Is 400 Mbps good enough to address your Internet requirements in 2023? Many streamers, remote workers, & gamers have been asking this question on public forums. Some say 400 Mbps Internet speed is rapid & it can support all types of online activities. However, others, in particular gamers, claim that it’s not the fastest Internet speed you can get in 2023.
Who should you trust when buying your Internet package this year? Neither. Don’t believe everything you read about Internet speeds on the Internet. Many websites are paid to promote certain Internet plans/packages from Internet Service Providers.
Instead, try to understand what you can achieve with this Internet speed & whether it can help you work, game, or stream more efficiently. I’ll guide you through understanding how good 400 Mbps Internet speed is. But first, let’s understand what the term “400 Mbps Internet speed” actually means.
Do you have a particular question about whether or not 400 Mbps good enough? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
Here's what we'll cover:
What Does 400 Mbps Mean?
‘Megabits (Mbps) per second’ is used to measure broadband speeds. Bits are tiny data units. A megabit is equivalent to one million bits. Regarding broadband speeds, the higher the number of megabits-per-second (Mbps) you have, the faster your online activities should be. The term “400 Mbps Internet speed” stands for 400 megabits-per-second.
So, when you subscribe to a 400 Mbps Internet plan, you access the Internet at a speed of 400 million bits per second. How fast is that Internet speed? Let’s refer to the popular video-conferencing tool for a better understanding.
According to Zoom, you should have an Internet speed of at least 3 Mbps if you want to enjoy group meetings in HD video quality. So, with a 400 Mbps Internet plan, you can easily use Zoom effectively. But is 400 Mbps enough for optimal performances on platforms other than Zoom? Let’s explore.
How Fast Is 400 Mbps?
Any Internet speed higher than 24Mbps can be deemed “superfast.” So, 400 Mbps Internet speed certainly qualifies for the label of “superfast Internet speed.” It’s much higher than the average Internet speed in the US. You can carry out a vast array of Internet activities operating on 400 Mbps Internet speed. These activities include:
- Social Media: Required Internet speed is only 500 Kbps to 2 Mbps.
- Messaging & Email: Required Internet speed is only 12.5 to 100 Kbps.
- WhatsApp Voice & Video Calls: Required Internet speed is only 2 to 3 Mbps.
- Skype HD Call: Required Internet speed is only 1 to 3 Mbps.
- Watching YouTube Videos in 1080p HD Quality: Required Internet speed is only 2 to 3 Mbps.
- Streaming Netflix in 1080p HD Quality: Required Internet speed is only 5 to 7 Mbps.
- Online Gaming: Required Internet speed is only 4 to 9 Mbps.
- Streaming Audio Music in HD: Required Internet speed is only 50 to 400 Kbps.
So, is 400 mbps fast? No, it’s superfast. As you can see, there’s a lot that you can achieve with a 400 Mbps Internet speed package. With 400 Mbps download speed, you can even download super-heavy files within a matter of minutes. Here’s how much time it would take for you to download files of different sizes while operating with a 400 Mbps download speed:
- Email Attachments Larger Than 25 MB: 0.5 to 2 seconds
- 1080p Videos Larger Than 1.5 GB: 30 seconds to 2 minutes
- HD Movies Larger Than 3 GB: 1 to 3 minutes
- Applications Larger Than 40 GB: 15 to 20 minutes
Is 400 Mbps Good for Gaming and Streaming?
Gamers & streamers need rock-solid, lightning-fast Internet connections. Currently, there are 2,869 Internet Service Providers in the US. 1,605 of these ISPs use fiber-optic connections. That means they can offer 400 Mbps Internet speeds or even higher. But is 400 Mbps good for gaming & streaming? Absolutely.
Any Internet speed above 25 Mbps is good enough to support your online gaming & streaming activities. With a 400 Mbps Internet speed, you can easily perform all the data-intensive tasks involved in these activities. Here are some of the minimum download speeds (in Mbps) for popular gaming consoles:
- Xbox One: 3 to 4 Mbps
- PlayStation 4/5: 5 to 6 Mbps
- Nintendo Switch: 3 to 4 Mbps
- PC Gaming: 6 Mbps
As you can see, with a 400 Mbps Internet package, you can easily achieve download speeds to play online games on these devices. But what about upload speed? Upload speed is the rate at which your device transmits data back to the Internet. All gaming devices mentioned above can function healthily online with upload speeds of 0.5 to 3 Mbps.
But does a 400 Mbps Internet package offer 0.5 to 3 Mbps upload speeds? Absolutely. In most cases, the upload speed is one-tenth of the download speed. So, if your Internet’s download speed is 400 Mbps, its average upload speed will be 40 Mbps. So, you can enjoy up to 40 gaming sessions simultaneously at such speeds.
Here’s a helpful video guide on why any Internet speed higher than 300 Mbps is more than sufficient for enjoying good gaming sessions:
But is 400 mbps good enough for streaming HD videos? Absolutely. To stream Netflix HD videos, you need an Internet speed of at least 25 Mbps. So, with a 400 Mbps Internet package, you can stream 16 HD videos on Netflix simultaneously.
100 Mbps Vs 400 Mbps
An Internet speed of 100 Mbps is good enough to support your family’s gaming & HD streaming requirements. But this speed is nothing compared to 100 Mbps. With 100 Mbps Internet speed, you can make one 1080p HD Zoom call. With 400 Mbps Internet speed, you can make ten 1080p HD Zoom calls simultaneously. The difference between 100 & 400 Mbps is massive.
How Much Does It Cost?
400 Mbps Internet speed packages can cost anywhere between $70 and $150 in the US. The average family spends $61 per month on Internet services in the US. So, if you’re a full-time gamer or remote worker, spending in the $70 to $150 range for an ultra-fast Internet connection makes total sense.
Is 400 Mbps Worth It?
During the pandemic, I learned that the faster your Internet connection, the more work you can get done. So, in the post-pandemic era, spending $70 to $150 on a superfast Internet connection makes absolute sense. Just make sure that your router can handle your 400 Mbps Internet plan. If it can’t, get a new router that can handle superfast Internet speeds.
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.
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