Worried about how much data those constant Zoom meetings and catch-ups are using? Here's an easy way to calculate your video conferencing data consumption.
The amount of data Zoom uses depends on how many people are in the call and the video quality you're using. Keep in mind that 1080p video settings are only available to users with an Enterprise licence.
For a 1:1 Zoom meeting, you'll spend somewhere between 540MB and 1.62GB per hour (9MB to 27MB per minute), depending on the quality of your video being streamed.
| Video quality | Download | Upload | Total data usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 270MB/hr | 270MB/hr | 540MB/hr |
| 720p | 540MB/hr | 540MB/hr | 1.08GB/hr |
| 1080p | 810MB/hr | 810MB/hr | 1.62GB/hr |
For a group Zoom meeting, you'll spend somewhere between 810MB and 2.4GB per hour (13.5MB to 40MB per minute), depending on the quality of your video being streamed. Even on lower video settings, your data use will increase the more people are taking part in the meeting.
| Video quality | Download | Upload | Total data usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 450MB/hr | 360MB/hr | 810MB/hr |
| 720p | 675MB/hr | 675MB/hr | 1.35GB/hr |
| 1080p | 1.2GB/hr | 1.2GB/hr | 2.4GB/hr |
As a point of reference, you'd use about 1GB an hour if you streamed Netflix on standard quality or 3GB an hour if you're streaming in HD. If you're in a 1:1 meeting, you'd definitely use less data over an hour on Zoom, but your data usage can easily spike when you're in a group Zoom.
Is your internet unreliable?
23% of people rarely get buffering, according to our consumer sentiment tracker (November 2023). NSW users experience the highest number of daily issues (17%) compared to South Australia and Tasmania (14%).
The Internet connection you'll need for a smooth Zoom experience will depend on how often you use it and how many people are online at the same time. If you have two or more people in the house working from home simultaneously, you'll likely want an NBN50 plan for a good connection.
If you're on mobile data, your Zoom connection and quality will be reduced to match your connection type. Overall, it should use less data than on a desktop, although mobile data caps tend to be much lower than home Internet plans. Watch out for excessive data consumption, especially in group calls.
Luckily, most NBN plans come with unlimited data so if you're not already on an unlimited plan, check out the range below.
WiFi plans come with a modem so you can get connected to the Internet at home ASAP. Compare plans here.
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