DSL, LTE, cable – there are many Internet tariffs, but how much speed do I actually need? TECHBOOK shows the perfect connection for every purpose.
Moving to a new apartment, an expiring contract or simply a line that is too expensive or too weak – there are numerous reasons for changing your Internet tariff. But the variety of providers and tariffs is huge: Do I need DSL 100,000, is DSL 16,000 enough or does it even have to be a cable line with gigabit speeds? TECHBOOK explains which Internet speed you should choose for which purpose so that long waiting times and unnecessarily expensive contracts are a thing of the past.
The various connections briefly explained
Before we come to the explanation of which Internet speed is suitable for which user, we would like to briefly explain the different types of connection.
(V)DSL
The DSL tariff is the classic among Internet connections. It is usually implemented using the well-known copper cables, which are gradually being replaced with more modern fiber optic cables. Most manufacturers offer DSL speeds from 16 up to 32 Mbit/s on. In a few cases, connections with a maximum of 6 Mbit/s are still being marketed.
VDSL is the expansion stage of DSL and already allows higher bandwidths 50 or even 100 Mbit/s. Thanks to VDSL Vectoring or Super Vectoring, users can travel even faster. For example, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone offer offers up to 250 Mbit/s via Super Vectoring. Theoretically even up to 400 Mbit/s would be possible.
Cable
If you like it even faster, use the up to 1 Gbps fast cable tariffs. Here, the internet comes out of the television socket. Often only one specific cable provider is active in one place, which means that users have no choice. On the other hand, cable tariffs impress with their high bandwidths.
In contrast to (V)DSL offers, however, it should be noted here that the various users on a cable branch share the bandwidth (shared medium). If there are many surrounding connections in the network at the same time, the speed can drop significantly. This is a problem especially in big cities.
LTE
All major Internet providers in Germany now offer stationary LTE routers with suitable tariffs. The Internet connection is implemented here via mobile communications. It is particularly popular in regions where DSL and cable are otherwise not developed – for example in rural areas. A SIM card provides the connection to the network, the LTE router provides the connection for the various devices in the home network.
In contrast to smartphone tariffs, the data volume included in the tariff is correspondingly high. With GigaCube, for example, Vodafone offers tariffs with up to 500 GB per month. As a rule, with this type of connection, speeds of 50 to 100 Mbps reached.
glass fiber
A fiber optic connection, similar to cable, allows very high Internet speeds in the home gigabitArea. Business customers can even book up to 100 Gbit/s. In Germany, the fiber optic network has been growing steadily for several years. However, it is not yet widely represented. The name of the connector is based on the type of cable over which the line is implemented.
Network operators often use the existing telephone copper twin wires or coaxial cables for the last few meters to the customer – the so-called “last mile”. In the course of fiber optic expansion, however, there are also more and more FTTH connections, i.e. those where the fiber optic cable is laid right into the home (FTTH – fiber to the home). Fiber optic connections are offered, for example, by German fiber optics, Telekom and Vodafone.
Do you regularly check Facebook, read and send emails, shop on Amazon, send smaller photos and watch videos on YouTube? Then the minimum performance of a DSL 16,000 line is absolutely sufficient if you use the line as a single person or as a couple. For new contracts or tariff changes, this Internet speed is now the lowest available option. Depending on the provider, this provides an upload of up to 2.4 megabits per second (Mbit/s). If you currently have a slower connection, such as the DSL 6,000 that is still occasionally in use, you don’t necessarily have to switch to a higher tariff – this is also easily sufficient for everyday tasks.
The streamer
Video streaming has already replaced traditional television for many people. Young people in particular are increasingly watching Netflix and Amazon Prime Video instead of ARD or RTL. If you want to stream films in sharp HD resolution or music from Spotify in high quality, a DSL 16,000 line is usually sufficient. The videos run smoothly here – unless several people are accessing the network at the same time and streaming in parallel! Otherwise annoying interruptions can occur. YouTube and online video stores are also no problem.
However, if you have a television with four times the Full HD resolution (4K) at home and want to stream corresponding high-resolution material from the Internet, you need more pressure on the line – it should be at least a 50,000 line, so that there is still enough power even with reception problems to have.
the gamer
Nothing is more annoying in online duels on the PC or console than a stuttering internet connection, which causes delays in shooter games and thus an advantage for the opponent. Many games are also downloaded digitally today. The files are often many gigabytes in size. If you want to save yourself the frustration of waiting, it is best to choose a line with an Internet speed of 50 Mbit/s or more.
