Want a Fast and Reliable Internet Connection? Here’s What to Look For

Featured article by Peter Gabriel, Independent Technology Author

Technological innovations paved the way for various information, products, and services to be available online. However, the key to accessing all these is having a fast and reliable internet connection. If you are in the hunt for the best deal that internet service providers (ISPs) can give you, below are some of the things that you need to look for.

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Service Type

One of the primary things that you should look for if you want a fast and reliable internet connection is the service type utilized by the ISP. The service or connection type is the means that providers use to get the internet service into your home. There are typically four service types offered nowadays and this includes digital subscriber line (DSL), cable and satellite internet, as well as fiber-optic service. A DSL service type proves to be consistent and among the rest of the connection types, this is also the cheapest. The drawback of this service perhaps is that it is relatively the slowest compared to the other connection types. As a standard service, a DSL can offer a high speed from time to time but it is most likely that the quality and the reliability of the connection suffer. If you are located within the 18000-ft radius from the digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) location, you can benefit well from this service.

Cable internet is one of the service types that is both fast and vastly available in different areas. However, when there is a significant number of users online, particularly during peak hours, the speed of the connection may suffer. Nevertheless, the major players in the cable TV and internet space offer this type of connection to their patrons such that those who need an immediate internet connection can benefit from this service. Other ISPs use satellite internet, which is very beneficial for those living in rural areas that are not reached by cable internet service. For this reason, a satellite internet connection may be slightly more expensive, even if the internet connection sometimes falters. There are even instances wherein particular satellite services are notorious for lagging excessively.

On the other hand, some ISPs now offer high availability services such as fiber-optic connections. This service offers an incredibly fast and effective internet connection. For this reason, new Verizon Fios plans, as well as other prominent ISPs offer fiber optic connections with a free set up under a year of the lock-in period. While this is a state-of-the-art high speed connection that is beneficial to gamers and corporations, it is only available in certain areas because it is a fairly new technology.

Signing up with various Internet Service Providers can be expensive but those who are unable to afford internet services can get online through free government internet for low-income program.

Reliability

Before delving into the services of a particular ISP, make sure to research their uptime commitments in your area. This will give you a good idea of whether they are able to keep their promises in terms of delivering reliable internet connection, otherwise, you would have to rely on your back up connection most of the time. Also scrutinize whether they reflect real and measurable uptime targets in their service level agreement (SLA), as well as on how they will address the issues particularly when their service fails.

* Download  and Upload Speed

You also need to assess the download and upload speed promised by the ISP in order to ensure that you will have a fast and reliable internet connection. More often than not, the speed marketed is not the exact speed you get once the setup is installed in your home or office. Thus, it will help to explore reviews and feedback from the previous customers to have a good idea of the actual download and upload speed of the connection. In addition to this, it will also help to assess the main purpose of your internet use. For instance, if you will use it primarily to stream your favorite movies or TV shows, then consider an ISP that promises a download speed of at least 5Mbps. On the other hand, if you need a connection for high definition video calls, then look for a provider who can offer at least 2Mbps upload speed. Your main purpose in having an internet connection installed will determine the download and upload speed you need, such that you will not end up paying more for an internet speed that is not really necessary.

Equipment

Apart from the connection service, you also need to evaluate the equipment quality and flexibility that an ISP can give. Research on the types of modems that are known to fail often, as well as those that are more effective. If you are concerned about your safety, there are modems with built-in firewalls offering you certain security as you are browsing through the internet. Usually, ISPs don’t really offer a variety of modems for you to choose from, rather, they install only the modems that they support. Hence, it will be best to inquire about the type of modem that they use beforehand.

Technical Support

There are instances wherein you will run into some issues regarding your internet connection and this can be attributed to a variety of factors. The important thing is that whenever you do, there is a technical support team from the ISP that can help you. They will be able to walk you through the process of initial isolation to determine the root cause of your problem, or they can even pay you a visit to have your set up checked. You will have a good idea regarding the kind of technical support team of an ISP based on the feedback from their previous and current customers.

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If you want a fast and reliable internet connection, make sure to verify the service type that the ISP offers. Also keep in mind to check both the download and upload speed, as well as the reliability and availability of the service. It doesn’t end there though because you also need to evaluate the equipment that they offer, as well as whether they have superb technical support which proves to be helpful in case you run into any issues after installation. But the fact remains that it all boils down into the cost because as they say, you will get what you pay for. Thus, it is important to explore different plans and their inclusions to get the best value for your money.