Finding the Best Internet Provider for Your Needs

Does it seem to you that there's really no point spending time looking for the best Internet provider because they're all probably the same? Well, Internet service has certainly improved over the past 10 years. There aren't as many lemons as there once were. Nevertheless, there are differences. When you look hard, you will find services that are priced differently, and that are put together in packages that suit you better.

When you go around shopping for the best Internet provider, you'll probably come across a few connection types that you aren't totally familiar with. Certainly, you are familiar with cable and DSL Internet connections. It is possible though that you haven't heard of the newer wideband Internet connection technologies.

Regular cable and DSL Internet connections usually offer only middling connection speeds – under 20 Mbps for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads. Usually, you can hook your small startup business up to a connection like this and everyone should be happy, more or less. These typically cost under $75 a month.

There are faster cable connections in existence too, that reach much farther than this. For about $75 a month or thereabouts, you can often subscribe to an Internet service that delivers about 50 Mbps or even 100 Mbps for downloads. You could probably hook a large business up to connection like this. Cable connections are liable to slow down during peak usage hours. They usually hook many businesses or households in an area up to the same cable. Heavy usage at any one point can draw capacity away from other people on the same line.

Fiber connections are about state-of-the-art for today. They come with their own special cabling system. Verizon FiOS, for instance, will put down fiber-optic cabling to  your house or business. You get download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and upload speeds that are up to a third that. You do have to pay about $100 a month or so for entry-level service. Other companies like AT&T have their own offerings in this area, as well.

If you really need the best Internet provider, you need to take careful stock of the kind of Internet use you have in your business. A lot of it dependss on the exact kind of plan that you pick. As impressive as these download speeds might be, they aren't any real use if you don't get a good bit of capacity as well. What if you have a ridiculously low data allowance, but a very fast connection to deliver it?

If your business tends to use a lot of videoconferencing and other such applications, you probably need to look for a service that gives you a very generous data usage policy.