Based on what we here in the IT Department have observed, the bare minimum internet speed you want to work from home is 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 12 Mbps upload, but this isn’t going to give you the best possible experience. To explain why, we need to break down the most common bottlenecks: Encompass and Video Calls. These both have their own speed requirements.

Encompass needs at least 25 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed. However, if your upload speed fluctuates at all below 5 Mbps, it’s likely that you’ll experience a lot of issues. 

Video calls are notorious for needing a lot of bandwidth, but the truth is, you only really need 5 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload for a smooth video calling experience in RingCentral or Zoom meetings with large groups. One-on-one video calls in RingCentral or Teams need even less maximum speed, and Webinars only require kilobits per second of download.

You may be wondering: with minimum recommended speed of 25 Mbps down and 12 Mbps up being so much higher than what Encompass and video calling both need, shouldn’t that be more than enough?

That’s a great question! The answer is… not really. What those programs need is only part of the equation. Other activities, like streaming or web browsing are going to use some of that speed. If you have other people in your household using the internet while you’re working, even more of that speed is going to be used up before Encompass can get to it. You might be able to get your work done at those speeds… but it won’t be pleasant.

Ideal Speeds: 100 Mbps download, 25 Mbps Upload

If you want the most efficient, headache-free experience possible, you’ll want to get as close as you can to our recommended ideal speeds of 100 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up. This will give you the speed your programs need pretty much all the time. You don’t have to stop there, either; anything above this baseline is going to make your experience working from home even smoother and hassle-free.

This article is meant to be a quick guide to figuring out the best internet connection speed for doing your job from home. If you’re having issues, we can help you figure out if they’re being caused by your home internet connection and give you our best recommendations, but we can’t provide support for your home internet connection or any of the internet hardware you personally own. For that, you’ll need to contact your Internet Service Provider or the manufacturer of your equipment.