A lot of people struggle with slow internet connections but don’t particularly understand the details of why and hence, have trouble figuring out their actual internet speed.
Knowing how internet speeds work will enable you to understand which internet plans are best for you. If you use the internet a lot or have multiple devices connected at the same time, you may need to consider getting an upgrade. But the more important detail is what you actually use it for.
If it’s for streaming music and browsing online, then you should be good with just 15 Mbps, but if you need to download large files regularly, then something like that wouldn’t be enough. 200 or more Mbps would be more appropriate, depending on your details.
What is Internet Speed?
Whenever someone mentions internet speed, they usually mean 2 things – the download speed and the upload speed.
Download speeds are what most people give priority to since these people usually are recipients of things while on the other hand, some people focus on the upload speed since they usually need it for gaming and streaming. For instance, people like professional YouTubers or online vloggers need to upload a lot of content so their priority would be a higher upload speed.
Now that you have an understanding of what internet speed is, prioritize a speed that would suit you best. If you binge-watch a lot of Netflix shows, then you’d need at least 25 Mbps since that is the recommended bandwidth (the range of frequencies). You’ll need to analyze what you spend your time on most, in order to get the most efficient internet plan.
Simply saying that you need a fast internet connection isn’t enough since it’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of solution, and we encourage you to explore the internet plans and their details, to see which one would be best for you.
How Much Internet Do You Use?
For the sake of this narrative, let’s separate all internet users into 3 different categories – light users, average users, and finally, heavy users.
Light internet users mainly use Wi-Fi for minor social media activities and browsing; maybe even for sending and receiving mail. Needless to say, their usage time is quite low.
Whereas average users may spend their free time streaming music and HD videos online. There may be the occasional gaming session or two, but it is not that common.
Moving on to the heavy users, people in this category spend the majority, or at least a big chunk of their time online, playing high-intensity games, video streaming, downloading large files, and even watching HD videos for hours.
Now that you’ve placed yourself in a category, you can then determine which internet plan is the ideal one – you also need to keep in mind that the number of people using the internet, for their unique means, also affects the connection greatly. If you’re a light user and were considering getting a plan accordingly, but your sibling happens to be a very heavy user, that will hinder your internet speed and experience.
The Options
Here is where you can find the best deals for the best prices, according to your location! Simply enter your area’s ZIP code in the search bar and select what you’d like to see plans for, whether that’s internet, cable TV, or phone.
Xfinity has an internet plan for $55 per month and it comes with 400 Mbps for download speed. There is a further two-year price guarantee and you get access to unlimited data as well!
At almost the same price, at $49.99, Spectrum Internet offers a download speed of up to 300 Mbps, with free internet equipment. Furthermore, there’s no need for contracts and you won’t receive a cancelation fee if you do choose to terminate the year-long plan.
Another option is Cox Internet which allows you 250 Mbps in download speeds and a huge monthly data package – all for $59.99. What’s more, is that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee so if you’re not fully satisfied with your plan, rest assured you’ll get all your money back!
You can also choose to pair up your internet plan with a TV or a phone plan, with all these options. Getting all services from the same platform simplifies the whole payment process and you can easily reach out to any service provider’s customer support team to ask for further assistance and details.
In Conclusion
Instead of going to different providers’ websites and viewing their options and prices, it’s much easier to see all the options available on the market, in one place. That way, it’s easier to compare not just the prices, but also the benefits. You can select whichever plan you feel is providing the best value at a reasonable amount.
