To put it briefly, Internet speeds in the 100–200 Mbps range are ideal for most households since they can handle common uses like streaming and video chat for 2–5 users at once. However, there are a number of factors that should also be considered — especially for use cases like home offices and gaming, where upload capacity for files and reaction time for user actions is particularly important.

Along with upload speeds, latency, and your location, another factor to consider is your WiFi network. The average WiFi speed you experience around your home will generally be anywhere from 20–50% below the advertised download speed, due to wireless interference and fade as you move further from the router. With that being said, it’s important to choose a speed slightly faster than what you need to account for network slowdowns.

While each household will have their own definition of what a good internet speed is based on their needs, here are a few simple guidelines on different speeds and what they can handle:

Start FileZilla. Click the site entry that you want to configure, and then click the Transfer Settings tab: Select the Limit number of simultaneous connections check box. In the Maximum number of connections box, select the maximum number of connections that you want to allow for the client. Make sure that this value is less than the server. Bandwidth Place: free & fast internet speed test for any device & network. Test bandwidth on smartphone, tablet, Xbox, PS5, TV. This won't work because MEGA will complain about too many connections. Ultimately I just used megadownloader and added s few every few minutes, by the 80th link I added or so, it already wasn't complaining about adding them too fast for some reason.

There are three ways of uploading files to MEGA using your web browser: 1. If you are completely new to MEGA, click on the red upload button on page to start uploading a file. If you have used MEGA before, login to your account and click on the File Upload or Folder Upload from the Cloud Drive menu panel.

To get a quick recommendation based on the number of users and devices in your home, take a look at our bandwidth calculation tool. If you already have WiFi and are having slower than normal speeds, try troubleshooting your WiFi ,or consider learning how to extend your WiFi network.

In this article, we will help you to determine how much internet speed you need based on how many internet users are in your home and how they use the internet.

How Much Speed Do I Really Need?

Here are some general download speed requirements based on everyday online activities:

• Check email and browse the web: 1-5 Mbps minimum
• Stream HD content: 15-25 Mbps minimum
• Stream 4K content and play competitive online games: 40-100 Mbps minimum
• Stream 4K content, play online games, and download very large files: 200+ Mbps minimum

What is a Good Internet Speed?

Any internet connection above 25 Mbps is a good internet speed. The FCC currently defines a “broadband” internet connection as one that provides at least 25 Mbps for download speed and 3 Mbps for upload. This is a decent benchmark for the average family of three; however, larger households of 3-5 people should consider speeds closer to the 100–200 Mbps range.

In order to be a “good” internet speed, the connection has to meet the needs of the household, which will vary based on number of devices connected and how many people use the connection at once.

The experience using an internet connection depends on several factors:

• How many devices are connected and in use simultaneously?
• How many people are streaming video from Netflix, YouTube, or another service?
• Are you using your home WiFi for competitive online gaming?
• Do you frequently need to send large files for work?
• Do you regularly stream 4k video, or do you mostly stick to simple online tasks?
• Do you get frustrated easily if your game lags or your webpage takes a while to load?

As you can see, good internet speed can mean something different for every household. For instance, if you are using your home WiFi for nothing but web browsing and email, you might feel that you have fast internet with only 10 Mbps.

On the other hand, someone who streams 4k video on multiple devices, plays video games online, and has smart home IoT devices, may not be satisfied with even 100 Mbps. They should look at fiber options like those offered by AT&T Fiber or Frontier FiberOptic which offers higher uploads speeds than other common connections like cable and DSL.

It’s worth mentioning that the range of performance you can get is somewhat relative to your location. Rural areas in states like California and even New York often have much lower speeds (around 25 Mbps) and fewer options, when compared to urban centers within the state which typically have 100+ Mbps plans available, such as Los Angeles, San Diego, or Brooklyn.

You can also shop local deals for internet service in Phoenix, San Francisco, Houston, and your city.

What is a Fast Internet Speed?

By most definitions, anything above 100 Mbps is considered “fast.” Once you start getting close to 1000 Mbps, the internet plan is called a “gigabit” service.

If you’re wondering why anyone would ever need a 1000+ Mbps download or upload speed, the answer is pretty simple: most of us don’t (though that may change in the future). That said, these sorts of speeds may be worth it for techies, gamers, streamers, and large households.

