--- title: Download Speed: Getting Data to You | High Desert Internet url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/download-speed/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - Download speed # Download speed Download speed measures how quickly pages, video, music and files reach you. It is the number most providers put first and the one most households use most. A router and a laptop. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is download speed? Everything you pull in counts: a web page, a movie, an app update, a photo from a family text. It is measured in [Mbps](https://hdiss.net/glossary/mbps/) and, on a plan, printed before the upload figure, as in "up to 500 / 200." The FCC's Household Broadband Guide ties recommended download levels to activities, from light browsing to several people streaming video at the same time, and treats downloads as the primary need in most homes. The FCC's current benchmark for advanced service is 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up, as restated in its 2026 Section 706 Report. ## How does it read on High Desert plans? Bronze runs at up to 500 Mbps down, Silver at up to 800 and Gold at up to 1 Gig, priced at $50, $75 and $99 a month (hdiss.net, read 10/15/26). Each is a ceiling. The actual result depends on the radio path, how busy the network is, the router, the cable and the device you test on. Wi-Fi often shows less than a wired test. Tower-based service shares capacity among customers, as every shared network does, which is part of why the plans are stated as "up to." Read more at ["up to" speed](https://hdiss.net/glossary/up-to-speed/). ## What should I do about it? To test fairly, plug one computer into the router with a cable, close other apps, run three tests, and repeat at a quiet hour and a busy one. The [speed test page](https://hdiss.net/speed-test/) lays this out. Then compare the results with the plan's ceiling and with your needs, using [this household guide](https://hdiss.net/guides/how-much-speed-does-a-household-need/). If results sit far below what the plan led you to expect, call 775-575-9593 and report the times and the numbers. The support team can look at the link. If you are shopping, [Check your address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/) to have the path to a tower looked at. ### Sources - [fcc.gov/consumers/guides/household-broadband-guide](https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/household-broadband-guide) (FCC Household Broadband Guide) - [docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-55A1.pdf](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-55A1.pdf) (FCC 2026 Section 706 Report, para. 16 benchmark, read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (plan cards, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [Upload speed](https://hdiss.net/glossary/upload-speed/) - [Mbps](https://hdiss.net/glossary/mbps/) - ["Up to" speed](https://hdiss.net/glossary/up-to-speed/) - [Speed test](https://hdiss.net/speed-test/) - [Internet plans](https://hdiss.net/internet-plans/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)