Internet is the technology without which we cannot live today. We need internet to do every little thing we do in daily life. Don’t know something/Want to check spelling? We Google. Want to make a College/School project? Search Wikipedia. Socializing again with long lost buddies? Facebook and twitter. Want to go shopping? We have eBay. There are many things on internet which can do and makes easy for us. Internet has evolved from just a text based information page in 1983 to a hub where almost all real-life activities can be performed.
To make the best of the Internet, we will need to have a good internet connection. Initially when Internet started and people were new to it, it used to come from the telephone lines dial-up connections having speed of 56kbps. From that point now we have come a far of having world’s fastest connection at 2GBPS at just 50$ per month!
These days, there are many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and their tons of broadband plans to choose from. But choosing the best plan which suits you in terms of money and usage is one of the toughest part. There are a few things which we have to keep in mind while choosing internet plan. Let’s go through all of them and choose the best!
Technology
There are few different technologies to choose from :
1. DSL: – The connection faster than dial-up which also comes from phone line. Although we don’t need to have a phone connection to have internet service. It is relatively cheaper depending on speed of internet.
2. Cable broadband: – Cable broadband is a faster type of broadband which provides speed faster than dial up connection and also sometimes faster than DSL. This comes from TV cables and will be available mostly by your local TV cable provider. Although it does not require to have TV cable connection.
If you use internet on daily basis and either of DSL or cable connection is available in your area, you should go for it.
3. Satellite broadband connection: – Satellite connection is kind of wireless connection in which internet is provided by a satellite. Connection speed and performance can get affected by whether conditions.
This connection should be used in remote areas where cable or dial up connections are not available.
4. 3G/LTE(4G)/Wi-Max: – These connections use the mobile phone frequencies and we generally use same type of internet in our mobile, i.e. 3G or 4G. But ISPs also provide these connections in form of USB modem.
Particularly useful if you are on move and in search of portable source of internet.
Speed and Price
Providers generally provide different plans according to different speeds. You should choose the best one according to your requirement as higher the speed of internet will be, higher will be price. Speeds may vary vastly from 256kbps to 20mbps in India. If you really need high speed internet then only go for it otherwise speed of 1-5mbps will suffice for daily needs such as casual downloading, YouTube, social networking and other stuff.
Data Caps
While selecting the plan, always watch for data caps by providers. A data cap is a data usage limit by provider. Once the limit is passed, they will either charge you more or may decrease the speed. Also, if you are going for plan which is limited by data, always keep track of how much data you have used.
Installation and Service
Keep a note that there’s also an installation fee charged by the ISPs. Also inquire to current users for what kind of service in terms of helping, uptime etc. is being provided by that ISP. You can inquire for,
- Is the speed promised by ISP being provided or not? Check speed at www.speedtest.net
- Were there any problems of downtime?
- Are they providing fast/Quality service?
It all depends on what your usage type is. While selecting an ISP do a thorough research on all of these, keep all circumstances in mind and then take your decision.
