When it comes to using internet or buying a data plan for your internet activity on your cell phone or computer, speed matters a lot. I can’t imagine having an unlimited data plan with a poor speed rate.
I rather go for a limited plan with a good amount of speed.
Now talking about is 50 mbps enough for one person, there are lots things involved and which will practically explain if a single person can enjoy having an internet speed of 50mbps.
Is 50 mbps enough for one person?
50mbps is very much enough for one person based on the fact that 50mbps is fast for streaming, 4k streaming, gaming, or downloading of large files.
When talking about the speed internet speed, you can’t omit 50mbps internet especially when it comes to a single user. In order to give you a better explanation of is 50 mbps enough for one person, I will categorize it into four different categories and they are;
- Streaming/4k streaming
- Online gaming
- Downloading of files
- Uploading of files
1. Is 50 mbps enough for one person for streaming
For streaming, 50mbps is very much fast evej when it comes to streaming 4k videos based on my experience. To backup my claim I will go ahead and show you the minimum requirement to stream videos online.
4k streaming: To stream a 4k video without experiencing any but of buffering, you need at least a 25mbps internet speed. According to Netflix, you need a 25mbps to stream their 4k video or at best 30mbps internet speed.
So talking about is 50 mbps enough for one person, you can see that when it comes to streaming 4k videos, a 50mbps can comfortably stream without experiencing any but buffering.
One major disadvantage of 4k streaming is that is not recommended for those on a limited data plan as it consumes lots of data.
Streaming a 4k video for one hour can consume 5GB internet data which is much for someone with a limited data plan.
Streaming SD video (480p): This is the least video streaming we have and not really the best all but it helps to save data especially if you are on a limited data plan. Streaming SD video only requires an internet speed of 3mbps which is way below the 50mbps.
Streaming HD video (1080p): This is one of the popular video streaming and it is very common compared to the 4k video which consume lots of data. To stream comfortably on a HD video, you need at least 5mbps internet speed which is pretty much low compared to the 50mbps you are asking if it is enough for a single person.
2. Gaming
Online gaming and streaming is very sweet and enjoyable, popular gamers use it to make quite a huge amount of money while some use it only for fun.
Talking about is 50 mbps enough for one person in terms of gaming, I will say a big YES simply because you only need a maximum of 10mbps to enjoy your online gaming.
Then if to say you are gaming and sane time streaming, 25mbps internet speed is very much adequate for you.
| System | Min. download speed | Min. upload speed | Max latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch | 3 Mbps | 1 Mbps | N/A |
| Xbox | 3 Mbps | 0.5 Mbps | 150 ms |
| PlayStation | 2 Mbps | 2 Mbps | N/A |
| Steam | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps | N/A |
You can only talk about having a good internet speed when gaming is when you gaming and same time streaming, other than that, 5mbps is quite okay for online gaming.
3. Downloading of files
If you are the type that use internet a lot, downloading of files will definitely occur and many a time you will see yourself downloading large files especially games or videos.
Now the question is,
Is 50 mbps enough for one person in terms of downloading of large files?
Absoultely yes. 50mbps is very fast when it comes to downloading of large files on the internet based on my experience, and it wouldn’t take 30 minutes to download a 30GB file size.
Fact is that 25mbps is very fast and adequate enough for downloading of files, and any internet speed above 25mbpd is excellent and ultra fast for downloading.
4. Uploading of files
This option may not be for be everyone but there are those this is their daily internet activity, uploading of files on the internet.
When it comes to uploading of files on the internet, a 10mbps is very much okay though 25mbps will save you lots of time waiting for the upload to finish.
Then talking about 50mbps, that’s ultra fast for file upload unless you want to upload 200GB file size at once. For uploading of files on the internet, 50 mbps is fast enough for one person.
5. Browsing the internet, checking of email, etc
For these types of internet activity, you don’t need to have a higher speed internet of 50mbps as an internet speed of 1mbps is very okay for them. Even if a website or a web page is packed with high quality pictures, 1mbps internet speed is very okay and will the pages very fast.
Is 50 Mbps speed good or bad?
Kindly know that 50mbps internet speed is very good as it will comfortably stream a 4k video without buffering, and with 50mbps internet speed gaming will flow very well and as well as downloading and uploading of files.
Talking about the best realistic internet speed you can get in 2022, 50mbps internet speed is among. If you have an active 5G network, you can get a 50mbps internet speed though it depends on the network provider, their data plan and internet speed.
Where the confusion lies
You may thought to have bought a data plan that offers at least 50mbps internet speed, but in reality the internet speed of the data plan is just 30mbps and which may not be enough for multiple devices depending on the internet activity.
I’ve once found myself in this type of situation thinking I bought a data plan with an internet speed of 50mbps but was surprised to see I only get an internet speed of 25mbps during the day and 35mbps during the night.
I was simply deceived by my internet network provider.
So you may think your internet speed is poor while you have a stated data plan with an internet speed of 50mbps. Please kindly check your internet through Fast.com or any other internet speed checker.
Related Questions
What is a good Mbps for one person?
A recommended internet speed for a single user is from 25 mbps and above as with 25mbps internet speed you can stream 4k videos without buffering.
Is 50 Mbps fast enough for YouTube TV?
50mbps is very fast enough for YouTube TV as the minimum speed to have is 10 mbps. This alone tells you that 50mbps for YouTube TV is ultra fast.
