Is 40 Mbps good enough?
Grade 3 of 7: Mediocre
Middling. The beige of internet speeds. I have seen worse. I have seen much better.
40 Mbps download is grade 3 of 7 on the Speed Roast scale: Mediocre. It carries 8 HD streams, 1 in 4K, and downloads a full game in 3 hours 42 minutes.
What 40 Mbps can do
- HD streamingYes
Around 8 HD streams at once before anything stutters.
- 4K streamingJust
A single 4K stream is possible if nobody else is using the connection.
- Video callsYes
Group calls in HD with other things running are fine. Upload speed matters more than download here.
- Online gamingYes
Playing needs very little bandwidth; what matters is ping. Game downloads and updates are where this speed shows.
- Working from homeYes
Calls, cloud documents, screen sharing and a colleague streaming in the next room, all at once.
Who it serves
A small household: two or three people streaming, working and scrolling, with the odd slowdown when everyone is on at once.
How long downloads take
| A song (5 MB) | 1 second |
| A one-hour HD episode (2 GB) | 7 minutes |
| A film in 4K (15 GB) | 56 minutes |
| A modern console game (60 GB) | 3 hours 42 minutes |
Assumes the connection delivers about nine-tenths of 40 Mbps for the whole transfer, which a good line does and a busy one does not.
If your test said 40 Mbps
- Test on a cable if you can. Wi-Fi routinely halves a connection, and a test over Wi-Fi measures the router as much as the line.
- Check the speed your plan promises. Providers advertise an "up to" or "average" figure; a result well below it, on a cable, is worth a complaint.
- Test at different times. Cable and older networks slow down in the evening when the neighbourhood is home.
- If several people share this connection and it feels slow, the next plan tier up is usually the cheapest fix. A new router is the second.
Questions people ask
Is 40 Mbps good for streaming?
Yes for HD: about 8 streams at once. For 4K, roughly 1 at a time.
Is 40 Mbps good for gaming?
Yes. Playing online uses very little bandwidth; ping is what decides whether a game feels laggy. Downloads and updates are where the speed shows.
How many people can share 40 Mbps?
A small household: two or three people streaming, working and scrolling, with the odd slowdown when everyone is on at once.
How long does a 60 GB game take to download at 40 Mbps?
About 3 hours 42 minutes, assuming the connection actually delivers 40 Mbps for the whole download.
The grades are mine, applied to download speed. Streaming figures use the services’ published minimums with a margin. See how I work.