For small businesses nowadays, a fast and reliable internet connection is very important. Since most of the tasks rely on a fast and reliable internet connection, a slow internet connection can seriously hamper the efficiency and productivity of the entire workplace. It can also bog down cloud applications and prevent speedy customer service.

To get past this problem, the first step is to find a reliable internet service problem. When that is done, you need to consider the internet bandwidth needs of your workplace to ensure that your employees are not facing any internet problems. When it comes to bandwidth, finding the sweet spot is important because too little bandwidth can lead to connectivity issues while paying for extra bandwidth than is required can be an unnecessary expense.

Here are the important factors that can help you determine the bandwidth needs of your small business including the number of users and connected devices on BT Hub Manager, type of online activities performed, and internet connection type.

Number of Users and Connected Devices

One of the most important things to consider when determining the bandwidth needs for your small business is the number of users and connected devices. The bandwidth of your internet connection is affected by the number of devices connected to the network at once. If you have a large number of employees working at the same time, you will need more bandwidth to fulfill the internet needs of all the connected devices.

When you are estimating the number of connected devices, don’t forget to include mobile devices or tablets too, as most employees have a smartphone or tablet connected to the internet all the time. Along with this, if your business frequently gets clients or customers in the workplace who need access to your internet connection, they should also be taken into consideration. You can either count the number of connected devices manually or through the 192.168.1.254/ admin interface. Generally, having a bandwidth of 10 to 15 Mbps per employee can ensure that all of the connected devices are facing no internet connection problems.

Type of Online Activities Performed

Along with the number of users and connected devices, the most important factor that you need to consider when determining the bandwidth needs of your business is the type of online activities that employees will be performing. For instance, video streaming generally requires more bandwidth than simple web browsing or emailing. Depending on what type of internet activity is performed by most of your employees, you should determine the bandwidth needs of your workplace.

For casual internet activities like emailing clients or browsing the web, having 1 Mbps bandwidth per employee is enough. For VoIP calls, 5 Mbps per user, for video conferencing, at least 6 Mbps per person on the call, and for using accounting programs or software, 3 Mbps per employee is enough. To accurately determine the bandwidth needs, you will have to take into consideration the number of employees and the activities performed by each one of them at the same time.

Internet Connection Type

The type of your internet connection is also important when it comes to bandwidth. There are basically three types of internet connections available; DSL, copper, and fiber-optic internet. All of these internet connection types rely on different types of technologies to provide internet access. Most businesses should opt for and prefer fiber optic internet over other internet technologies since it can transmit data at much faster speeds compared to other technologies with little to no data loss during transmission.

If your business has an internet connection other than fiber optic internet, you need to add a few extra Mbps to your internet package apart from the calculated bandwidth to ensure that your employees face no internet speed problems.