What You Need To Know About Internet Speeds

What you need to know about Internet Speeds

by Jenna Gabat — 4 years ago in Development 3 min. read
2720

Does “super-fast fiber internet,” “unlimited data,” and all other marketing terms in ISP advertisements appeal to you but have no idea what they mean? We are here to explain everything you need to know in choosing the right broadband internet plan.

Types of internet connection

One of the factors that you have to consider is the type of internet connection that your ISP utilizes. If the term “fiber” charms you, then that is probably because you often see it associated with glowing cables and flash speeds. Although this association may seem exaggerated, fiber internet is indeed fast.

In fact, it is the fastest and most reliable type of connection, capable of transmitting a lot of information in a short time. But fiber is stamped by other types of connection when it comes to availability. Your next best option to fiber is either cable or DSL internet, and your last resort would be satellite internet or dial-up connections.

Download and upload speeds

Download and upload speeds refer to how fast you can get the information you need to and from and the internet. And we all want to transmit this information as fast as possible, so what we want is the fastest speed.

But what is considered the fastest speed? Well, to make it easier for you to understand, take note that speeds are measured in terms of megabits per second (Mbps). The higher the Mbps, the better.

If you want something that fits both the criteria for fast speed and affordability, we recommend 100 Mbps speed plans. With this speed, you can download a one-hour video file in more or less 5 minutes.

If you don’t really care about the prize and just want the fastest internet speed, we recommend 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps speed plans where you can download the same one-hour video in just over 30 seconds.

While we usually use the internet for downloading or getting stuff from the internet, we also want a plan with high upload speeds. We recommend internet plans with at least 3 Mbps of upload speed. With this speed, you can smoothly participate in a Zoom video call.

Data caps

Data caps refer to the limit that your ISP imposes on how much you can download or upload. If you want something with no data caps, then we recommend unlimited internet plans. Although most of these plans cost a hefty amount of money, there is no limit on how much you download, and you won’t have to pay additional charges.

If you opt to avail of a plan with data caps, the usual limit is 1 TB, which is actually not a bad deal. This is unless there are a lot of people or devices connected to your network. Of course, going over this limit would result in additional charges, so you have to be mindful of your consumption.

How much speed do you really need?

In determining the internet speed that fits your need, you have to consider how many people and devices are connected to your network.

For example, if there are only 1 to 3 persons in your household who use the internet for web browsing and watching videos, then you need a plan with at least 25-100 Mbps.

For households with 3 to 5 persons that do regular video calls, online gaming, and 4K video streaming, the optimum internet speed would be 100-300 Mbps. If there are more than 5 persons in your household who do all sorts of heavy internet usage, we recommend that you get plans with 300–1,000+ Mbps of speed.

What ISP offers the best internet plan?

Below is a table of the plans offered by some ISPs along with their price points:

Provider Price Download Speed Upload Speed
Verizon $39.99-$79.99/month 200-940 Mbps 200-880 Mbps
Optimum $39.99-$69.99/month 300-1,000 Mbps 35-940 Mbps
AT&T $35.00-$60.00/month 1200-940 Mbps 20-940 Mbps
Xfinity $20.00-$299.95/month 25-2,000 Mbps 2-35 Mbps
RCN $19.99-$59.99/month 10-940 Mbps 10-20 Mbps
Jenna Gabat

Jenna Gabat is a passionate tech-savvy mama blogger from annelledigital.com and planetdish.com. She loves writing about SEO, Marketing, technology, gadgets, and reaction blogs for movies. She is an avid traveler and a fan of different cultures and beliefs, immersing in various rural regions to contribute a voice to the oppressed by means of raising social awareness and participation in the community.

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