Choosing an Internet Service Provider for your business that is reliable and speedy may be a difficult task since you must consider several criteria. So, how do you pick an ISP? In this article, we will highlight various elements that you should consider while looking for an ISP.
Internet connection is as important as other utilities for most businesses and even homes. Most businesses use the internet for everything from client communication (email, VOIP, etc.) to credit card processing. Aside from business demands, a rising number of users at home are turning to the internet for entertainment, thanks to the expansion of video streaming services like Netflix and social networking platforms like Twitter.
ISPs are classified into several levels based on the services they provide. Tier 1 ISPs provide direct internet connectivity and maintain their own network infrastructure. Then, Tier 2 ISPs acquire access from the former. Tier 3 ISPs exist in some areas, and they purchase from Tier 2 resellers.
When selecting an internet service provider (ISP), you want one that provides a consistent speed at an affordable price. You’ll also want to check whether the ISP has a solid reputation for customer support. It’s always a plus if the ISP offers extra advantages like free installation, no-contract choices, and so on. Every internet provider has its own strengths, and it is best to choose one that coincides with what you require the most. The following are the most important factors to consider when choosing an ISP:
• Plans and pricing • Speeds • Costs of installation and equipment • Reliability and availability • Customer satisfaction ratings
What are the most important criteria to consider when choosing an Internet Service Provider for your business?
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Contents
Things to Consider before choosing an Internet Service Provider
#1. ISP Connection Types: Fibre, Copper, Microwave radio
The type of internet connection provided by internet service providers varies and is critical when choosing the perfect internet service provider for your firm. Choose an ISP that offers fiber broadband over copper or cable internet for the greatest performance and faster speeds.
Some ISPs additionally provide radio connections (wireless) by installing a receiver device at your location; on the plus side, this eliminates the inconvenience of laying down lines at a new location. However, due to physical limits, wireless internet may not attain the performance of its fiber version, as radio links are similarly hampered by rainy seasons.
#2. The ISP’s Service Level Agreements (SLA)
This is the more technical aspect of selecting an internet service provider. An SLA is a contract between a service provider and a subscriber that specifies the degree of performance that the service provider is required to offer. Service Level Agreements, or SLAs, outline the services that your supplier must provide. Response/repair time, packet loss, jitter, latency, and uptime are all factors.
#3. What download/upload speed and latency does the ISP give you
One of the most important factors in selecting the right internet service provider for your firm is the download and upload speeds supplied by the internet provider. In general, costlier plans provide better download speeds. Aside from that, latency is a significant consideration for online gamers. While an ISP may offer latency lower than 5ms, you’ll be OK even if it’s closer to 50ms.
One thing to keep in mind is that certain ISPs claim download and upload speeds in Mbps (Megabits per second); you should always inquire about this. The figures displayed on your download manager or web browser, on the other hand, are in MBps (Megabytes per second). In this case, 1 byte equals 8 bits, therefore a speed of 10Mbps will display in your browser as 1.2MBps. When evaluating internet speed, you should not confuse the two.
#4. Fair Usage Policy (FUP)
If you use the internet frequently, you may have heard of the Fair Usage Policy (FUP). Almost every ISP offers unlimited internet service, however, the network speed is restricted once a specific amount of data has been consumed, depending on your package.
For example, an ISP may give you a 100Mbps connection with a 100GB data restriction. When the 100GB is depleted, the speed may be decreased to, say, 10Mbps. This is due to the ISP’s low bandwidth availability. And if certain big downloaders consume all available bandwidth, it will affect the experience of all other users. That is why they imposed a restriction.
#5. Customer Support of the ISP
Customer care is an important feature to consider when shopping for the perfect internet service provider for your business; however, providers often trick you into purchasing their services. However, after the monetary transaction is completed, they will no longer be available to assist you. It is not recommended that you contact your ISPs after installation. You may have numerous queries, such as upgrading inquiries, billing concerns, service issues, and so on. In any of these and other circumstances, you must contact the ISP’s customer care department.
How much speed do you need from your ISP?
| Internet speed | What you can do |
| 0–5 Mbps | Check email, read news articles, stream in HD on a single device |
| 6–40 Mbps | Stream in HD on 2–4 devices, do online gaming, run 1–2 smart devices |
| 41–100 Mbps | Stream in 4K on 2–4 devices, play online games with multiple players, download large files quickly, run 3–5 smart devices |
| 101–500 Mbps | Stream in 4K on 5+ devices, download very big files very quickly, run numerous smart devices |
| 501–1,000+ Mbps | Stream in 4K on 10+ devices and do basically anything on lots of devices with no slowdowns |
How fast should your upload and download speeds be?
If you work or study from home and rely on a stable internet connection to perform things like join Zoom meetings or upload files to Google Drive, you’ll want rather high upload rates.
Most internet connections have rather modest upload rates, but fiber internet provides “symmetrical” speeds, which means your uploads are as fast as your downloads. Although not everyone needs symmetrical upload rates, it is extremely useful for upload-intensive jobs.
We hope this article was helpful in choosing an internet service provider (ISP) for your business.