Making the right choice is always difficult. Add the pressure of years of commitment and you have a real decision to make. Choosing an internet service provider is a long term commitment that involves hundreds and thousands of dollars that you will have to pay over the course of the contract you sign. Therefore, choosing the right internet service provider i.e. ISP is something that will require your undivided attention.
The natural question in this regard would be how one can know which ISP would be the right fit. To answer it, and make things easier, we have compiled a list of factors you need to consider before you go ahead and make a long term commitment with an ISP.
1. Availability
You will not be able to find all the providers in your area and even if you do, chances are you may not have all the available options. It is difficult for providers to lay down infrastructure throughout the country. It requires a lot of time, money, resources and paperwork. This is why they target specific areas and make sure they offer the best available services. Similarly they cannot offer their best offers everywhere simply because the infrastructure varies and it may not be able to support speeds that you want.
2. Speed
Irrespective of whether you use your internet for gaming, streaming movies on Netflix or you simply like to surf online, you always want your internet experience to be smooth. You don’t want varying speeds or buffering while you stream your favorite movie. Go for an internet connection that offers speeds that meet your requirements. Don’t know what speeds work for you? According to FCC if you use 3 devices at a time a connection offering speeds between 12 Mbps and 25 Mbps should work for you. The more users or devices that connect, the higher the speed that would suit you.
3. Data Caps
Most providers limit your downloading to 1 TB or 1000 Gbs. This may seem like a lot but consider this: every time you visit a page you use a bit of it, with so many social media websites, who knows how many pages you visit every day. All those pages gulp up lots of Mbs which soon translate into Gbs. Add all the streaming you enjoy; an average 1080p movie consumes somewhere between 1.95 and 2.25 Gbs in an hour. One movie, one person a day, takes the consumption up to 60 Gbs and that just an average; think about all the 4K movies you enjoy. To top it all off, online gaming is another activity that consumes all the bandwidth.
Once you’ve consumed the default download limit you will have to buy some extra data or face slower speeds while in some cases this may as well translate into total disconnection. The idea is to look for a provider that gets you unlimited downloads or imposes no data caps.
4. Bundles
Choosing the best ISP takes more than speed and bandwidth. The service provider has to offer something that takes the burden off your pocket. Look out for a provider that offers more than just an internet connection. While you enjoy the internet you will also need cable and a home phone. Ideally you would want to go for a provider that offers all three services.
Form a bundle of these services and you will be potentially saving hundreds of dollars over the course of your contract. Bundling will get you amazing savings and make things easier for you.
5. Customer Support
Best of the best internet can cause problems. There is no such thing as perfection when it comes to internet service providers. The important aspect here is to identify a provider that offers comprehensive support. Take Cox customer support, for example, they offer 24/7 service around the clock which you can avail through different platforms. You would want a service that offers call support, email support and support through social media platforms. This will ensure you enjoy seamless connectivity.
