Will Netflix Work on 128 Kbps?

The faster your connection, the better your picture quality will be. For DVD-quality video and audio, you need a connection providing at least 3.0 Mbps. 128k won't get you any streaming video, not even YouTube in realtime (which is usually around 700 kbps), Netflix is an absolute impossibility.

Is 128 kbps fast enough for streaming?

It's very slow. You can do virtually anything with 128 kbps. It's just going to take a long time. Web browsing and mail will be perfectly fine with this connection.

Is 128 kbps good enough?

128 kbps is not fast, but over good carrier technology, it's serviceable for very light use. You wouldn't stream video over it, but web browsing, maps, and so forth would remain usable, if slow. You certainly don't want anything happening in the background, so disable automatic updates on all your devices first.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.