INTERNET SPEED

and why it matters

Think of Internet speed, or bandwidth, as traffic on a highway. Each device in your home can be considered a car on the road, and each “car,” or device, causes increased congestion. The higher your bandwidth (Internet speed), the more open lanes, causing traffic to flow more freely. Think about this: How many devices have you added to your network since you signed up with Wheat State Technologies? How many devices have you added to your network in the last year alone?

So… How much speed is actually consumed? Find out below for some common Internet activities

0 Mbps

Download Speeds

HOW TO USE THE BANDWIDTH CALCULATOR

1 IN THE ORANGE AND GRAY SECTIONS BELOW, CLICK THE + BUTTON TO ADD HOW MANY USERS OR DEVICES YOU USE FOR EACH ACTIVITY.

2 WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED, THE METER TO THE LEFT WILL TELL YOU THE BANDWIDTH YOU REQUIRE FOR YOUR DEVICES AND ACTIVITIES.

RESET BANDWIDTH CALCULATOR

4K TVs
Per TV
- +
Internet connected TV Streaming Video with Ultra HD or 4K quality
4K TV's or Ultra High Definition TV sets offer the highest resolution (3840 x 2160) in the the retail Internet connected TV consumer space. 4K TV content is relatively new to the market and requires a substantial amount of bandwidth to achieve the required quality set by manufacturers. As video compression technology improves, the bandwidth allocation required may improve.
Smart TVs
Per TV
- +
Internet connected TV Streaming Video 1080p or below HD quality
Smart TV's are High Definition TV sets with 1080p resolution that are connected to the Internet. Smart TV's do not require as much bandwidth for streaming video as 4K TV's and the large availability of content has made this technology the most common in households today.
Security Cameras
Per Camera
- +
Nest, Ring Pro
WIFI connected security cameras come in several different varieties depending on quantity, resolution and frames per second. Therefore, the expectation for btel is that you have a quality experience when viewing your cameras because we value your safety and security, thus want to ensure our customers are able to see what they want, when they want.
Smart Speakers
Per Device
- +
Amazon Alexa, Echo, Apple Home Pod, Google Home
Voice controlled speakers are becoming increasingly popular in homes. These can be a little tricky due to far end server response times when fetching answers to your questions. The important thing to know here is that these speakers have functionality and technology built in, so they're always prepared to respond. Also consider what your doing with the speaker, playing music or listening to podcasts.
Streaming HD Video
Per Stream
- +
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Vudu, YouTube, Sling TV
Streaming HD video is not to be confused with 4K or Smart TV sets. What we mean here is streaming video on Smartphones or Tablets. For instance, how many family members are watching a show, YouTube, favorite playback of an event, church, etc. These are all using your Internet connection and contribute to the requirement.

Web Browsing
Per Device
- +
News, banking, Surfing, shopping
Web browsing is a rather common function when on the Internet, so the important thing to consider here is that websites require bandwidth; that's a no brainer, right? Well, consider the video piece. Nearly every website these days has some sort of video playing on the side, as the attention getter or simply the reason you're there. Many think of browsing as an incidental activity, but there is certainly a quality experience component there.
Social Media
Per User
- +
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn
Social Media draws millions together at any given time. Historically, social media was about text and pictures; however, today, social media has become the platform meca for video sharing. Companies, friends, family members and everything in between are trying make impressions by sharing video which requires more and more bandwidth to ensure a quality, flawless experience.
Streaming Music
Per User
- +
Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime
Streaming music is probably one of the more popular activities done over the Internet today given the options and flexibility. There isn't a whole lot of depth here, other than we want to ensure our customers music isn't compromised because of multiple devices streaming video or doing other things simultaneously.
Work From Home
Per User
- +
File downloading, cloud storage upload/download, screen sharing, video conferencing
Working from home is important! We could stop there, but we feel it's important to note that you now have the ability to do everything from home that you can do from the office with a fiber connection. We want you to have an even better experience than you would being at the office while sharing files, exchanging videos or pictures, video conferencing and using any and all of your systems without a hitch.
Online Gaming
Per User
- +
Internet gaming (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Computer)
Gamers know they need a solid Internet connection, but mom, dad and grandparents may not understand just how important it is all the time. To put it simply, you need to have a better connection than your opponent to ensure you have the competitive edge. Gaming requires quite a bit of bandwidth to not only play, but to also download new games. 30 Mbps may be a little conservative, but we will let you decide whether you need more depending on whether you're winning or losing.

**Allocations are based on average consumption for common Internet functions. Specific usage may vary depending on the number of devices, device health, consumer behavior and other unique situations within the home or business.**

CLASSIC WI-FI INTERNET

25/25Mbps

$49.99/mo

Ideal plan for 1-2 person households and up to 5 devices. Stream an HD movie and pay bills online simultaneously.

MOVIES & eGAMING WI-FI INTERNET

100/100Mbps

$ 79.99/mo

Good for 2–4 person households with 5–7 devices and stream 2–3 High-Def TVs at the same time.

EDUCATION WI-FI INTERNET

250/250Mbps

$89.99/mo

Ideal for households with 4–6 people. Up to 10 connected devices. Good for online teachers or students plus security cameras, and Wi-Fi devices.

WORK FROM HOME WI-FI INTERNET

500/500Mbps

$99.99/mo

Great option if you work-from-home, access work servers, and all the demands of remote work can be accessed via this connection, while still supporting your large household’s many other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

SMART HOME WI-FI INTERNET

1Gig/1Gig

$139.99/mo

If your household relies on internet for eGaming, streaming movies, for school, work, Wi-Fi enabled smart appliances, doorbells and security cameras, plus still supporting your household’s many other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

UNDERSTANDING RESULTS

Testing the speed of your internet connection is easy, but it’s also easy to misunderstand the results. Your devices — TVs, routers, smartphones, laptops, desktops, etc. — have different capabilities, and you can get different results on each one, even while using the same internet connection.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when evaluating your speed test results:

HARD-WIRED VS. WIRELESS

That old-school cord-and-plug is simply more reliable than Wi-Fi (wireless) connectivity. Even those super-fast 1 Gbps connections, now widely available across the country, won’t test out at higher than 500 to 700 Mbps when tested over Wi-Fi. For the most accurate speed test result you must test with a hard-wired device. Why? Because there are nearly endless variables that can negatively affect a Wi-Fi signal, everything from nearby construction or the wireless printer in the home office to a baby monitor or a home microwave in use.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AFFECTING SPEED AND SPEED TESTS

Slow internet speeds are sometimes caused by malware such as adware and viruses. If you feel you have been affected, please reach out to WST (Wheat State Technologies) for advice on how to handle this type of intrusion. It’s very easy to overlook any ongoing downloads or programs like video chat that may be turned on while you’re conducting a speed test on your device. Close these applications, reboot your device, and test again. Even the browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc. — can affect your test speed. Try different browsers to see if that’s the case on your system. If you have a Wi-Fi extender, make sure you turn it off before you run a speed test. Otherwise, your computer may test the wrong connection.

EQUIPMENT

Technology advances constantly, and many older routers and computers simply cannot take full advantage of the blazing speed and bandwidth of today’s broadband connectivity. WST has some of the highest-rated equipment on the market, so please discuss your options with our CSR team or your install technician if you have any questions. When you’re ready to upgrade your technology, make sure your new equipment has the internal processing power that can leverage the speed of market-leading fiber broadband like that from WST.