Your Complete Urban Internet Options Guide

Your Complete Urban Internet Options Guide

When it comes to means of travelling, the internet really isn’t very picky. It can travel through phone lines, cable networks, radio waves and even through the electrical wires of your home. But mostly, data uses physical wires to travel between devices.


When it comes to means of travelling, the internet really isn’t very picky. It can travel through phone lines, cable networks, radio waves and even through the electrical wires of your home. But mostly, data uses physical wires to travel between devices.

As wires are efficient and easily available, internet connectivity is mostly delivered through some sort of cables. The most widely-used options are:

·         Telephone lines (DSL)

·         Cable TV lines (Cable)

·         Fiber Optics (Fiber)

Over the course of this blog, we’ll compare these three options in detail to help you figure out which one best suits your needs.

DSL

When it comes to download speeds, DSL connections typically offer somewhere in the range of 5 to 35 Mbps, while upload speeds generally range from 1 to 10 Mbps. DSL plans provided by major vendors such as CenturyLink and AT&T are often packaged together with a home phone or TV service. Although DSL doesn’t offer the speed of fiber or cable, it’s generally more affordable than both. Furthermore, DSL provides coverage to approximately 90% of the American population and in rural areas; it’s often the only available option. Here are some pros and cons of DSL:

Pros:

·         Dedicated Connection

·         Widely Available

·         Affordable

Cons:

·         Relatively slower speeds

·         Long contracts

·         Vulnerable to storm damage

Cable Internet

Cable internet usually provides download speeds in the range of 10 to 500 Mbps, while upload speeds are generally between 5 and 50 Mbps. Although most vendors offer more speed in specific areas, this is the range of speed you can expect from your home Wi-Fi.

In terms of raw speed, fiber internet has the upper hand over cable. Cable internet is also prone to losing speed during “peak times”. This means that you can expect your internet to slow down when your neighbors are at home at the weekend watching Netflix. Here are some pros and cons of cable internet:

Pros:

·         High Speeds

·         Widely Available

·         Attractive TV bundle offers

Cons:

·         Limited availability in rural areas

·         Slows down during peak hours

Fiber Internet

Fiber internet is usually blazing fast typically offering download speeds in the range of 250 to 1,000 Mbps. Furthermore, fiber internet usually provides symmetrical service, which means that data travels both ways at the same speed. Due to a high-cost infrastructure, fiber internet subscription prices are generally on the higher end of the scale. Following are the pros and cons of fiber internet:

Pros:

·         Lightning Fast Speeds

·         Fast upload rates

·         Highly reliable connection

Cons:

·         Not widely available

·         Quite expensive

 KonectEaze is one of the best online resources for finding the best internet deals. They provide lists of ISPs that offer services in your area along with impartial information on these vendors and the plans they offer.