The IPTV TV watcher
Do you prefer to watch classic television instead of streaming? As an alternative to cable or satellite reception, Telekom, Vodafone and 1&1 offer television over the Internet, so-called IPTV. What are the benefits? The selection of HD channels is large, the picture quality is great and many extras such as time-shift television or a receiver with a recording function are often included. The big disadvantage: If the Internet connection fails or is too slow, the boob tube remains black. It should therefore be at least DSL 32,000 for IPTV in order to be able to display HD channels fluently at least on a television. If you have two or more televisions and want to watch HD channels at the same time, you should ensure an Internet speed of 50 Mbit/s or more.
Also read: TV over the Internet – IPTV offers in comparison
The flat share or large family
It doesn’t matter whether you have an XL shared flat or a large family – if many people in a household surf the web at the same time, you should use at least (V)DSL 50,000 or – depending on the number of people – a 100,000 line or more. The gigabit connections via cable and fiber optics are also particularly suitable for this target group. In a family, the son can stream Netflix series, the father can watch TV via IPTV, the daughter can download games and the mother can listen to music via Spotify – all at the same time and without delays, jerks or failures.
The cloud user
The number after the DSL tariff indicates the maximum speed when downloading files. When uploading (uploading) photos or documents to cloud storage or videos to YouTube, these numbers do not apply. With a DSL 16,000 connection, for example, you download data at up to 16 Mbit/s, but only upload it at up to 2.4 Mbit/s. This is still manageable for smaller files such as compressed photos, a song or Word documents, but it can take hours for larger uploads of several gigabytes. As a rule of thumb: With many tariffs, the upload speed is about one fifth of the download speed – with DSL 50,000 you get almost 10 Mbit/s when uploading. Offers with an even higher Internet speed of 250 Mbit/s or more even offer upload rates of 50 Mbit/s.
Super Vectoring, Cable & Co.: Do I Need a Turbo Tariff?
Large providers such as Deutsche Telekom now offer a super vectoring tariff with a maximum download speed of 250 Mbit/s, and Vodafone even offers 400 Mbit/s in the VDSL expansion stage. The classic cable connections, such as those offered by Vodafone after the takeover of Unitymedia and Kabel Deutschland, create even higher bandwidths. Thanks to the new DOCSIS 3.1 transmission standard, gigabit data rates of up to 1000 Mbit/s are already possible in some regions.
If you want to know how fast your connection is: You can easily determine your actual download and upload speed with the TECHBOOK speed test.
What do I do if I live in the country?
Those who live in rural areas sometimes have the problem that there is no fast Internet connection via cable or DSL. What to do? An alternative are tariffs with the fast mobile radio standard LTE, which have a large range thanks to the low frequency on which transmission takes place. However, they are comparatively expensive and often have a specified data volume. If this is used up, the provider throttles the speed to a snail’s pace. Depending on the data volume booked, streaming films or loading data into the cloud is only possible to a very limited extent. There are now tariffs that offer unlimited LTE volume. Although these cost above average, they guarantee smooth internet even in rural areas. Further options are radio link and Internet via satellite.
Why am I getting less internet speed than advertised?
Have you booked a DSL 50,000 line, but instead of the promised 50 Mbit/s you are only surfing at half the internet speed? Since the Telecommunications Act (TKG) was revised, customers now have more opportunities to enforce their rights. If the provider cannot deliver the contractually guaranteed speed permanently and to a significant extent, customers can now reduce the basic fee for a connection. However, they must first report the reduced bandwidth and give their provider time to remedy the situation. If this does not lead to an improvement in the long term, there is even a right to extraordinary termination.
Also read: Right to Compensation for Internet Disturbance and Missed Technician Appointment
Even with the classic cable connections, it can happen that the promised speed does not come out of the line. This is particularly the case at peak times, i.e. at times when many people are on the Internet. The reason: Unlike DSL connections, a cable connection is a shared medium. Thus, several users share the available bandwidth. Depending on the time of day and the number of users, the available speed can vary greatly.