It can be a challenge to find a good internet service provider. The facts are that people generally dislike their internet service provider. Bell and Rogers have increased prices for their services, and they haven’t invested in rural internet services.
It doesn’t matter if you live in rural Ontario or in the suburbs. You need an internet provider that you can rely on.
Read on to learn what qualities you should look for in a high-speed internet service provider.
You want to have a high-speed internet provider that will meet your needs. In a rural area, that can be tough. Providers are limited in rural areas, sometimes leaving you with little to no choice.
You want to make sure that your internet service provider has a plan that needs your needs for things like streaming and homework.
You want to be able to choose the right plan for your home. Someone who lives alone and just uses email will have very different bandwidth needs than a family of five with several devices going at once.
To choose the right plan for your needs, assess how many people and devices are in the home. Then note what type of content is consumed. Gaming and watching Netflix will be heavy on bandwidth, while email and general web surfing will require fewer resources.
There’s a difference between bandwidth and speed. Bandwidth is similar to a plumbing pipe. The larger the pipe, the more water that can flow through it.
Bandwidth works the same way. The more bandwidth you have, the more information and data can flow unimpeded to your home.
Now, if you have minimal bandwidth and a lot of demand for data, that will slow down your connection and impact your internet speed.
Your service provider also impacts your speed. Some providers that claim to provide high-speed service really don’t. They’ll claim one speed like 50mbps in their ads, but the fine print says “up to 50mbps,” which means that you could be getting much less speed for your needs.
One of the reasons why so many Canadians are turned off by internet providers is because of pricing.
Some providers will offer a special for a few months where the service is heavily discounted. That special is only for the service. It doesn’t include
Not only that, they signed you up for another year because the special requires that you have a 12-month contract at a much higher price when the introductory period expires.
The internet is a funny thing. You know that if something can go wrong, it probably will. It may be an issue with equipment or your computer isn’t connecting like it normally does.
You want to make sure that your internet service provider offers several different types of support. Ideally, you can contact support 24/7 and talk to a rep that’s capable of resolving your issue.
Some issues can be resolved easily with just a little bit of knowledge. You’ll want to have a service provider that has content to walk you through the basics of internet service. This type of education will empower you to resolve issues on your own.
Then, you can contact the provider if you’re still having problems. On the other end of the line should be a company representative that’s friendly and knowledgeable.
In an ideal world, you won’t need support because the provider is so reliable. You do want to make sure that your internet provider has a reliable service.
Have a few periodic issues is normal for internet providers. There are some things that are out of their control.
However, if you find that you constantly have to contact your internet provider over poor connections, then you have a problem.
For example, you have a project due and there’s a spring storm moving through the area. The worst case scenario is that you can’t rely on your internet provider and complete the project on time. You don’t want to have an internet provider that isn’t available when you need the service the most.
At the end of evaluating internet providers, you have to assess the overall value of what you’re getting. Is the cost worth the speed, bandwidth, and service that you will receive?
That’s the million dollar question, so to speak. Your conclusion should be that your internet provider is an excellent value for your money.
That may not mean the least expensive service. You can get the least expensive provider, but they’re not transparent in their pricing and they have horrible service.
You want a balance between cost, reliability, and quality of service. That is the best value that internet providers can give you.
There’s a good reason why people aren’t big fans of some internet providers. They’re paying too much for poor service.
It is possible to find a reliable internet company, even in rural Essex County, Ontario. You just have to know what qualities to look for in an internet provider.
You want a provider that’s reliable, provides outstanding support, is transparent in pricing, and has the bandwidth to meet your needs.