With an internet speed of 120 mbps, you can expect to download files at about 14.31 MB/sec. This is considered to be a very fast speed. The current speed classified by the FCC as high speed broadband is a speed of at least 25 mbps down and 3 mbps up.
This puts 120 mbps at a much higher speed than the minimum high speed broadband specifications set by the FCC. In more practical terms, this speed is great for web browsing, opening emails, streaming in Ultra HD quality, playing video games, working from home, and even streaming.
In all fairness, having 120 Mbps is enough internet speed for the avid streamer, gamer, or anything in between. It is even a great speed for a household. Let’s take a look at how fast 120 mbps really is when in practical situations like streaming, gaming, and working from home.
Is 120 Mbps Slow for Internet?
An internet speed of 120 mbps is definitely not considered to be slow. The minimum required speed to be considered broadband is 25 mbps, and this is about 5x faster.
Examples of File Sizes and Download Times Using 120 Mbps
The following is a small table that shows large file sizes and the time it would take to completely download if you had an internet speed of 120 mbps. Remember, actual download speeds may vary depending on the host as well as how good your internet is working.
| Amount of Data | Amount of Time to Download |
| 25mb | 1 second |
| 50mb | 16 seconds |
| 100mb | 1 minute 11 seconds |
Is 120 Mbps Fast Enough for Netflix?
| Netflix Stream | Broadband Internet Speed |
| Standard Definition (SD) | 3mbps |
| High Definition (HD) | 5mbps |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | 25mbps |
Netflix states themselves that they require an internet speed of at least 1.5 mbps to use their service. Obviously 120 mbps is way above the minimum required, so what good is a higher speed? A higher speed will allow you to stream in Ultra High quality 4k and even higher in the future.
As of right now, Netflix offers 4K (Ultra HD) which requires 25 mbps. You should theoretically be able to have about 4-5 streams running of 4K.
Is 120 Mbps Fast Enough to Work From Home?
Working from home or from a remote location other than a workplace is becoming more and more common. Many people run businesses from the luxury of their laptop, or have a job that only requires a laptop and internet connection. 120 mbps is more than fast enough to work effectively from home.
Speed is not the only factor to take into account when working from home. You will also want to make sure your internet is both fast and reliable. What good is fast internet if it drops out every half hour?
Having a fast internet speed comes into play when downloading/uploading files or when you are using Zoom for scheduled calls, video calls, and group meetings.
Zoom
Voice and video calls are just about a must in every job. It’s used to have meetings, hold interviews, work with peers, and so much more. The quality and speed of your internet service will affect how these video sessions will perform.
If you look on Zoom’s website, the minimum speed required for their 1 on 1 video and group calling in 1080p quality is only 3.8 mbps down and 3 mbps up. A speed of 120 mbps way overshoots their recommended requirements. This means that you should be able to have these calls in the highest quality available without any hiccups.
Is 120 Mbps Internet Fast Enough for Gaming?
120 mbps is an awesome speed for gaming and can even be considered more than enough. 120 mbps gives you a fast speed to keep your ping and latency under 40 ms, while also allowing you to download updates and video game files at lightning fast speeds.
With today’s games and updates being well into the gigabytes when it comes to file sizes, having a fast file size is a must if you don’t want to be sitting around waiting all day for your files to load. A speed of 120 mbps will also allow multiple users in the same household to game, stream, and browse the internet with minimal issues.
If Wifi is your primary connection point, then we recommend using a high speed gaming router to help keep your as low as possible. Click here to check out the wide selection of Netgear Wifi Gaming Routers on Amazon.
Is 120 Mbps Fast Enough for a Family?
120 mbps is going to be fast enough for an entire family. Browsing the internet and playing video games uses minimal internet when it comes to speed usage. High speed internet will really shine during movie and video streaming in high quality such as 1080p and 4K (UHD).
This internet speed should be able to have 4 to 5 devices all streaming at 4K quality. If you have no need to have this many streams running at once, then it may be wise to go with a slower speed such as 50 mbps or 75 mbps as you may be able to save money and still have all the benefits of a fast internet speed.
Final Thoughts
An internet speed of 120 mbps will give you a download speed of about 14.31 MB/sec. This is a very fast speed to download files and is about 5x as fast as what the FCC classifies as high speed broadband.
120 mbps is an excellent speed for large households, gamers, streamers, working from home and just about anything else that requires a fast speed or high bandwidth.
We recommend this speed only if you need it. If you don’t need to have multiple high quality streams running at once, or the need to download huge files within minutes, then it would be wise to get a slower speed such as 50 mbps as some internet service providers charge a premium for speeds over 100 mbps.