4 Questions To Find The Best Internet Plan For Your Household
Are you ready to buy a new internet plan but are confused about the often confusing terminology you can find on many websites? Unfortunately, providers often hit one of two extremes when describing their service plans: too technical to easily understand or too watered down to provide good information for comparison.
Cutting through the technical jargon and marketing requires understanding a bit about your home's specific needs. These four questions will help you assess your home internet requirements to find the service that's best for you.
1. Do Multiple Family Members Use the Internet at Once?
Your internet plan provides a fixed maximum of bandwidth, typically expressed as megabits per second or Mbps. If you have multiple devices using the connection at once, they all draw from this theoretical maximum. In other words, you'd need at least 50Mbps of speed to provide for two devices that each use 25Mbps a piece.
When you have a whole family using the internet, you'll want to consider your worst-case scenario to decide on a plan that meets your needs. Think about every family member that might want to use the connection, and don't forget about internet-connected TVs, phones, or tablets.
2. Do You Rely on Video Streaming?
Your regular TV service doesn't use up your bandwidth, but streaming services do. Top-quality streaming can require up to 25Mbps, and each device that's simultaneously streaming will need this much bandwidth. If you've got multiple 4k televisions that are all streaming at once, you'll want to make sure your plan provides sufficient bandwidth to cover them all.
3. Do You Work From Home or Have a Remote Schooled Child?
Home internet plans include two bandwidth values: download (or downstream) and upload (or upstream). Most activities rely on the downstream speed since this dictates how quickly data reaches you. However, video conferencing systems require upstream bandwidth since you're setting your video data to a central server or another user.
If you use these services, you'll want to make sure your plan provides sufficient upstream bandwidth for a smooth experience. If in doubt, check your specific teleconferencing software for a recommended upload speed. Remember that you'll still need enough downstream bandwidth since you're also downloading video from other users.
4. Do You Need WiFi Hardware?
Finally, it's worth considering if you need your ISP to provide and set up WiFi hardware. If you're relatively tech-savvy, then you can buy your own router and manage it yourself. On the other hand, you may not want to deal with this extra hassle if you aren't comfortable with computer networking. In these cases, look for plans that include WiFi routers or integrated modem/router devices.
Contact a local home internet service to learn more.
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