600 Mbps is going to be fast enough for the vast majority of people. It’s plenty for a large family or a small workplace full of people. You could make 10 HD Zoom calls at the same time with this speed!
Even a big group of people won’t struggle to manage pretty heavy internet processes at the same time with this kind of speed.
We put 600 Mbps through its paces to find out just how fast it is. So read on for our guide to exactly what you can do with it and who it’s suitable for.
Let’s go!
Is 600 Mbps Actually That Fast?
In a word, yes. 600 Mbps is around four times faster than the average download speed in the US right now [1], which means that the majority of the population are unable to achieve this kind of speed yet.
You’ll need to be based in particular areas of busy cities like New York City and Los Angeles to be able to achieve this kind of speed in the states.
Let’s break down the kinds of things you might be able to do with a speed of 600 Mbps.
- 24 Ultra HD Netflix streams
- 10 HD Zoom calls (Based on 60 Mbps upload speed)
- 4 minutes and 10 seconds to download Final Fantasy XV (150 GB)
- 937 Premium Spotify streams
- 20 gaming sessions
Downloading
One of the easiest ways to show how different internet speeds will affect you is by looking at downloading. And some of the biggest files around today are game files. Final Fantasy XV, for example, is a massive 150 GB to download!
But even a file as massive as this is a walk in the park for 600 Mbps. It would take just 4 minutes and 10 seconds to download it on this plan. You’d barely be able to boil the kettle in that time!
Streaming
The world’s biggest streaming platform, Netflix, requires a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps to be able to stream in its highest quality, Ultra HD [2].
That’s pretty high as far as streaming goes. But 600 Mbps trumps it. In fact, it would technically allow for 24 simultaneous streams at this quality. Of course, the real number would be lower as there are limitations (physical distance over Wi-Fi, router capabilities), but it’s still impressive.
The numbers are pretty staggering when we consider streaming music instead of television. Take Spotify. They require a speed of 0.64 Mbps to stream in their highest quality for their Premium subscribers [3].
Based on that number, you’d be able to get as many as 937 Premium Spotify streams here. Of course, no router can handle that many connections simultaneously but at least you know you’ll be able to listen to music no matter what the rest of your household is doing with the internet at 600 Mbps!
Gaming
It’s estimated that you’ll need a bare minimum of 3 Mbps to play games online [4]. But that’s talking about download speed. There’s actually another factor to bring in here: upload speed.
Your upload speed will generally be around one-tenth of your download speed. So for a 600 Mbps download speed, you can expect to be able to upload at around 60 Mbps.
If we use this number, the math shows that 20 simultaneous gaming sessions would be allowed here. Different games do require different levels of speed and for pro gamers, you might need an upload speed as high as 25 Mbps for one session. But even then, you’re good to go with two!
It’s also worth noting that a third factor, latency, comes into play here. Latency refers to the response time between the network and your device and is measured in ping (ms). You’ll need a low latency for gaming but this is an independent figure from your internet speed.
Video calls
Another area in which upload speed is a big factor is video calling. And at 600 Mbps, you can call to your heart’s content!
Let’s take a look at one of the most popular platforms for video calling right now, Zoom. You’ll need an upload speed of 3.8 Mbps to be able to make an HD video call with Zoom [5].
So if we use the same upload figure of 65 Mbps as before, you could enjoy 10 HD Zoom calls at the same time with a 600 Mbps plan.
If you are looking to provide internet for a place of work and anticipate a lot of your team needing to make video calls at the same time, don’t worry. The standard definition is still pretty good and only requires an upload speed of 1 Mbps. That would allow for 65 calls.
600 Mbps in Comparison to Other Popular Internet Plans
To really understand how quick 600 Mbps is, here’s an overview of what a few other common internet plans are capable of.
10 Mbps Internet – Even single users will struggle
Some parts of the world will offer plans that constrict your speed to just 10 Mbps. That ain’t quick. At this speed, even a single user may struggle to do everything they need to do.
Browsing would be slower and gaming could be a struggle. Plus, not a single Ultra HD Netflix stream or HD Zoom call would be possible at this speed.
Downloading paints a picture too. We mentioned how 650 Mbps could download all 150 GB of Final Fantasy XV in just 4 minutes and 10 seconds. Well, at 10 Mbps, it’s a different story. Here, it would take a massive 4 hours and 10 minutes…
100 Mbps – Good for two or three people
Things get a little more acceptable at 100 Mbps. It’s a very common plan in a lot of parts of the world and will be more than enough for most couples or even small families.
A family of four might encounter some issues at 100 Mbps. Consider how Netflix Ultra HD requires 25 Mbps. That would mean 4 streams simultaneously at 100 Mbps, but there would be no room to spare for background processes. So it’s a bit unrealistic.
Nonetheless, it can still do the trick. And downloading Final Fantasy XV in 25 minutes isn’t too bad.
200 Mbps Internet – Enough for most families
Perhaps a more suitable plan for larger families would be 200 Mbps. You’d be able to share Netflix at high quality around here and still have room leftover for updates, data syncing, and more behind the scenes.
At 200 Mbps, you should still be able to get relatively good speeds a little further away from the router as well.
The download time for Final Fantasy XV begins to look quite a bit better here at 12 and a half minutes. So if you’re an impatient gamer, take this into consideration!
1000 Mbps Internet – A whole workplace will be happy
Only in the last few years have we begun to see the emergence of Gigabit internet plans. Plans can actually be several Gigabits now in some parts of the world and one day, this kind of speed will be commonplace.
For the time being, you’ll have to be pretty lucky to be able to get a speed of 1000 Mbps. And you’ll probably have to pay a premium for it. But if you have a large family or workplace or you download a lot of large files, it could well be worth it.
What about the example of Final Fantasy XV? That will be loaded up on your device in a blistering 2 and a half minutes. Wow!
Internet Providers ~600 Mbps Plans
| Provider | Plan | Price* | Learn More |
| Xfinity | Blast Pro | $50–60/mo. | Check availability |
| AT&T | Internet 500 | $65/mo. | Check availability |
| Verizon | Internet 500/500 | $69.99/mo. | Check availability |
| Cox | Ultimate 500 | $79.99/mo. | Check availability |
Find Out Your Own Download Speed
If you’re not satisfied with your internet speed at home, it’s worth knowing exactly what you’re getting so that you know what to aim for. We recommend checking in with your provider if you don’t know what your plan is already, and then running a speed test.
If the speed test shows a score much lower than your internet plan speed, you’ll know you may need to do something about that. We recommend using the Ookla speed test. It’s completely free of charge and only takes a couple of minutes to carry out.
The Ookla test will also show you what your ping and upload speeds are, and this is all useful information to have.
Have a Shot at Unlocking 600 Mbps
If you’ve been reading this article so far and wanting to get a piece of the 600 Mbps action, here are some tips for boosting your internet speed at home. You never know what you might be able to achieve!
We have a few more internet speed troubleshooting tips available if you get to the end of this list and still feel like you need some help. You can check them out here.
Upgrade your internet plan
Start simple. If your plan is slow… get a faster one! Your internet service provider could well have a faster plan waiting for you so reach out to them to find out how much it would cost to upgrade.
If you’re already maxing out with them, all hope is not lost. There’s a good chance another provider in your area will have a faster plan, so you could make the switch when your current contract comes to a close.
Consider QoS or disconnecting other devices
The reason your internet speed isn’t matching up to what your plan has to offer could be the fact that other connected devices are taking up some of the bandwidth. If that’s the case, you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve.
One option is to just turn off any other devices you have connected to the network. Any smart devices could be performing internet-consuming background tasks such as data syncing or updates. So, turning them off will boost the internet speed of your testing device.
Another (perhaps slightly more efficient) way around this is to use something called Quality of Service, or QoS. This allows you to direct network attention to particular devices.
Reset your router
The issue with your internet speed could be coming from the router itself. Routers can slow down over time as a result of handling a lot of processes. So, the first port of call for troubleshooting is simply to power the router off for 10 seconds then power it back on again.
If this has no effect, you could try a hard reset of the router. Just hold the reset button for 10 seconds, but be aware that this will reset all of your network settings.
Get a new router
If your router is still causing you issues, the hardware itself may just not be up to the task. There are a lot of routers out there that cannot handle the speed of 600 Mbps.
If your router isn’t powerful enough, it could be time to upgrade. Check out our guide to the best routers for faster speeds for some recommendations.
600 Mbps FAQ
Internet speeds always throw up a lot of questions so here are some of the most frequently asked of them.
Which other hardware might I need for an internet connection?
Anyone with cable broadband may also need a modem to get their network connection online. Some routers come with a built in modem but the majority of them do not. Here’s a look at the best modems right now if you need to get one.
Another piece of hardware you might need will be a Wi-Fi extender. If you find that your router doesn’t deliver a signal to the far corners of your home, these neat devices can give the range the boost it needs.
Is my router fast enough for 600 Mbps?
You’ll probably need a Wi-Fi 6 router to achieve 600 Mbps. That’s the latest Wi-Fi protocol, with faster speeds than the previous Wi-Fi 5. If your current router supports Wi-Fi 5 only but your internet plan is 600 Mbps, an upgrade might be a good idea.
Why did the unit of measurement for internet speed change?
You might remember when internet speeds were measured more commonly in MB/s. That changed a few years ago when the network providers decided that the scale wasn’t good enough. So, they rebranded it to Mbps and multiplied it by eight, and that’s what we use today!
Wrapping Up on 600 Mbps
If you have an internet plan of 600 Mbps, you’re in luck. That’s a pretty sweet place to be! 600 Mbps is more than enough for most people in that it will happily supply a large family or a small or medium-sized workplace.
Have you recently acquired a plan of this speed? Keep an eye on our router review page to find a great router to support it.
