Choosing the Right Internet Plan for Your Needs

Selecting the appropriate internet plan for you family is a balance between what your budget allows and how much speed and bandwidth you need. These factors will vary depending not only on your budget, but on how you plan to use your internet connection. It’s important to have the right internet plan so that you and your family get the most enjoyment and ease out of your online experience.

●     Determine how you use the internet. If you just use it for occasional web surfing and email, you most likely can get away with having a lower speed. For gamers and those who download a lot of music and videos, stream videos, or use internet TV services such as Netflix, a higher speed makes a big difference in the ease of downloading and streaming, and minimizing buffering problems.

●     Determine how many devices will be using it. Shared internet, especially when multiple devices will be using it simultaneously, requires more speed and bandwidth. Devices include laptops, gaming systems, smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Overburdening a slow internet connection with multiple devices results in frustration, as it slows web traffic, download speed, and results in buffering. You can estimate the speed you will need with this calculation system.

●     Go with a plan that meets your needs and then goes at least a bit beyond. It’s better to err on the side of caution, and go with a plan that is slightly higher than your needs. Technology is changing all the time, and our need for it also changes. We use the internet more and more, whether it be for school, work, personal finance, shopping, entertainment, telecommunication, social networking, and more. Choose a plan that meets your needs, but also allow for some wiggle room in usage to ensure a smoother online experience. 

●     Talk to your service provider. Internet speed and usage calculations don’t take into account any other services you use that may offset your need for speed, such as satellite or cable TV. Fiber, DSL, and cable internet offer different speeds, but the availability of internet types and speeds vary by area.

Mid Century Communications is located in Fairview, Illinois. We are a business and residential telephone, internet, and TV service provider offering a variety of plans to suit your needs. Please visit our site for more information, or call our Fairview office at (309) 778-8611!