There’s nothing worse than when you’re in the middle of a Netflix movie and the video stream suddenly starts stuttering and the dreaded words “buffering” appear on the screen. A bad internet connection can ruin your night.
Streaming video from the internet requires a decent amount of bandwidth, but just how fast does your connection really need to be? We’ve done some investigating and have summarised our findings below.
How fast does your internet need to be to watch Netflix?
From Netflix’s own website, recommended internet speeds for watching Netflix are shown below.
| Type | Recommended Speed |
|---|---|
| Standard Definition (SD) | 3 Mbps |
| High Definition (HD) | 5 Mbps |
| Ultra High Definition (4K) | 25 Mbps |
How much data do I need for Netflix?
Everyone knows that streaming video uses quite a bit of data. But let’s dig a little deeper and find out exactly how much data Netflix uses and how much data you will need per month.
The table below shows the data use per hour for different movie qualities. Given the quality and size of televisions today, I would assume that most people would be watching in high definition or ultra high definition. The table also shows the approximate data used per movie assuming the average movie is about 1.5 hours or 90 minutes long.
| Movie Quality | Data use (per hour) | Data use per movie |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Definition | 1GB per hour | 1.5GB |
| High Definition (HD) (1080p) | 3GB per hour | 4.5GB |
| Ultra High Definition (UHD) (4K) | 7GB per hour | 10.5GB |
7GB per hour for UHD 4K video streaming is a pretty significant amount of data and will add up pretty quickly if you stream a lot of video content.
Now, let’s look at the monthly data use for different types of users. I reckon I watch about 1 movie a week. How many do you watch?
| Type of Netflix User | Hours per week watching Netflix | Data required per month |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 3 hours (2 movies) | 36GB for HD 85GB for UHD |
| Medium | 7.5 hours (5 movies) | 90GB for HD 210GB for UHD |
| Heavy | 15 hours (10 movies) | 180GB for HD 420GB for UHD |
| Addict | 25 hours (16 movies) | 300GB for HD 700GB for UHD |
Our Recommendation
In terms of connection speed, we recommend a minimum speed of 25 Mbps for streaming Netflix. If you have a large family or more than one movie will be streaming simultaneously then upgrading to 50 Mbps would be a wise choice.
When it comes to data use, as you can see in the table above, monthly data requirements vary depending on how many hours of Netflix you watch per month.
Light and medium users can get away with around 200GB per month whereas heavy users and movie addicts will need an unlimited plan.
What NBN plan do I need for Netflix?
If you watch Netflix around an hour a day on average, NBN 25 will handle it fine — as long as you’re the only one streaming at the time. If there are two or more people watching different things simultaneously, or someone else is gaming or on a video call at the same time, bump up to NBN 50. For a busy household with four or more people all doing different things online, NBN 100 gives you proper headroom.
The speed requirement for Netflix itself is low — 25Mbps for 4K. But NBN plan speeds are shared across everyone in your house, so what you need depends on how many people are online at once, not just what you’re watching.
Can you stream Netflix on 4G or 5G wireless home broadband?
The short answer is Yes, if you have a 4G or 5G home wireless internet connection you should be able to watch Netflix in some form.
4G speeds can easily exceed 100Mbs and 5G can go even faster so connection speed will not be the problem. You will need to keep an eye on your data usage though as Netflix can quickly chew through your data allowance.
Your actual ability to watch Netflix via 4G or 5G will rely on the following factors:
- network congestion and bandwidth availability in your area which may vary by the time of the day
- number of people using the internet at your house at the same time
- the mobile network you are connected to. Some networks are stronger in some areas compared to others.
Can you stream Netflix on your phone?
Yes, you should be able to download the Netflix app to your Apple or Android device and watch Netflix on your phone or tablet. The same constraints will apply to your phone connection as apply to watching Netflix on a wireless 4G or 5G broadband connection.
How many people use Netflix?
Netflix has over 300 million subscribers worldwide and around 7 million in Australia, making it by far the biggest streaming service in the country.
Does your video streaming cut out?
Maybe you need a faster internet plan? Our broadband plan finder can help! Check it out here.
