31).
The review was compiled according to official websites and call centers of providers as of April 7, 2017.
| Provider | Rate | Speed, Mbps | A television | Other services (required for participation in the promotion or included in the price) | Cost, rubles per month | Cost, rubles per year (including promo periods) | |||||||||
| 29.7 (8th) |
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| 107 channels | Parental control | 107 channels | Parental control | ||||||||||||
| Antenna | 23.2 (16th) |
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| Antenna (watching a TV package on a laptop or PC) | |||||||||||||||
| mobile connection (not included in subscription fee) | 22.5 (21st) |
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| WiFi router | WiFi router | ||||||||||||||
| WiFi router | 26.9 (11th) |
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| 187 channels | WiFi router | WiFi router | |||||||||||||
| *** The first three months the cost is 290 rubles/month, then - 490 rubles/month. **** The first three months the cost is 390 rubles/month, then - 640 rubles/month. ***** Speed - 150 Mbps for network subscribersHFC, 100 Mbps for network subscribersethernet. |