Things to consider when choosing broadband Internet plans for home

How to get the right broadband package for your home? For many of us, it’s not an easy question to answer! But if you are looking for the answer to this question, then this article is something that you should not miss out on. Right below here are a few important things to consider when choosing broadband Internet plans for home, let’s check them out now!

How to get the right broadband package for your home? 

It’s no doubt that there are lots of criteria and different factors to consider when it comes to choosing a broadband package. In addition to cost, data allowances, you also need to take into account things like the number of users, the types of online activities that you and other people will engage in, and more. 

Out of all the factors that need to be taken into consideration, well, the most important aspect determining which broadband packages that you should go for might always be what type of user you are. So what type of user are you? You are a light user or a heavy user? And what else should you ask yourself when considering broadband internet plans for home? Keep scrolling down to know more!

Internet plans for home: What type of user are you?

Different users have different demands on internet bandwidth and download, upload speeds. This depends on the types of online activities you want to engage in, the amount of time you go online, and more. Let’s see what type of user you are: light user, moderate user, or heavy user.

Different users have different demands on internet bandwidth and download, upload speeds

Light user

Someone is considered a light user if he/she mainly spends time on the internet surfing webs, reading news, sending emails, watching videos occasionally, using social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, streaming music, and more. Generally speaking, these are all basic activities that do not require using a lot of data and a high-speed internet connection. 

In this case, an unlimited plan never seems a good choice for you. However, please keep in your mind that watching too many videos on Youtube or Facebook will consume a lot of data, so you need to be wary of that. 

Internet plans for home: Do you often stream videos or movies?

Moderate user

If you do all the things included in the “Light user” category mentioned above, as well as one of the things like streaming video, telecommuting, online gaming, …, then the chances are you are a moderate user. 

For moderate use, well, you might want to go with service plans offering the average speeds in the 12 to 25Mbps range. 

Heavy user

Heavy users are those who do all of the things belonging to the “Light user” category and more than one included in the “Moderate user” category mentioned recently. Well, if you enjoy playing online games, especially ones requiring fast and solid connection, downloading movies, or/and streaming entire series of movies or TV shows via Netflix, for example, you might be classed as a heavy user. 

Of course, for high or heavy use, you should consider internet services with powerful connections and higher speeds and bandwidths that well meet your needs.

So, what type of user are you?

For “extreme users” who demand a super solid and fast connection like those planning to start a career in game streaming using Twitch, for example, then going for broadband services that best serve all the things you do online. 

Well, it’s important to determine what type of user you are, but perhaps, that is still not enough to get the right internet plans for home, especially when your household has multiple users with multiple devices connecting to the network. That is the reason why we need to discuss the next question.

See also: Speed check of internet: When to consider upgrading your internet connection?

How many internet users in your household?

It’s so obvious that the more people using your internet connection, the slower it will be for everyone. That’s why we’ll likely receive low speed test results if running the speed check of internet connection at peak hours or at times when multiple devices use the network at a time.

For large families or shared flats with four people or more, it’s best to look for packages that are fast and strong enough to accommodate everyone using the network at once. 

It’s so obvious that the more people or more devices using your internet connection at a time, the slower it will be for everyone

In this case, an unlimited package might be what you want to consider. This is one of the common deals these days when it comes to internet plans for home, widely available from most ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Going for this deal means that you can use the internet connection willy-nilly with no worries of being cut off or paying an extra cost for more data. 

On the other hand, if you are a solo user using one device at a time, and you fall into the category of “Light user” or even “Moderate user”, then you could probably go with a basic, low-cost service package. 

In case you have 4 users and more or multiple devices, or you or someone in your household frequently stream 4K videos or transfer large files, you would probably need to upgrade to advanced service speeds for smooth internet experiences. 

See also: The Dos and don’ts when running speed test

What’s about the prices?

Along with what type of user you are and how many internet users and devices using your connection, it’s important to consider the package prices and your budget as well, too. 

It’s best to make sure that you look at the features of available packages first, then compare to find one offering the best price and suiting you the most 

Of course, price is important - we need to pick what we can afford after all, right? However, just looking at the price and making the decision based on the price is potentially a big mistake. 

When considering internet plans for home, it’s always important to make sure that your internet connection is stable and be able to support all the activities of everyone and all devices in your house. For that reason, you should pay no attention to deals that do not meet those needs. 

For example, picking the cheapest internet package or plan possible may seem a not bad idea. But if there are multiple users or devices using that connection, you and other people as well may feel frustrated by the insufficient download and upload speeds or have to keep paying for extra data. 

So it’s best to make sure that you look at the features of available packages first, then compare to find one that has the best price and suits you the most. 

If you consider all of the essential factors carefully, you will be able to choose the right internet package 

Others 

These are the three most basic things that you need to consider when choosing an internet package for your home. Along with them, there are still, of course, different factors to think about in order to pick the most suitable internet plan. 

More questions you need to ask yourself while considering internet plans for home include: 

• What kinds of broadband are available in your area, and which one works best for your needs? - Fiber, ADLS, or VDSL.

• Do you need a home phone package?

• Do you want TV too? And if so, which channels or extra services?

• … 

Well, as you can see, it’s not easy at all to pick the right internet plan for your home and family. But if you consider all of these and other things carefully, you will be able to choose a package that not only suits your needs the most but also comes with a price that’s on budget.  

See also: Here is what to know about speed test results meaning

Conclusion

Recently, we learned about basic but important things that can help you choose the right internet package for your home. You need to think of not only what type of user you are, how many users and devices using the connection in your household, but also packages’ prices, your budget, and more. And that’s all for today’s article “Things to consider when choosing broadband Internet plans for home”. Hope that all the information and details included in this post were useful to you.

Sources:

glimp.co.nz/how-to-choose-a-broadband-plan-that-s-right-for-you

broadbandchoices.co.uk/guides/broadband/how-to-choose-broadband

businessinsider.com/what-is-a-good-internet-speed

getinternet.com/how-to-choose-the-right-plan/

Photos: the Internet