What About Other Streaming Services?
Netflix isn’t the only streaming service with bandwidth requirements. Here’s how the major Australian streaming platforms compare:
| Service | SD | HD | 4K / Ultra HD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | 3 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 25 Mbps |
| Disney+ | ~3 Mbps | ~5 Mbps | ~25 Mbps |
| Stan | ~1 Mbps | ~5 Mbps | ~25 Mbps |
| Binge | ~2 Mbps | ~5 Mbps | ~25 Mbps |
| YouTube | ~1 Mbps | ~5 Mbps | ~20 Mbps (4K) |
| ABC iview / SBS | ~1 Mbps | ~5 Mbps | Not available |
The pattern is pretty consistent across services — HD streaming needs around 5Mbps per stream, and 4K needs 20–25Mbps. The practical implication is that if three people in your house are each streaming in HD simultaneously, you need at least 15Mbps just for streaming, plus whatever overhead everything else uses.
What if multiple people are streaming at once?
This is where people run into trouble. A lot of households upgrade to NBN because they’ve got two or three screens going at the same time — the TV in the lounge, a laptop in the bedroom, a tablet for the kids. Each stream needs its own bandwidth slice.
If your household has two people watching in HD simultaneously plus someone on a video call, you’re looking at roughly 5 + 5 + 3 = 13Mbps minimum, plus some margin. NBN 25 gets tight. NBN 50 gives you plenty of room. Add 4K screens to the mix and NBN 100 starts making sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Netflix keep buffering even though my internet is fast?
A few things to check. First, run a speed test at the device that’s actually doing the buffering — not just at the router. Wi-Fi speeds can be significantly lower than your NBN plan speed, especially on older devices or if you’re far from your router. Second, check what time it is. Evening speeds on the NBN (7–11pm) are typically slower due to network congestion, and some ISPs handle peak hour traffic better than others. Third, try streaming in HD instead of 4K — the quality difference on most TVs at normal viewing distance is minimal, and it uses much less bandwidth.
How much data does Netflix use per month?
That depends entirely on how much you watch and in what quality. HD streaming uses around 3GB per hour. So if you watch 2 hours of Netflix every night for a month, that’s roughly 180GB just for Netflix. 4K (Ultra HD) is higher — about 7GB per hour, so the same viewing habit would use around 420GB a month. Most NBN plans are unlimited these days, so data usage is rarely the issue.
Do I need NBN 100 for 4K streaming?
Not necessarily. Netflix recommends 25Mbps for 4K, which NBN 25 can technically handle — but only if nothing else is competing for bandwidth at the same time. In practice, a household with more than one person online will want NBN 50 or higher. NBN 100 is worth it if multiple people are watching 4K on different screens simultaneously, or if you’re doing other bandwidth-heavy things like large file downloads at the same time.
Is 25Mbps enough for Netflix?
Yes, for a single 4K stream. For one or two people watching on a single screen, NBN 25 handles Netflix without issues. If you’ve got multiple screens or people gaming and streaming at the same time, you’ll want more headroom. See our guide on which NBN speed tier you actually need.
Can satellite internet handle Netflix streaming?
Starlink can handle it easily — with 80–140Mbps typical download speeds, you can run multiple 4K streams with room to spare. NBN Sky Muster is more limited: standard plans run at 12–25Mbps, which works for one HD stream but 4K may struggle. Sky Muster also has data caps on some plans, which could become a problem if you stream heavily. See our Starlink vs Sky Muster comparison for more detail.
Further Reading
If you’re trying to sort out your internet setup for streaming, these articles are worth a look:
- Which NBN speed do I need?
- 10 cheapest unlimited NBN plans in Australia (2026)
- Best NBN plans for gaming in Australia
- How to properly test your broadband speed
- The ultimate guide to the NBN
Compare NBN Plans
Ready to find a better deal? Our best NBN plans page is updated monthly with the most competitive offers from Australian providers. You can also use our plan finder to get a personalised recommendation based on your household size and usage, or compare providers head-to-head to see how they stack up on price and customer ratings.
