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Is Your Broadband Fast Enough to Stream Audio?

Learn how to test your internet speed and capacity

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 30, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Test Your Speed Streaming Without Buffering Speed Requirements Recommended Capacities A slow internet connection causes buffering and intermittent pauses while music or video plays. This means the data transferred (streamed) to your device is moving too fast or is too much for your connection to handle. To evaluate whether your broadband connection is fast enough to watch movies or use a music subscription service, check the capacity of the connection by testing its speed. Instructions in this article apply to cable, FIOS, satellite, and other broadband types on all network-enabled operating systems.

How to Test Your Internet Connection Speed

There are several online tools to check your connection. One free web-based tool is Speedtest.net. Use this online tool to see your actual internet connection speed. After you test your connection, look at your download speed.

Streaming Without Buffering

If you have access to high-speed internet (broadband) service, audio and video should stream in real-time without problems. Having a broadband service, however, does not mean that you can listen to all music streams. Broadband service varies from area to area. If it's on the slow end of the scale, you might be able to stream music but not high-quality audio that is encoded at a high bitrate (320 Kbps); the higher the Kbps, the more data is required for streaming. Streaming over a wireless connection (Wi-Fi) can be hit-or-miss compared to a wired connection to a home router. If possible, configure your system to stream music over a cabled connection for maximum transfer rate and uninterrupted listening.

Connection Speed Requirements

Audio streams use less bandwidth than video. If you stream only audio, your broadband speed requirements can be lower than if you also stream music videos and movies (for example, from YouTube). To stream audio, the broadband speed should be at least 1.5 Mbps.

Recommended Capacities for Streaming Music Videos

Video takes up bandwidth because it forces more data through the broadband pipeline. Streaming music videos (at standard quality) requires a broadband speed of at least 3 Mbps. For high-definition (HD) videos, an internet connection that can handle 4 to 5 Mbps is an ideal range to prevent dropouts and buffering. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Internet Speed Test Sites (Last Updated October 2022) The 9 Best Internet Service Providers of 2022 How to Use the Netflix Speed Test YouTube TV Not Working? Here's How To Fix It How to Fix It When Discovery Plus Is Not Working Internet Speed Requirements for Video Streaming Understanding Broadband Internet Speeds How to Test Your Internet Speed How to Fix Disney Plus Error Code 41 How Fast Is a Wi-Fi Network? How to Avoid Buffering When Streaming Video Speedtest.net Website Review Netflix Error Codes: How to Fix Them How to Fix Fire Stick Buffering Problems How to Optimize Windows Media Player Video Streaming Which Browser Should I Use for Watching Movies? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies