How much internet speed a stream needs

Prime time is the busy period

Under ACCC guidance, providers should advertise the typical speed of each NBN plan during the busy evening period, 7 pm to 11 pm. The guidance has four labels, each with the download speed people should expect in those hours and a typical use.

Several screens at once share that speed. nbn notes that every device online at the same time shares your plan’s bandwidth, which can slow things down, especially when several are streaming.

What your provider must tell you

Before you buy an NBN plan, telcos must give you a key facts sheet for it. It sets out the download speeds you can expect in the busy period, what the plan can be used for (streaming, for example), the factors that can affect speed, and the services that won’t work in a power failure. The rules are in the Telecommunications (NBN Consumer Information) Industry Standard 2018, made and enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The ACMA also suggests asking what the provider will do if your connection can’t deliver the speed the plan specifies. Under the ACCC’s guidance, providers should tell you about any technical limit on your maximum speed when you sign up; if they only learn of it later, they should tell you straight away and offer an appropriate solution. Such limits are common on copper and fixed wireless connections.

Inside the house

The right half of that drawing is inside your home, and nbn’s advice for it is practical.

• Cable the screens that stay put. A wired Ethernet connection can be faster and more stable than Wi-Fi. nbn suggests plugging high-demand devices such as smart TVs and game consoles straight into the router.
• Mind the cables. Check they are not kinked, crushed or loose. Older or lower-grade cables may not keep up with faster plans; for new cabling, nbn suggests at least CAT 6.
• Give the router a clear view. Put it somewhere uncluttered that can see the place you use the internet most, away from things that can interfere: Bluetooth speakers, a baby monitor, a microwave, a fridge, even a mirror or a fish tank.
• Spread the signal in a bigger home. A mesh network uses several nodes to spread Wi-Fi more evenly through a larger or multi-storey home.
• Check the oldest link. A router that only supports Wi-Fi 4 limits every device to a maximum of 100 Mbps, however new the device. Your speed depends on the slowest part of the setup.

Testing your speed, and reading the result

A speed test shows the speed of your connection at that moment, which helps when troubleshooting and when talking to your provider about what you need. It does not give the full picture.

nbn gives an example: a test at 6.30 pm, in the peak, will most likely be slower than one at 11.30 am, when fewer people are on your provider’s network. Things in your home change the result too: the computer or device, the Wi-Fi connection, the house wiring, even how current your web browser is. That article dates from 2018 and was updated in 2022.

Read together, those points suggest testing more than once: in the evening and during the day, and if you can, once with a cable and once over Wi-Fi, so you can see whether the time of day or the Wi-Fi changes the result. That is this guide’s reading of nbn’s explanation, not an official method.

If the speed falls short

1. Talk to your provider. If you think you were misled about a plan’s speed, the ACCC’s first step is to explain the problem to the provider. Providers are responsible for resolving NBN service issues on their customers’ behalf.
2. Go to the ombudsman. If the provider does not resolve it, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman offers dispute resolution for phone and internet services.

The ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program tested volunteer households’ speeds at different times of day and published regular reports until it concluded in June 2026. The ACCC released its 33rd and final report on 17 June 2026.