Nowadays, it’s common for homes and businesses to have an internet connection. Most people find that they can’t operate without it. For businesses it is a way to stay connected with customers, while homeowners find it useful as a source of information and entertainment.
Whether you are a business or home owner, you need Wifi for video streaming, checking your emails, and connecting to social media sites. There are many Internet Service Providers (ISP) that offer different packages.
Here’s what to consider when deciding which Wifi package is right for your needs –
How to Choose the Best Wi-Fi Package?
1. Speed
Nothing can be as frustrating as slow internet. When the speeds are slow, the communication is disrupted, and you end up wasting more time performing simple tasks.
Bandwidth determines the speed of your Wifi. It refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted over some time via an internet connection. When comparing different plans, you can choose between a fiber connection that can carry up to 1000Mbps or a Direct Subscriber line (DSL) which isn’t that fast.
There’s lots of talk about Wifi 6 technology that boosts speeds nearing 10Gbps. Theoretically, you can compare to max speeds of other routers that have 3.5Gbps for 802.11ac.
2. Cost
The best internet plan should be a balance between price and speed. If you’re running a business, it makes more sense to need more bandwidth than if you were using it for your home.
Some ISPs are more costly than others because they offer speed and reliability to serve more than 25 users. But when you need it for your home use, you don’t need that much speed, and a cheaper connection should suffice.
3. Type of Connection
There are four types of internet connections you can choose for your home or business. What sets them apart is speed, reliability, and cost. These include:
- DSL: It’s delivered via your phone but doesn’t have dial-up service. In contrast, DSL is slightly cheaper and slower than a cable connection. It’s suitable for home use to play games and can comfortably stream videos on Netflix.
- Cable connection: Cable connection is delivered from your telephone cable lines. It’s the widely available option and can deliver speeds ranging between 5 to 100+ Mbps, making it very reliable. Cable internet is easy to install and offers other services like phone and TV connection. Unfortunately, they aren’t famous for good customer support when you need them.
- Satellite connection: Covers vast regions where other ISP don’t have a reach. It’s convenient, but the costs can be through the roof. Satellite connections don’t need wires or cables running through your business or house. It uses a beam that connects to the small satellite attached to your premise.
- Fiber Optic Connection: It’s the fastest internet option because it uses light-speed technology to deliver internet to your premises. It can offer download speeds of 300+ Mbps and upload speeds of 65Mbps. However, it isn’t available in many places. The upside about Wifi 6 is that it can offer download speeds of 300+ Mbps and upload speeds of 65Mbps.
4. Reliability
For most businesses, reliability is a crucial concern as systems can’t afford to risk internet downtimes or interruptions. But with internet connections, you can’t always be sure that nothing will ever go wrong.
Most ISPs offer their customers a Service Legal Agreement (SLA), which specifies the reliability of their internet connections and customer support in case something goes wrong. Your ISP choice is an important decision, but you can always opt for another if one option doesn’t meet your needs. Some offer perks such as free installations or price package deals.
Always look for these advantages before settling for an ISP.