What Is the Difference Between Upload and Download Speed?

If you don’t know the difference between upload and download speeds, here is a simple breakdown:

• Download speed: how quickly your Internet connection can retrieve data from the Internet (web pages, video, cat photos, etc.)
• Upload speed: how quickly your Internet connection can send data from your devices up to the Internet (uploading video to YouTube, sending documents via email, etc.)

When you see the advertised speed of an internet plan, what you usually see is the download speed. Frequently, the upload speed isn’t visible at first, or it appears in a much smaller size at the bottom.

Download speed is much more important for the average user, since you only notice upload speed when trying to share large files. It is normal for your upload speed to be around one tenth your download speed. However, fiber internet users often have symmetrical (or identical) download and upload speeds.

How Fast is 25 Mbps?

A 25 Mbps plan can be referred to as the “Goldilocks” of internet plans. It is neither too fast or too slow. For a small household of light internet users, you won’t suffer from frustrating lag or be paying for bandwidth that you don’t need.

Here are some things you can expect from 25 Mbps:

• Stream Netflix and YouTube at 1080p on one or two devices without buffering
• Play most online games without lag
• Almost zero wait time for loading most webpages

So, is 25 Mbps fast?

For a small household that isn’t doing intense streaming on multiple devices or gaming at high-resolution, 25 Mbps is relatively fast. For larger households or for internet users that need 4k resolution, 25 Mbps may still not be enough. The biggest factor here will be the number of devices being used at a time. Almost any household can get away with 25 Mbps as long as the number of users/devices online at a time is limited. For example, 3-4 people could stream in HD with a 25 Mbps connection, but anyone else trying to get online will likely experience a slow connection.

Best Internet Speeds For Streaming

Basic streaming does not require very much bandwidth. However, when you start to stream in 4k resolution or stream on many devices at once, you will need a much larger internet package.

How Much Internet Speed Do I Need for Netflix?

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In general, streaming video on platforms such as Netflix or YouTube TV requires 3-5 Mbps to stream in HD.

If you want to stream in 4k Ultra HD, you will need a minimum of 25 Mbps. However, streaming even one video in 4k HD may use up all of your available bandwidth. For that reason, if you like high-definition video and you have more than one device connected at a time, we recommend a speed of 50 Mbps or more.

For instance, say you have a 25 Mbps down connection speed. If the total capacity of your internet connection was a pie, each device on the network gets a “slice.”

Your total potential speed is split across all of the devices connected to the network. So, a 25 Mbps plan may only be providing 10-15 Mbps to Netflix — depending on how many devices are taking a “slice.”

Also, using WiFi will always be slower than a hardwired connection. Trying to stream over WiFi can produce less-than-stellar results.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you’re maximizing your chances of a trouble-free streaming experience:

1. Connect your streaming devices to the router with an ethernet cable whenever possible.
2. When streaming over WiFi, position the streaming device as close to the router as possible, with no physical barriers like walls or furniture between them. This will help you achieve a more stable connection.

Use our bandwidth calculator to get an estimate of the speed you actually need to stream on multiple devices at home.

Best Internet Speed for Gaming

Online gaming is one of the few activities that require a fast upload speed. This is because the actions that you perform in-game are uploaded to a server for other players to view and interact with.

How Much Internet Speed Do I Need for Gaming?

Minimum internet speed requirements for gaming are usually 4-8 Mbps if nobody else in the house is using up your bandwidth. Unfortunately, slower internet plans such as these may not give you the upload speed you need for a consistently good experience.

If you are the only one at home, a 25 Mbps internet plan is recommended for smooth gaming. However, speed isn’t the only thing that matters in gaming: ping and latency play a role as well.

Ping and Latency: Does It Matter?

Latency is a measurement of the amount of time it takes for data to be transmitted from one point to another. Ping is often used interchangeably to describe this, but in fact, a “ping” is simply the act of hailing a certain receiver. Under this definition, latency is a measurement of how quickly you can “ping” the server you are trying to reach.

So, is latency a real concern when deciding which service provider to choose from?

Honestly, the majority of users will likely not be impacted by latency. Latency is more of an issue for satellite internet users as it takes longer for data to travel and is more susceptible to interference than wired internet connections (i.e. cable, DSL, and fiber). Competitive gamers serious about getting the best connection will definitely want to look into minimizing this number by either upgrading to a cable or fiber internet connection or connecting their gaming device directly to their modem/router.

