You’ve moved to a new state, city, or neighborhood and want to get a new net connection installed at your home. You will want the best one, right? One cannot imagine a life without an online connection as it has become a hub that interconnects everything. Various factors come into consideration while considering getting new internet connectivity for your home.
However, the first thing to look for before anything else is the available net providers in your area. It is most likely that the internet service provider you had a subscription with previously is not available in the new place you have just moved to.
This leaves very little window for US residents to subscribe to the net service of their choice. For instance, if a certain service is available in Chicago, it may not be available in Virginia, and vice versa. You can check out the official website of your previous ISP to see in which US states it’s available.
To Spectrum Charlotte catering perfectly to your needs is more complicated than you think. However, it is still necessary to make the best decision. You must consider your online needs, and depending on that, select the suitable home internet package. Taking into account things like the number of users in the house, online activities, speeds, and the price comes in handy before picking the best plan.
We hope this article helps you out with selecting the best internet in 2023.
4 Types of Broadband for Home
Before moving further, let us discuss various types of broadband to understand them better. This way you will be able to make an educated decision regarding what broadband service will be best suited for your online needs.
Cable Internet – Widely Available
Most US residents access online connectivity from their cable as it is less hassle. The same coaxial cords that bring TV to the house are responsible to bring the internet as well.
The speeds can indeed vary depending on where you live and multiple other factors. However, the typical speed on the cord can range anywhere between 3 Mbps to 100+ Mbps.
Furthermore, the web access is relatively easy to install. If you have a TV connection, you can have net access added with just a single call. Also, you will be saving good money as well, at least for the first few months.
Cord internet has some downsides as well. According to many cable customers, the chat support is pretty lousy. You can be put on hold for a long while each time you have any query or question.
Direct Subscriber Line (DSL) – Reliable and Cost-Effective
Direct Subscriber Line is the form of internet that is delivered over your phone line. However, it’s not dial-up. It is slower than a majority of cable connections, but you can still stream Netflix, play online games, and conduct all typical online activities on it.
The direct subscriber line is characterized into two types, Asymmetrical (ADSL) and Symmetric (SDSL). With this, you get a pretty fast download speed but the upload speed is slow. However, SDSL offers equal download and upload speeds.
Its internet velocities can vary based on how far you are from the source (service provider). If you are close, the range will be good and if you are at a good distance, the speeds get fluctuate.
On a positive note, DSL is quite cost-effective for those on a tight budget. You can subscribe to it without breaking the bank. If you want a proper connection for streaming movies and surfing the web, then DSL is a perfect choice.
Satellite – Costly but Easily Available
When it comes to Satellite networking, you don’t have to deal with cable lines, telephone lines, and any other wires going into your house. The internet is provided to your house with a small satellite set up at your house. The speeds can range between 15 Mbps and 3 Mbps download and upload respectively.
You can find satellite net at most places in the US, thanks to its easy availability. So, if most internet providers don’t cover your area, the satellite can help you save the day. Although it is more costly than cable and DSL.
Fiber Optic Internet – Extremely Fast
The Fiber optic internet implements light-speed technology for delivering faster net than any other gateway mentioned above. The network of fiber optics sends the oscillations of light down through the narrow glass strands. Such oscillations travel at 186000 miles/sec all the way to your house, where they are converted to electrical pulses to become readable.
This results in FIOS being extremely fast. How fast? Well, it’s capable of providing 300 Mbps download speed and 65 Mbps upload speed. If you are someone who’s looking for ridiculously fast internet access, go for fiber optic cables.
Unfortunately, Fiber optic net services are not available all over the US. You will most likely find this latest technology in metro areas or well-served states. States with more rural areas or underserved areas get most likely do not have this option available. However, if it’s not available where you live, you can wait for it to officially come there, but it might take its sweet time.
Choosing the Best Home Internet Service
If you decide to go with the absolute fast and the most reliable internet, you will have to choose fiber optic. However, due to its availability in limited states only, many Americans cannot get their hands on it.
