Things to consider when signing up to an Internet Service Provider

The Internet has given us enough reasons to stay busy. From socializing to streaming, and browsing to working, we can’t think of anything possible without the internet. Even when we have to go to a new restaurant in town or schedule our daily tasks, the internet is the core of getting it done. Back in the days when the internet was introduced to the world, the speed was merely in kilobits. However, with time, things tend to improve and now we can enjoy speed up to 1Gig. 

If you are looking for a new internet connection or need to upgrade the existing one, make sure to look for these features in your service provider. Here’s what you need to know. 

What Bandwidth is Provided?

Bandwidth is the ability to transfer data over an internet connection at a given time. Everybody demands high-speed internet to meet their daily needs such as streaming, gaming, browsing, downloading, and socializing. 

If you are living in a rural area, you might find it difficult to get a high-speed connection. Apart from few service providers, the internet speed would not be as high as it is in urban areas. But the question is how to determine what amount of bandwidth do you need. 

It all depends on the number of family members and devices connected simultaneously. the more the bandwidth the better it is. Especially if everyone in the home is a heavy internet user, you need to have a specific amount of bandwidth speed to experience seamless connectivity. You won’t face any lags or buffering issues while streaming. 

According to the guidelines provided by Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Mbps needed is dependent on digital activity. For instance, if you want to watch Netflix in 4K quality, you need to have at least a 25Mbps connection. While for normal online activities, speed ranging anywhere from 4Mbps to 25Mbps will do the job. 

How Much Speed is Being Offered?

In most cases, people consider speed and bandwidth the same thing. However, the fact is they both are different. Consider bandwidth as a thick fat pipe, the larger it is the more liquid can flow through it. The same applies to bandwidth, the more it is, the more data and information can be transmitted. However, if your bandwidth is low and the demand for data is high, it will slow down your internet speed. 

Most of the service providers also claim to offer high-speed internet. But when it comes to speed, it isn’t even close to it. For instance, if an ISP advertises 50Mbps speed and upon running a speed test, you will find that it is nowhere near 50Mbps. All you will get is around 35-40Mbps. After going through Suddenlink internet reviews, we found that most of the experts were quite satisfied with the speed and quality of customer support.  

If you are not sure how an ISP performs in your area, you can check for its free trial. You can test the speed at different times especially during peak hours and come to know the real performance. 

Are Prices Stated Clearly?

The majority of internet service providers offer packages and deals that look affordable and attract anyone. However, with time, the cost will add up and without mentioning the reason. 

Most of the internet users in the United States are complaining about prices and increase without prior notice. Things are not clearly stated at the time of subscription, which leads to the turn down the customers. 

Make sure that your service provider is charging everything as stated. Moreover, you can also contact customer support to give all the details about pricing and increase in the future. If you want to avoid hidden charges and hype in bills, make sure to go for a no-contract ISP and purchase your equipment. 

How is the Support of the Service Provider?

Internet is not going to work well all the time. It will put you in a state of frustration from time to time. Unless you are a tech geek, you won’t be able to resolve the issue by yourself. For this, you need to contact customer support. In most cases, you will find bad reviews about customer support for a given provider.

However, you need to find out who is providing the best support among others. Moreover, try to find out what are the ways of reaching them out and how quickly they respond to the complaint. Some ISPs only offer customer support over a call. While others also provide support through online chat and email. 

During your trial period, you can check the customer support. If the issue is resolved within no time, then go for it. Otherwise, try other service providers in your area. This would give you an idea about the level of customer support by the provider.