Fast Internet for Streaming

Today's golden age of television is about more than the incredible TV streaming options available from Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu. It's also about the quality of the high-definition pictures. We can laugh alongside Nate Bargatze as he comes to life in our living room or grip our couch cushion as a thousand zombies seem to stumble down the steps.
Enjoying the highest possible resolutions requires more than just the new 72" flat screen you picked up during last weekend's big sale. You'll also need a home internet service that can support ultra-high definition 4K, with video quality that pulls you into the scene.
If fiber internet is available in your area, you're in luck. A connection with Quantum Fiber can slay a thousand 4K zombies, all night long.

The benefits of fast internet speed for streaming
Did you know that watching an episode of your favorite show can require vastly more data than playing a high-resolution video game? That's because online gaming often occurs in the cloud, with small amounts of data traveling back and forth, while streaming in 4K can guzzle up to 10 gigabytes (GB) every hour.
Fortunately, you don't have to go on a data diet. Quantum Fiber plans don't cap your data usage, and nearly any fiber connection will provide all the data you need to enjoy a high-resolution escape without worrying about excessive lag time or delays.
The benefits of fiber shine when your family can't decide on a show, and everybody tests out the 4K streaming bandwidth on their own screen. Thanks to speeds up to 940 megabits per second (Mbps)-and up to 8 Gig in some areas-your teens can watch their favorite reality show while you're locked into the latest fantasy series on HBO.
Fiber tops every list of TV streaming options

Whether going deep with Ken Burns or relaxing with a romcom, television is best enjoyed at the highest available resolution. A fiber internet connection lets you fully harness your TV's capabilities and your streaming subscriptions. That's thanks to four key characteristics of fiber internet for streaming TV:
- Speed: A 4K video stream can download as much as 10 GB of data every hour. Fortunately, that’s easily within the realm of any Quantum Fiber plan.
- Low latency: If the speed of your fiber connection is a sleek new jet, low latency is the smooth sky it flies in. Switching to fiber means you can expect a turbulence-free experience—virtually no lag time—even when a Call of Duty battle is happening upstairs while you immerse yourself in a 4K Star Wars battle.
- Reliability: Fiber lines are typically buried underground, shielding them from wind, lightning, and electrical issues. Because they transmit data through light pulses, they’re extremely stable.
- Multi-device support: A fiber connection’s combination of speed, low latency, and reliability allows you to grow. When the number of connected devices in your house stretches into the dozens, from TVs to smart thermostats to wireless cameras, your fiber connection is ready to handle them all.
Choose the right internet speed for your streaming needs

At work or home, we've all experienced the frustration of a dropped or lagging video call or an upload that seems to take forever. You can't help congestion when you log in at the coffee shop down the street (at least until they switch to fiber). But in the spaces you control, there's a fiber fix.
In your home, there's no reason to settle for throttled internet speeds that slow down your streaming. But how much speed do you need?
- Standard definition: A 480p SD stream requires a minimum download speed of 4 Mbps.
- High definition: A 720p HD stream requires a minimum download speed of 5-6 Mbps.
- Full high definition: A 1080p HD stream requires a minimum download speed of 8 Mbps.
- Ultra-high definition: A 4K stream requires a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps.
These numbers are based on estimates from the Federal Communications Commission.
An ultra-high definition 4K stream can use 7-10 GB per hour. Fortunately, a fiber connection reaching up to 500 Mbps can easily handle multiple screens viewing 4K streams. If you also have gamers or people making video conference calls in your household, consider a multi-gig plan (available in some areas) to help minimize lag time while enjoying your favorite shows.
Most major streaming services (including Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video) offer 4K streams. Our streaming service recommendation tool can help you choose the best services and shows for your interests.
If you own a TV with 4K resolution capabilities, don’t let slow internet compromise your experience.

A strong connection for everyone
To take full advantage of fiber internet for streaming, choose a router with WiFi 7 compatibility. WiFi 7-the seventh generation of WiFi-improves speeds and lowers latency (compared to WiFi 6) while increasing efficiency for multiple users on a single network.
In most houses and businesses, a single WiFi 7 router can serve the entire building, reducing the need for mesh networks. Place the router near the middle of the building, as high as possible, so that the signal can spread downwards, like an overhead light. If you experience slow or dead spots, satellite extenders and mesh routers can be simple to install.
How to get fiber internet for streaming
To see if a Quantum Fiber connection is available at your home or business, enter your address to find available plans in your area.
Remember that fiber-optic lines are typically buried, so expanding the network takes longer than extending cables from power poles. Buried lines come with benefits like 99.9% reliability, based on network uptime or availability.
If you don't have access to fiber internet yet, don't worry. We're expanding our network each year to reach as many homes as possible within our service area.
When you want to stream your favorite shows in the highest possible resolution, a fiber connection is a terrific option.
