Picture this, you’ve just purchased an Internet package from your ISP and now you have “high speed”. They’ve sold you on the 15Mbps plan, but what can you expect? Are you and your roommate or family going to be able to all watch Netflix, game online, and upload content for your YouTube channel(s)? Well, that depends, and although there are many factors at play – more than just what your internet package is – we’ll focus on how big of an impact your speed package plays overall.

When connecting to the Internet, we are actually linking up with millions of other computers that have content ready to share, so an Internet package is the start of that link. Your connection is broken up into 3 main parts ping, download, and upload. 

Ping represents the time it takes for your connected device to establish a link to the other device on the Internet you are trying to reach, and communicate back and forth. Consider ping as additional time that is measured in milliseconds to maintain the established connection between the devices. Next, download speed represents how long it takes for you to pull content from computers sharing on the Internet that you are connected with. Upload speed on the other hand, is represented when you are sharing content to others. Think of yourself as not just a viewer, but an active participant when it comes to uploads. If you’re on YouTube watching your favorite channel, you’re going to be affected by your connection’s max download speed. Comparatively, if you’re on YouTube sharing the latest video you’ve made or found, then that’s impacted by your max upload speed. Other times you’ll find yourself doing activities that require both upload and downloading, such as when you want to join that video chat, since social distancing is now a thing.

Now that we know the basics of your connection package, what’s the best option?

That’s going to come down to the number of users on the same connection and the type of content they typically like to consume (or share). If you’re the single user of the connection, then a 5-6Mbps connection enables you to satisfactorily stream videos in HD, play games online and have web chats (such as Zoom) at the minimum level needed for most of this stuff. Since this is widely considered the bare minimum today, you will likely encounter the odd hiccup as the connection buffers to handle dips and spikes. 

What about 4K, screen mirroring, or if there’s many different users and devices running simultaneously – what’s needed then? 

Well, just like before with a single user, it depends on the usage of all the other users and devices on the connection. Video streaming is generally one of the biggest consumers of bandwidth (that’s the term to describe your Internet package’s overall capacity), and the higher quality picture and sound formats (4K UHD, Hi-Fi audio) increase the demand on your bandwidth. For the smoothest experience and entry into those higher quality formats you’ll want to have a download speed that starts at 20Mbps.

It’s important to keep in mind that although 4K is heavily promoted, not all shows, games or content is presented in ultra-high definition, and the devices attempting to run the content must be powerful enough to handle the processing required to display that content.

How do you check your connection speeds?

Your ISP should tell you what your guaranteed speeds will be based on the package you chose. You can then test this guarantee yourself on any connected device by going to speedtest.net (or just type speed test into your web browser and try one of the first few links that come up). If after testing, you’re not getting the speeds you’re promised, double check by doing a clean test. First check to ensure there isn’t another user actively using it during your testing (watching Netflix for example) and make sure there isn’t any built up congestion in your router. To refresh your router, perform a ‘hard reset’ by unplugging the power from the unit for 1 minute then try the speed test again (it’s also a good idea to do a hard reset once a month or so or anytime you feel your connection seems oddly slow yet everything else is as usual). Keep in mind when running the test, wireless devices may not be as fast as devices that are hardwired. That’s because the tech inside the wireless device you are using or the tech in the router broadcasting your signal, isn’t equipped to perform as fast as the corded variant.

If after testing your connection everything seems fine on your side, but it’s still not what you are paying for, then it’s time to contact your ISP. They may need to check the systems on their end to reestablish a stronger link to their network for you. Sometimes this can be done remotely, and other times it takes service onsite, but whatever the case, it should be resolved within a reasonable amount of time. If you don’t feel that’s the case for you, then you’re probably right!

Whether you’re looking for an alternative, or it’s your first foray into getting connected at home or at your business, contact the Big Dog and let’s see how we can serve you!

Lastly, if you have suggestions for other topics or questions you want answered, let us know in the comments below. And if you need Internet or computer repairs and services, contact us today!