Mbps vs Gbps: What’s the Difference?

Internet speeds are measured in “Megabits per second,” often abbreviated as “Mbps.” These commonly range anywhere from 1 Mbps up to 1000+ Mbps.

• One Mbps: one Megabit per second
• One Gbps: one Gigabit per second, or one thousand Megabits. (1 Gbps is the maximum for most home Internet plans, so you will often see fiber providers advertise “gigabit service” or “gig speed.”)

An average mp3 song in your iTunes ranges from 3 to 5 megabytes, whereas a 4K movie or tv show can be several gigabytes, so it’s important to gauge the types of speeds you’ll need accordingly.

Bits vs Bytes

The amount of data you use is measured in “bytes,” while the speed you can move data is measured in “bits.” For example:

“The average cable Internet plan has a download speed of 150 Megabits per second (Mbps), and a data cap of 1024 GigaBytes (GB).”

MB vs GB: What’s the Difference?

This is confusing for non-techies, but to put it simply:

• MB: MegaByte (a million bytes of data)
• GB: = GigaByte (a billion bytes of data)

You will likely see the term GB used in conjunction with data caps, which some providers use to limit the amount of data you can consume. These can either be hard capped (service is not available after exceeding the stated amount) or soft-capped, meaning you will simply experience slower speeds — and potentially, additional charges.

Why Does Internet Speed Vary Per Location?

You may notice a certain company offering fast speeds in the subdivision adjacent yours…

…only to search your internet options and find they can’t provide the same speed for your street.

This can be frustrating.

Regardless of which type of service you are interested in, your physical connection has to go somewhere central before it can move on to the wider network that forms the backbone of the internet. For DSL and cable, this central location is the provider’s office or joining node, and for fiber, a central switch.

No matter the specifics, the physical distance between your home and these meeting points can have an impact on the speed of service a particular company is able to offer. Remember, though — just because one provider can only offer a certain speed, that doesn’t necessarily mean all of them are limited in the same way.

If you live in an area where there are several services to choose from, check the speeds offered by other ISPs in your area before setting an install date.

How Can I Calculate My Upload and Download Speed?

If you already have existing service but aren’t sure how fast it actually is, you can find out using our speed test tool.

Essentially, this service works by sending test samples of data to various remote servers, the same way you would when browsing the web.

We then display the average upload and download speeds of those individual pieces of data, allowing you to get a good idea of what you’re working with.

The Bottom Line: 25 Mbps Is the Minimum Speed for Modern Households

So how much speed do you need? If you don’t have time to dig into the details, just make sure you get a plan with at least 25 Mbps download speed. For most people, this is “good enough.”

However, plans are constantly changing, sometimes offering faster speeds for lower prices. We recommend getting the fastest plan your preferred provider offers under $100/month — especially since it’s possible to get gigabit fiber internet for only $60-$70/month.

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For more detailed recommendations based on your specific household size and number of devices, visit our Internet speed calculator.

I am trying to connect to my Amazon Aurora MySQL DB instance, and I am getting the 'Too Many Connections' error. What is the maximum connection value for my DB instance, and how can I tune this value?

Short description

If the client encounters a 'Too Many Connections' error when you try to connect to an Amazon Aurora MySQL DB cluster or instance, this means that all available connections are in use by other clients. This is defined by the max_connections parameter.

You might see any of the following symptoms:

• The DatabaseConnections metric in Amazon CloudWatch is close to or equal to the max_connections value for your Aurora MySQL DB instance.
• The value for the max_connections parameter is higher than the available memory provisioned by the DB instance class for connections. Check for signs like a low FreeableMemory metric value in CloudWatch.
• You get an ERROR 1040(): Too many connections error in the MySQL error log.

You can reach a max_connections value for the following reasons:

• Sudden or gradual increase in the number of client/application connections to the DB instance. This has the following causes:
  • Increase in workload leading to increased connections.
  • Table/row level locking leading to an increase in the client/application connection.
• Client/application not closing connections properly after the end of the operation.
• Higher value for connection timeout parameters like wait_timeout and/or interactive_timeout that can lead to an increase in sleeping connections.

Before you resolve the max connection error, first view all threads that are currently running on your DB instance. Then, enable logging on your DB instance.