It is indeed frustrating to accept the reality that you have to choose the net service provider from the limited options available in your area. If you require an internet connection in your house for basic tasks, such as sending and receiving emails, we don’t recommend spending money on fiber internet. You can perform these kinds of tasks with cheap internet as you will not need a lot of bandwidth.
If fiber net is not available in your area, you can subscribe to DSL or cable. Big cities often have more net options from which you can choose as compared to small cities.
Consider These Factors While Selecting an Internet Service Provider
After getting to know what internet options are available in the area of your residence, you can select the net plan based on your preference. Every connectivity provider offers various net planning from which you can choose.
It is helpful to consider some major aspects to choose the best connection. Below we have discussed some of them to help you out.
Download Speeds
It is crucial to see what download speeds you will be getting after subscribing to a particular internet plan. Downloading matters a lot when activities such as live streaming online, downloading different movies, or playing heavy online games are involved.
Such activities require more download speeds, which provide a flawless user experience. If the download rates are slow, your online video streaming becomes a buffer. Moreover, you can see the connection drop multiple times a day. This is why for a smooth experience; good download rates are a necessity.
Upload Speeds
If you deal with cloud-based services daily, you should consider getting internet with good upload rates. Anyone uploading tons of data online will always require fast upload speeds.
This is why DSL offers asymmetrical and symmetrical services so that you are not paying for upload speeds that you do not necessarily need.
Data Limits
If you have more people in your house that use the net daily for various reasons, you might want a plan with a larger information limit. The ISPs may throttle your connection if you consume a lot of data and have neared the limit. This can ruin the internet experience, which you don’t need, right? The best thing to avoid being in this situation is to get a plan that offers an extensive storage limit, or one that does not impose any data caps at all.
Below we have mentioned how you can reduce your net usage.
Zombie Devices
No, these devices won’t bite you like literal zombies. However, they will eat your data all day long even if they are running in the background, without your knowledge. You may not even know that they are consuming a lot of data which gradually eats up all of your allowances.
Some of the common zombie devices are security cameras, Smart TVs, smartwatches, and all other smart appliances. To put it simply, anything that is connected to the net always be consuming the net. However, ensuring to disconnect such devices from the internet when they are in an idle state helps you save your data.
High-Definition Picture Quality
An HD picture quality always requires more data. This is another reason why your cap can reach its limit in no time. So the next time you stream in 2K or 4K, and wonder why your internet acts lousy, that’s the reason. If you can make do with lower resolutions, stick to that!
Tips to Speed up Your Internet Connection
After subscribing to the net plan of your choice, if it does not offer good speeds, you can have a look at the tips to speed things up. Without any further ado, let us get started.
Reposition Your Router
Your router placed far away from your room won’t help – we recommend you place it inside your room for much better and strong signals. However, if many people use the same Wi-Fi in the house, you should ensure that the router is placed in the center of the house.
Use an Ethernet Cable
The Ethernet cord leaving from your router and connecting to your laptop or computer provides fast internet speed. It is always better than a wireless connection as there is no over-the-air resistance at all. We suggest you have your devices, such as computers, smart TV, and gaming consoles connected with an Ethernet cable instead of relying on Wi-Fi signals.
Upgrade Your Router
Sometimes outdated equipment, such as routers can cause the internet not to work at its fullest. If your router is a few years old, maybe it’s time for you to consider having it replaced. Modern routers carry the latest Wi-Fi protocols and new technology. New routers are also strong enough to enable you to connect more devices to it simultaneously without compromising speeds.
Consider Getting a Different Internet Service Provider
Sometimes, it is your ISP that you need to replace. You should consider changing your network provider and go for the one that offers fast speeds and is quite cost-effective. For instance, Smithville Internet has been getting some positive reviews lately, so you can consider it if it’s available in your area.
Wrapping Up!
It does not matter if you move to a new state or neighborhood, a reliable wide web will always be necessary. Be it FiOS, DSL, or cable connection, ensure that it provides good speeds and excellent customer support, just like Smithville customer service to help you with whatever query you might have. We hope this article was of great help to you with deciding what type of internet you should choose.
Samara is someone who provides the best and comprehensive information for almost all the topics. Her researching skills are tremendous and she loves to read and explore the extra normal topics and share it with others also.
