If your company shifted to a remote work setup, you should understand how crucial having enough internet bandwidth for remote workers is. But what does “good enough” mean? How much internet bandwidth do you really need to work remotely? Let’s find out.
Bandwidth is how much data your internet connection can transfer in a second. A higher bandwidth allows more data to be transferred at once. Most internet providers have different bandwidth limits for downloads and uploads.
Data transfer speed is calculated in megabytes per second (Mbps) or bytes per second (Bps), which indicates the maximum amount of data that can be sent through your home internet connection.
Several factors affect how much internet bandwidth you need to work remotely, like the type of job you have and which apps/programs you use.
Simple tasks such as checking your email, chatting online, or creating documents don’t use too much bandwidth. However, if your tasks require more complex processes, like video calling, then you’ll need higher bandwidth to complete them.
Below is a list of commonly used apps by remote workers, and the bandwidth required to use them effectively.
Google Meet needs access to enough concurrent bandwidth for HD meetings, as well as supplemental bandwidth in order to support other needs, such as live streaming. If there isn’t enough bandwidth for a video conference, the app will automatically switch to audio-only mode.
Below are the minimum bandwidth requirements for Google Meet.
| Type of meeting | Inbound | Outbound |
| HD video conference | 1.6 Mbps | 2.2 Mbps |
| Audio-only mode | 18 Kbps | 12 Kbps |
| Video setting | Required inbound bandwidth |
| 720p | 2.6 Mbps |
| 480p | 1.5 Mbps |
| 360p | 1.0 Mbps |
| 240p | 0.5 Mbps |
Zoom
Zoom will adjust its bandwidth usage for the best experience possible based on the participant’s network, whether it be 3G, Wi-Fi, or wired. Here are the bandwidth requirements for different types of Zoom meetings.
| Video setting | Required bandwidth |
| High-quality video | 600 Kbps (up/down) |
| 720p HD video | 1.2 Mbps (up/down) |
| 1080p HD video | 3.8 Mbps/3.0 Mbps (up/down) |
| Video setting | Required bandwidth |
| High-quality video | 1.0M Bps/600 Kbps (up/down) |
| 720p HD video | 2.6 Mbps/1.8 Mbps (up/down) |
| 1080p HD video | 3.8 Mbps/3.0 Mbps (up/down) |
| Gallery view receiving | 2.0 Mbps (25 views), 4.0 Mbps (49 views) |
| Video setting | Required bandwidth |
| High-quality video | 600 Kbps (down) |
| 720p HD video | 1.2‒1.8 Mbps (down) |
| 1080p HD video | 2–3 Mbps (down) |
No matter the condition of your internet connection, Teams guarantees the best audio, video, and content sharing experience. If you have insufficient bandwidth, Teams will prioritize audio quality over video quality.
This table details how much bandwidth Teams uses.
| Type of meeting | Minimum | Recommended | Optimum |
| One-on-one | 10 Kbps/10 Kbps (up/down) | 58 Kbps/58 Kbps (up/down) | 76 Kbps/76 Kbps (up/down) |
| Group | 1.2‒1.8 Mbps (down) | 58kbps/58kbps (up/down) | 76 Kbps/76 Kbps (up/down) |
| Type of meeting | Minimum | Recommended | Optimum |
| One-on-one | 150 Kbps/150 Kbps (up/down) | 1.5 Mbps/1.5 Mbps (up/down) | 4.0 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) |
| Group | 150 Kbps/200 Kbps (up/down) | 2.5 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) | 4.0 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) |
| Type of meeting | Minimum | Recommended | Optimum |
| One-on-one | 200 Kbps/200 Kbps (up/down) | 1.5 Mbps/1.5 Mbps (up/down) | 4.0 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) |
| Group | 250 Kbps/250 Kbps (up/down) | 2.5 Mbps/2.5 Mbps (up/down) | 4.0 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) |
Bandwidth Requirement for Together mode
| Type of meeting | Minimum | Recommended | Optimum |
| One-on-one | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Group | 1.0 Mbps/1.5 Mbps (up/down) | 1.5 Mbps/2.5 Mbps (up/down) | 2.5 Mbps/4.0 Mbps (up/down) |
For more helpful tips on how you can optimize your remote work setup, call us today.