Questions To Ask Your Family Before Subscribing To A Home Internet Package
Are you moving to a new home and need to subscribe to an Internet service, but actually have options of multiple companies to pick from? If so, you'll need to make sure that you pick the best one for you. Here are a few questions you should ask your family to better understand your Internet needs.
Does Anyone Play Online Games?
If anybody in your household plays online games, then they are well aware of how important it is to have low ping times. This is the latency between when they press a button and when that command is received by the server they are playing on over the Internet. Many cable or fiber Internet service providers have very good ping times that allow people to play games without delays. However, satellite or DSL internet may have slow ping times that make things difficult.
How Much Data Do You Use?
You will also need to get a handle on how much data your family uses each month because some providers enforce data caps. This limits you to how many gigabytes of data you can use each month before your speeds are lowered or you are charged for an additional bucket of data.
Not sure how much data you use? It is worth checking with your current ISP to see if they track your data usage from month to month. Your router or modem may also be tracking this information since all data goes through these devices. It is also possible to install bandwidth monitors on your devices that track how much data is sent and received.
Do You Need To Upload Quickly?
Be aware that some Internet providers will limit how fast you can upload data, even if the download speeds are much faster. This is common with cable Internet connections that have a limited amount of bandwidth reserved specifically for uploading. You'll often find that fiber Internet will match the upload speeds to your download speeds, offering you faster upload speeds than what is theoretically possible with other Internet services.
Does Anybody Know How To Install The Equipment?
Some Internet providers will allow you to save some money by performing the installation yourself. If there is a cable already installed in your home, it may be as simple as plugging in the modem and registering it. You may need to run a longer cable if you want your modem to be located in a different location. If someone knows how to do this, then you can save money on the Internet installation by doing it yourself.
For more information about home internet services, contact a local provider.