There are four types of broadband available for a home. These are cable internet, direct subscriber line (DSL), Satellite, and FiOS. Let’s see which of these is best for you.
Types of Internet Plans
If you want the fastest, most reliable internet connections, then you want FiOS or fiber optic service. If your area has FiOS, then you should definitely consider going for it unless you only use the internet for email and non-data-intensive activities.
Your next best option for fast, quality internet is DSL. Next comes cable internet. Most mid-sized cities and towns have at least one DSL or cable provider. Larger cities will have a few options to choose from. But 39% of rural areas have no access to DSL or cable, and satellite is the only option for high-speed internet in such areas. But the costs of a satellite internet connection can be very high.
Once you narrow down which service you will go for based on its availability in your area, you can start looking at the best plan for you.
Choosing Plans
You want to consider download speeds, upload speeds, and data limits.
Download speed is essentially the speed at which data gets downloaded to your device. Streaming, downloading a movie, or playing an online game requires high download speeds. A faster connection will result in a higher download speed and a smoother experience. Slow download speeds cause video freezes, dropped connections, and other related hassles.
Upload speed is the total speed at which you can send data from your device to elsewhere on the internet. You will want fast upload speeds if you run a file server or use a cloud-based storage backup system. If you don’t upload a lot of data, you won’t need a high-speed connection.
Data limits are generally around 1000GB per month. It’s difficult for most users to cross these limits as they allow you to stream videos for a few hours a day, surf the internet, and download movies. But if you stream in 4K and have a lot of smart devices connected to the internet, expect your data consumption to be higher. In this case, opt for a plan that offers more data.