words Al Woods
Choosing a broadband package is a great responsibility. There are so many variables to consider. While most people will focus on price, data allowance limits, connection speeds and uptimes, very few take the time to match their package to their usage style.
Matching your package to your usage style ensure that you get the best value for your money. You will neither pay for more than you need or end up with a slow connection that irritates you every time you fire up your computer to browse or try to watch some videos on your smart TV.
The first time getting the match right is understanding what type of user you are.
How Do You Use the Internet?
Very few people can describe their internet use. This makes it hard to categorize themselves and estimate the right package for their home. Here are the main categories users fall into.
Light Users
A light user will spend most of their online time reading news, corresponding on email, catching up on social media and occasionally watching videos.
If you are not heavy on the videos, you can make do with a data capped package, which is cheaper. However, if you will need an unlimited plan if you stream online videos more often or host other people often as this could easily max a capped plan.
As for speeds, you can make do with 5 Mbps or less.
Moderate Users
Moderate users are either single or multiple occupancy homes that channel their entertainment over the internet in addition to social media, general browsing and mail corresponding.
Medium users will be more comfortable with a plan that gives them between 15 and 100 Mbps depending on how many people use the connections simultaneously.
Heavy Users
Heavy users download and upload huge chunks of data. You could be working from home, uploading videos to YouTube, watching entire TV series on Netflix and so forth.
Complete families with all parents and a couple of kids are also classified as heavy user homes. You will find it impossible to keep within the limits of a capped plan while a lower bandwidth will render your network painfully slow when different devices connect simultaneously.
In this case, you will need Fibre connections that give you speeds of 40/10 Mbps and above. The faster the connection the better your streaming quality and lesser the time your household will spend uploading or downloading huge chunks of data.
Extreme Users
This is an emergent breed of users whose needs are almost similar to those of small businesses. You belong here if you work from home and are not a writer. If you run a YouTube or Twitch and similar channels, are a designer who uploads bulky concepts, a professional or hobbyist gamer or a person who deploys peer-to-peer software often, then you will need a very fast connection.
Go for fibre plans that give you up to 200 Mbps download and at least 100 Mbps upload speeds. You cannot survive with anything slower than that.
Shop for a Package With Your Usage Characteristics in Mind
Once you understand your user classification, it will be easier to find the perfect broadband type for you. The good thing is you rarely have to worry about connection types like Fibre, VDSL and ADSL since most providers will give away their delivery technology on the possible speeds for its package. The only time you should care is when you are a gamer and are worried about ping times and TTLs.
Ensure that you get the right download and upload bandwidth. Don’t forget to audit the company’s uptimes and customer service to guarantee your peace of mind.