Show threads currently running on Aurora MySQL DB instance

The SHOW FULL PROCESSLIST command shows which threads are currently running on your DB instance. Log in to your DB instance, and then run the following query:

You can also run the following query to get the same result set:

Note: You must grant your user account the administration privilege for the MySQL PROCESS server to see all the threads running on a MySQL DB instance. Otherwise, SHOW PROCESSLIST shows only the threads associated with the MySQL account that you're using. For more information, see the MySQL documentation for Privileges provided by MySQL.

Note: The SHOW FULL PROCESSLIST and INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PROCESSLIST statements can negatively affect performance because they require a mutex.

Enable logging on Aurora MySQL DB instance

Enable logging on your Aurora MySQL DB instance by enabling general_log, slow_query_log or advanced auditing log parameters.

Resolution

Resolve the max connection error using one of the following methods:

• Review existing connections and, if possible, terminate them to release connection pressure. For example, start by terminating connections in sleep state.
• Increase the maximum number of connections to your DB instance.

Terminate existing connections on your DB instance

Terminate user sessions or queries currently running on your DB instance by running the rds_kill and rds_kill_query commands:

Increase the maximum connections to your DB instance

Increase the maximum number of connections to your DB instance using the following methods:

• Scale the instance up to a DB instance class with more memory.Note: Scaling the DB instance class causes an outage.
• Set a larger value for the max_connections parameter using a custom instance-level parameter group. Increasing the max_connections parameter doesn't cause an outage, but if your DB instance is using a default parameter group, then change the parameter group to a custom parameter group. Changing the parameter group causes an outage. For more information, see Working with DB parameter groups.

Note: The maximum number of connections allowed to an Aurora MySQL DB instance is determined by the max_connections parameter in the instance-level parameter group for the DB instance. See the following example:

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Check the current value of the max_connections parameter for your DB instance. To do this, check the parameter group attached to your DB instance or by run the following query:

The max_connections parameter has the following specifications:

• Can be set on both the DB cluster and DB instance parameter group. However, instance-level parameter setting takes effect.
• Allowed value is an integer in the range of 1-16000.
• Dynamic in nature (no reboot is required to change this parameter value).

For more information on the default value of max_connections for each DB instance class available to Aurora MySQL, see Maximum connections to an Aurora MySQL DB instance.

Note: Aurora MySQL and Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) MySQL DB instances have different amounts of memory overhead. The max_connections value can be different for Aurora MySQL and RDS MySQL DB instances that use the same instance class. The values listed apply only to Aurora MySQL.

Best practices for tuning the max_connections parameter

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Make sure to consider the following when working with the max_connections parameter for your DB instance.

• The default connection limits are tuned for systems that use the default values for other major memory consumers, such as the buffer pool and query cache. If you change these settings for your DB cluster, consider adjusting the connection limit to account for the increase or decrease in available memory on the DB instances.
• Set max_connections slightly higher than the maximum number of connections you expect to open on each DB instance.
• If you also enabled performance_schema, be careful with the max_connections parameter setting. The Performance Schema memory structures are sized automatically based on server configuration variables, including max_connections. The higher you set the variable, the more memory Performance Schema uses. In extreme cases, this can lead to out-of-memory issues on smaller instance types, such as T2 and T3. It is a best practice to leave max_connections at the default value if you're using Performance Schema. If you plan to increase the max_connections to a value significantly higher than the default value, consider disabling Performance Schema.Note: If you enable Performance Insights for an Aurora MySQL DB instance, this automatically enables Performance Schema.

You can also consider the following MySQL connection parameters for tuning:

• wait_timeout: Number of seconds the server waits for activity on a non-interactive TCP/IP or UNIX File connection before closing it.
• interactive_timeout: Number of seconds the server waits for activity on an interactive connection before closing it.
• net_read_timeout: Number of seconds to wait for more data from a TCP/IP connection before dropping the read.
• net_write_timeout: Number of seconds to wait on TCP/IP connections for a block to be written before dropping the write.
• max_execution_time: Execution timeout for SELECT statements, in milliseconds.
• max_connect_errors: A host is blocked from further connections if there are more than this number of interrupted connections.
• max_user_connections: Maximum number of simultaneous connections allowed to any given MySQL account.

Note: This article doesn't include recommended or custom values for these parameters, because these values vary based on individual use case.

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