How to Choose the Best Internet Service Provider for Your Needs

For most commercial establishments and residences, internet connection has become a necessary utility. It is vital to have access to customer service, data management, credit processing, and so on. As for homes, people are heavily relying on the internet to meet their entertainment needs – social media, video streaming services, etc.

A solid internet service is the foundation on which all digital activities take place smoothly. As per Statista, there are currently 5.3 billion internet users worldwide. That amounts to 65.7% of the global population!

However, one is compelled to wonder what chunk of the populace indeed enjoys good internet service. Thankfully, you need not fret about that. This article will discuss five important factors that will help you choose the best internet connectivity provider.

Speed

Nobody likes to open an interesting YouTube video only to have the video spinning circle take ages to fix. A business can certainly not compromise on internet speed and bandwidth.

A good internet service provider (ISP) will ensure that the connection is fast enough for undisrupted daily use, even and especially under high demand. No matter which corner of the world you live in, internet speed is something we all wish to enjoy.

Measured in terms of bandwidth or volume of data per unit, this crucial aspect varies among areas. According to WOW!, individuals in some places are lucky enough to have access to 1.2 Gig of internet speed. Sadly, some rural businesses need to struggle with 5 to 7 Mbps connections.

If speed is of utmost importance, compare it with other homes or businesses in the area to have a realistic idea of your location’s service. Then, you can choose the highest bandwidth available.

Cost

There needs to be more than speed to make internet service good. The same must balance well with the costs involved. Let’s understand this using an example – suppose you run a small business from your home. Would you like to spend $900 every month on a dedicated fiber optic connection?

You would do well with 4G-LTE signal latency. On the other hand, huge enterprises do not care much about the price. They’re willing to pay more provided the speed and reliability aspects are intact. The same rule applies for residential purposes – a nuclear family does not need an expensive fiber optic connection.

However, a large family with over 10 adult members under a roof may need one for uninterrupted internet access. Keep your budget in mind by balancing it against your needs before investing in an ISP’s service.

Type of Connection

How fast the internet feels will depend upon the type of connection. For example – a satellite internet connection is notoriously renowned for ‘feeling’ slow. However, the speed is still respectable – 25 Mbps. The reason behind this issue can be attributed to physics.

Under a satellite internet connection, the signal travels a large distance (nearly 22,000 miles). Once the signal reaches the satellite, it contacts a network center for site location. Then, the signal returns to the satellite (covering 22,000 miles again).

This does not include the extra processing time taken on the client’s or the server’s side. In stark contrast, 4G-LTE takes just 100 milliseconds to transmit information compared to 400+ milliseconds for satellite connection. In the case of fiber optic connections, the latency is much lower (just 20 milliseconds).

Depending on how fast you’re used to or want your internet connectivity to be, choose the type of connection.

Reliability

Reliability is among the most important factors to consider, especially for businesses. Unreliable internet connectivity can easily lead to productivity issues, lost time, and increased costs. Not to mention client frustrations would also increase.

If service interruptions are a no in your books, choosing an ISP with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is best. These contracts mention how reliable one may expect the internet connection to be.

Good ISP customer service is a major factor in internet reliability since hardware issues can arise at any time. No business has several days to wait before resuming its operations. A reliable ISP will tell you how fast backup will be available and how many days it may take to ship hardware.

Finally, let’s talk about some other critical points to consider. Besides finding out whether your needs are covered within your location, you must determine the coverage offered. This tends to vary from one ISP to the other, and the best way to search is to use a postcode finder for available ISPs.

You can also look for additional services, such as static IP addresses, email services, VPN, etc. Using the above-mentioned factors, you should be able to select a dedicated ISP for your personal or business needs.