To have download speeds up to 10 Gbps, there are unique requirements for your desktop or laptop's operating system (OS), processor, memory, Ethernet connectivity and the browser you use.
For information on the minimum system requirements needed for Xfinity Internet service, please see our system recommendations to run Xfinity Internet service.
OS, processor, and memory requirements
Your desktop or laptop must be running Windows 10 (64-bit) or Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer. Visit the Microsoft Windows lifecycle fact sheet or Mac OS X support overview for their latest operating system information.
Additionally, your desktop or laptop needs a Quad-Core Intel Core i7 (or faster) processor and requires a solid-state drive (SSD).
Ethernet connectivity requirements
For maximum speeds of 1 Gbps, your desktop or laptop will need a 1G copper Ethernet interface and a 1G Ethernet adapter. These will need to be paired with a Cat5e (or better) Ethernet cable.
For maximum speeds of 10 Gbps on a single computer, you'll need the following:
- A desktop computer with available PCIe expansion slot.
- A 10G PCIe network interface controller (NIC) adapter with small form-factor pluggable (SFP) cage.
- A 10G enhanced, 850 nm multimode fiber (MMF), small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.
- A multimode fiber (MMF) LC patch cable.
To achieve maximum speeds of 10 Gbps on more than one of your devices connected to the fiber handoff, you will need a compatible router or firewall with throughput of 10 Gbps (or greater) along with the following:
- A 10G router or firewall.
- A 10G 850 nm multimode fiber (MMF), small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.
- All additional equipment from the single computer requirements for each connected computer to reach 10 Gbps from the router or firewall. The actual number of devices and configurations supported varies by the brand and model of the router or firewall.
Browser requirements
You'll also need to use one of the following browsers to help realize speeds up to 10 Gbps: Google Chrome 40.0.2403, Microsoft Edge (64-bit), Mozilla Firefox 40.0.3 (64-bit), Safari 6.2.8 or newer. For more information about different browsers or to download a new one, visit whatsmybrowser.org.
Speed tips
If you're not experiencing the speeds you expect, remember to test using a hardwired connection to the internet. Also, make sure you are not in the process of downloading or uploading anything, close all programs using the internet and power off any other devices that are sharing your home network.
For the best performance, contact your device manufacturer or software provider to learn about required upgrades, configuration updates or to find troubleshooting guides.
For more information on wired speeds, check out the FAQs under My Results and Speed Factors on our Speed Test site.
For wireless connections, you can improve your WiFi speed by positioning your wireless gateway centrally in order for it to broadcast its strongest signal. See these tips on improving your WiFi network performance for more details.