For IPTV we recommend about 10 Mbps per screen for HD, 15 Mbps for Full HD and 25 Mbps for 4K, plus a margin for everything else using your internet. In practice, an nbn 50 plan suits most homes with one or two screens, while a household watching several screens in 4K should choose a plan of 100 Mbps or faster.
The number on your plan is only part of the story, though. What really decides whether the picture stays smooth is the speed you get in the evening and how the signal reaches your TV. This guide covers both.
Recommended speed per screen
These figures include a safety margin, so short dips in speed do not interrupt the picture. Add them up for every screen that will watch at the same time:
- SD (standard quality): 5 Mbps per screen.
- HD (720p): 10 Mbps per screen.
- Full HD (1080p): 15 Mbps per screen.
- 4K / UHD: 25 Mbps per screen.
Which nbn plan do you need?
nbn plans are sold by speed tier, and the tier is a maximum, not a guarantee. As a starting point:
- One HD or Full HD screen and light use otherwise: nbn 25 can be enough if its evening speed holds up.
- One or two screens, including some 4K: nbn 50 is the sweet spot for most homes.
- Three or more screens, several in 4K, plus work from home or gaming: a plan of 100 Mbps or faster.
Typical evening speed matters more than the plan name
Australian retailers show a typical evening speed for their nbn plans, measured during the busy hours between 7 pm and 11 pm. That is when most people watch TV, so it is the number to compare with what your screens need.
If your plan's typical evening speed is close to its maximum, you have a good plan for IPTV. If it drops a long way at night, consider a different retailer or a higher tier, because the slowdown will show up as buffering during live events.
Your nbn technology makes a difference
How the nbn reaches your home affects both top speed and stability:
- Fibre to the premises (FTTP) and HFC: usually fast and stable, ideal for several 4K screens.
- Fibre to the curb (FTTC): generally good; speed depends on the copper run from the street.
- Fibre to the node (FTTN): speed falls with distance from the node, so check your real evening speed.
- Fixed wireless: works well when the signal is strong; stability can vary with weather and load.
- Satellite: usable for streaming, but latency is higher and some plans have data limits.
5G home internet, Starlink and mobile data
5G home internet can easily deliver enough speed for IPTV where coverage is strong. Place the modem near a window facing the nearest tower and run a cable from it to the TV if you can.
Starlink is popular in regional areas and generally has enough speed for HD and Full HD. Both 5G and satellite can vary more than fixed lines, so test in the evening before committing to a long plan.
On mobile data, watch your allowance: an hour of HD typically uses 1.5 to 2.5 GB.
Wi-Fi is often the real bottleneck
Many people pay for a fast plan and still see freezing because the Wi-Fi signal at the TV is weak. Walls, floors, microwaves and neighbouring networks all reduce Wi-Fi speed and stability.
The best fix is a network cable from the modem router to the main TV or Fire TV Stick. If a cable is not practical, use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band close to the router, a mesh Wi-Fi system, or Powerline adapters that carry the signal through your power wiring.
How to measure your speed properly
A quick test on your phone in the kitchen does not tell you much. To get a useful number:
- Run the test on the TV or streaming stick itself, using a speed test app or browser.
- Test in the evening, at the time you normally watch.
- Pause downloads and game updates on other devices first.
- Repeat the test two or three times and look at the lowest result.
How many screens can each plan handle?
As a rough guide, assuming the typical evening speed stays close to the plan's maximum and the rest of the home uses the internet lightly:
- nbn 25: one Full HD screen, or two HD screens with little else happening.
- nbn 50: two Full HD screens, or one 4K screen with room for phones and video calls.
- 100 Mbps: three or four Full HD screens, or two or three 4K screens.
- 250 Mbps or faster: several 4K screens plus working from home, gaming and large downloads.
Upload speed and latency
IPTV is almost entirely download: the stream comes to you, and very little goes back. Upload speed matters only for the rest of the household, for example video calls or cloud backups running at the same time, which can slow everything down if they fill the connection.
Latency, the delay before data starts to arrive, affects how quickly a channel starts after you press a button. Fibre and HFC connections have low latency and change channels fastest. Satellite connections have higher latency, so channels take a little longer to start, but once a stream is playing it usually runs smoothly.
Upgrade your plan or fix your Wi-Fi?
Before paying for a faster plan, check where the bottleneck is. Run a speed test right next to the modem router with a network cable, then run the same test on the TV. If the result next to the router is good but the TV gets far less, a faster plan will not help: better Wi-Fi or a cable will.
If both results are low in the evening, the plan or your retailer's network is the limit. Moving to a higher tier, or to a retailer with a better typical evening speed, is then the right fix.
Work out your own number
Add up the screens that watch at the same time, add a margin for phones, video calls and downloads, and compare the total with your typical evening speed. Our free IPTV speed calculator does the maths for you and suggests which kind of plan suits your home.
Once you know your number, the best final check is a free trial: if the picture stays smooth in the evening on a wired TV, your connection is ready.
Frequently asked questions
Is nbn 25 enough for IPTV?
An nbn 25 plan can handle one HD or Full HD screen if its evening speed stays close to the maximum and nobody else is using much internet. For two screens or 4K, choose nbn 50 or faster.
How much data does IPTV use?
As a rough guide, an hour of HD uses about 1.5 to 2.5 GB, Full HD around 3 GB and 4K about 7 to 9 GB, depending on the channel. Most nbn plans are unlimited, but check your plan if you use 5G, satellite or mobile data.
Why does IPTV freeze even though my speed test is fast?
A speed test measures one moment, usually close to the router. Freezing usually comes from weak Wi-Fi at the TV, evening congestion or an overloaded server. Test the speed on the TV itself in the evening and try a network cable.