What internet speed does a dental office need?

Key facts

Why do the vendor numbers differ so much?

They measure different things. Dentrix Ascend's figure assumes 10 logins at one location at the same time (Dentrix Ascend). Curve's is a minimum for the "average practice (1-10 users)" and warns you may need more if you share bandwidth with other tenants or move large files (Curve). Open Dental Cloud gives a flat 20/10 Mbps (Open Dental).

None of these numbers includes everything else on the line. Treat them as the floor for the practice software alone.

What else uses the connection?

In a typical office, all of these share the same line:

• Practice software: heavy for cloud PMS, light for an on-site server
• Imaging: uploads to cloud imaging or labs, and downloads of large CBCT studies
• Off-site backups: often scheduled overnight, but initial seeding can take days
• VoIP phones: sensitive to jitter and latency, not just raw speed
• Card terminals, e-claims, eligibility checks, patient texting
• Guest Wi-Fi and waiting-room TVs: cap these so they can't starve clinical traffic
• Remote access and vendor support sessions

Upload speed is the number most practices underestimate. Cloud PMS, image uploads and off-site backups all push data out. Cable plans are often fast down and slow up, while fiber is often symmetric. Check the upload figure on any quote.

How do I size it for my practice?

1. Start from your PMS vendor's published minimum (table above).
2. Scale for concurrent users. Dentrix Ascend's 50/10 assumes 10 simultaneous logins (Dentrix Ascend).
3. Add headroom for imaging uploads and off-site backup.
4. Add VoIP. Ask your phone vendor for its per-call figure.
5. Put guest Wi-Fi on its own capped network (HHS 405(d) HICP recommends separating guest networks).

Do I really need a second internet line?

If you run cloud practice software, yes. With no local server, the internet becomes the single point of failure (FloorStack). When the line drops, so do the schedule, charting, claims and often the phones and card payments (FloorStack).

Common failover options:

A firewall that supports dual WAN switches over automatically. Test it by unplugging the primary line on a slow afternoon.

Does an on-site server practice still need fast internet?

Less, but still more than you'd think. Open Dental calls a high-speed connection a requirement for service and updates (Open Dental). Off-site backups, e-claims, cloud email, patient communication and remote support all depend on it.

To turn this into a drawing your low-voltage contractor can bid, the free network & IT plan generator (coming soon) is planned to produce drops, rack, Wi-Fi and VLAN plans from your floor plan.

How should remote access work over that connection?

Securely. CISA's ransomware guide says not to expose services such as remote desktop protocol (RDP) on the web, and to require MFA on all VPN connections (CISA #StopRansomware Guide). If a doctor wants to chart from home, that should go through a VPN or the vendor's secured remote tool with MFA, never an open port.

What does HIPAA have to do with internet uptime?

More than people expect. The Security Rule's contingency plan standard requires a data backup plan, a disaster recovery plan and an emergency mode operation plan, so the practice can keep protecting ePHI during an emergency (45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)). For a cloud-PMS office, a dead internet line is exactly that kind of emergency. Your plan should say what the front desk does when the line drops: which failover path takes over, how to check in patients and take payments, and who to call.

To see this on your own floor plan, FloorStack Studio (live, free plan) builds a 3D IT plan of your office with every device placed.

How does cellular failover actually work?

A gateway watches the primary line. When the line stops responding, traffic moves to a cellular modem in seconds, then moves back when the primary recovers (FloorStack). Mount the cellular antenna where the signal is strongest, often high on an exterior wall, not inside a metal rack (FloorStack). During a build-out, that means planning a cable path from the rack to an exterior wall before the walls close.

What should I ask an internet provider before signing?

• Guaranteed upload speed, not just "up to" download
• Static IP availability, if your vendors or VPN need one
• Installation lead time. In a new build-out, order early so service is live before equipment install and training.
• Whether the building already has fiber, and who controls the riser or telecom room
• The SLA: repair response time for business service

On timing in a build-out, see when to involve IT.

How FloorStack helps

In the free FloorStack Studio plan, you pick your software and internet options, and the plan builds the network around them: firewall with dual WAN when you need failover, guest Wi-Fi on its own segment, and a rack layout with room for both lines. It's part of the FloorStack dental build-out platform. Start a free Studio plan, or see the Dental Office IT Setup hub and server vs. cloud.

Free tools on the FloorStack dental build-out platform for this step: Network & IT plan generator (free tool, coming soon).

Related guides: Dental Office Network Design: A 2026 Planning Guide, Dental Office IT Setup Checklist for New Practices, How to Back Up a Dental Practice: 3-2-1 and HIPAA (2026) and Phone Systems for New Dental Practices: VoIP Planning Before Drywall.

Free tools for this step

• FloorStack Studio (live, free plan): a 3D IT plan of your office with every device placed.
• Network & IT plan generator (free tool, coming soon): turn your floor plan into a drops, rack, Wi-Fi and VLAN plan.