3 Questions To Ask When Choosing An Internet Service Provider

Blog

It's obvious that people in the United States love to use the internet. In fact, there are 290 million internet users in the U. S. alone. In 2015, nearly 75% of the entire population accessed the internet. If you have not yet started to use the internet, or you are moving and are in need of a new internet service provider, there are some questions you'll want to ask in order to get optimum internet service.

Here are three questions to ask when choosing an internet service provider.

1. What Type of Access Do You Provide?

When it comes to the internet, there are many different types of access to choose from. Here are some of the most popular types of internet access that are offered by most internet service providers:

  • Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) - information gets sent through a telephone line at high frequencies
  • Cable - signals get sent through the same cable that is used for your cable TV
  • Wireless - just as the name implies, there are no wires and the signal gets sent through a cabled connection that communicates with a modem

There are pros and cons to each of these types of internet access, and you'll want to get the type that will best suit your needs.

2. What Internet Functions Do You Offer?

When you get access to the internet, there are certain functions you may or may not need. If you are going to use the internet as a way of communicating with others, you'll want to ask them if they offer an ISP-branded e-mail address. Other functions you may want to ask about include:

  • Anti-virus program subscriptions
  • Personal webpages
  • Free Wi-Fi hotspot access

The functions you need will largely depend on what things you do on the internet. For example, if you do a lot of traveling, the free Wi-Fi hotspot access might be something you want to make sure the internet service provider offers.

3. What Speeds Do You Offer?

One of the most important things to look for when getting internet access is how fast it is. Usually, the faster the internet connection, the more expensive it is, so you'll only want to pay for the speed that you need. Here are some examples of the speed you'll need for certain internet functions:

  • 1 Mbps: surfing the web, e-mail and social media
  • 1-3 Mbps: playing games online
  • 3-4 Mbps: video streaming (standard definition)

If you're going to be using the internet to download large files, you'll need an internet speed of at least 50 Mbps.

Keep these questions in mind and contact a local internet service provider for more information. 

Share

8 January 2018

Getting Internet Service Anywhere

If you live in a big city, you probably can't imagine your life without the Internet. In addition to making it easy to check the local news, the internet also makes it possible for people to keep in touch with friends and work from home. Unfortunately, if you move to a remote area, you might not have as many internet providers to choose from. This blog is all about finding internet providers when you live out in the boonies. Read here to learn about all different types of providers, including ones who offer satellite service. This information might help you to keep your normal way of life--no matter where you move.