How to Find the Best Internet Service Provider for your Needs
Everyone needs to be online these days so more and more people are saddled with the task of finding the best internet service provider to suit their needs. The thing is, most people are ordinary internet users who really do not have a clue about how the internet functions other than the actual use they have for it. For people who find that beyond going online or offline they now have to evaluate possible service provider, these tips should come in handy.
1. Determine exactly what you need.
Ask yourself how “heavy” your use of the internet is. Do you use it mainly to send and receive email? Do you often have to download files? If so, what type of files do you usually download? Here are some guidelines you can refer to.
If you only use the internet for email, for reading articles, browsing sites that do not use videos and other media the 1.5 to 3 Mbps should be fast enough for you. This is normally the basic package that ISPs offer and they often have special offers for this level of usage. You may want to sign up for this speed first and ask for an upgrade later if you find it too slow.
If you like to view images online, watch videos, stream music, go on FaceBook and visit YouTube then go for 10Mbps to 25 Mbps. However, be forewarned that if you have more than one computer going online and streaming video or uploading large files, you will have to go up to the next level.
If you stream movies, download and upload large files to social media sites, watch Hulu, NetFlix ESPN3 but do not do a lot of uploading beyond this, 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps will be adequate for your needs.
If you upload images or videos to the cloud, simultaneously use two computers online then get something at 50 Mbps or more.
2. Find out what ISPs are in your area.
You can surf the internet for this or go to a website that specializes in this kind of information. You can also try a manual search by looking through the Yellow Pages or asking your friends who their servers are. Once you have the names and contact numbers of ISPs in your area, make a comparative list and call each one so you can compare their offers later.
3. Do a thorough comparison.
Armed with your list, read reviews about the different ISPs in your area and compare them according to cost, Mbps, proximity and rate of customer satisfaction. Do a little crowd sourcing and ask your friends and neighbors who their servers are. See which servers are on your list and ask about the quality of their service. People are always eager to share their dissatisfaction so you are sure to get sufficient feedback to help you decide on the best internet provider for your needs.
Going through these three simple steps will not only help you get the right internet service provider for your needs; it will also help build your knowledge base about how the internet works and that is always a good thing.
