Choosing an internet provider is an incredibly important part of any business and an essential part of every home. Internet providers vary in services, quality and price, which is why we have compiled a list of everything you need to know about how to choose your internet provider.
Type of Internet
The first choice you need to make is the type of internet you want to use. Your option of wireless internet or cable internet versus fiber optic internet is first of all determined by whether there is a provider in your area. Once you know your providers, then you can start weighing the differences in the details.
Good – Cable Internet
Using a coaxial cable, the internet is transmitted through copper wires. This means the quality of the internet depends on the copper wiring that was installed. Since cable internet is already available in most homes, activation is quick and simple.
Better – Wireless Internet
Wireless internet uses radio signals that are transmitted from fixed locations to allow access to the internet. There are some pros and cons to fixed wireless internet. Here are just a few of them:
Pros:
- No wires are needed
- Provides miles of coverage in rural areas
- No caps in data
Cons:
- Signal may be weakened or disrupted by the weather
- Service can be spotty due to terrain and obstacles
Best – Fiber Internet
Fiber optic internet tends to be the top-performing service (if it’s available in your area). The reason for this is that it doesn’t have to rely on electricity passing through copper wires, but sends beams of light through optical fibers instead. This eliminates many issues that are inherent with wires, meaning that the internet can be amazingly fast and reliable.
Some of the many other benefits of fiber internet are that it:
- Connects to cloud storage
- Offers higher bandwidth
- Has improved security
- Gives a stronger signal strength
Speed
What are your needs for speed? For home internet, do you have a lot of people who are constantly trying to stream online videos, play online games, or browse social media? If so, you will want to look at getting internet that boasts speeds above 250Mbps. This amount will allow everyone to do all of these activities with minimal latency (lag), buffering, or disconnecting. Fiber internet is the best choice here as it offers speeds of up to a staggering 10000Mbps.
If you have only 1 or 2 people in your home who use the internet simultaneously, then getting internet with a speed of about 100Mbps should be sufficient (in most cases). Both cable and wireless internet can offer this.
The same speed suggestions above apply to business internet uses.
Cost
Overall, the variations in cost between the different types of internet have been decreasing as time goes on, but each type of internet connection will still vary in cost depending on your specific area. However, fixed wireless internet tends to be the most expensive of all the options.
Generally, the higher the bandwidth you require, the more it will cost. The least expensive option is cable internet. Though fiber internet access fees do cost more per month, when you consider how much time you could be wasting on lower-quality internet that stalls or quits when you’re trying to work, the costs tend to balance out. This is especially true since fiber internet gives you greater capabilities for scaling your business, increasing cloud data storage, allowing for high-def teleconferencing, and more.
Time to Decide
Now that you have all the information about how to choose an internet provider, it’s time to make a decision. Based on all the above factors, you should be able to determine what is needed and wanted for your particular business or home situation.
If you’re interested in high-speed, high-quality internet, FirstDigital has ranked #1 in the Best in State award for telecommunication for three years and we have all the services you need for streaming, downloading, uploading, browsing, playing, and more.
Check out the FirstDigital Networks internet services package deals offered in your area!