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Internet access has become necessary in today’s ever-connected world, whether for work, leisure, or home security. With multiple options to fulfill these needs at every turn, it can seem daunting to figure out which Internet plan is right for you. That’s why it’s important to understand what each plan offers and what plan best fits your unique situation.
Internet plans come in all shapes and sizes but typically have one big selling feature: Speed. How fast you can access online content is directly related to how expensive your plan will be, which is why it’s important to know your speed needs so you can budget accordingly.
We have a blog post about understanding the terms commonly found on an Internet plans page, but you only need to know two things for our purposes here. Firstly, Internet speed is measured in megabits per second or Mbps. Secondly, download speed and bandwidth are the most common ways to measure Internet speed.
So, what are your speed needs? You’ll have to answer two questions:
Less-intensive Internet activities, such as browsing social media, watching shows in standard definition, and checking emails, don’t require much Internet speed. For example, if you live alone and use the Internet minimally, then Internet speeds of about 20 - 60 Mbps should work best for you. If you add more people with more devices into the mix, 20 - 60 Mbps won’t stand a chance of keeping up, leading to congestion and slowdown.
If you want to video call, stream in HD or UHD, or be a heavy gamer, you need high Internet speeds to match your lifestyle. If you share a house with four other people that love to stream movies in 4K resolution, then you’ll need to look at 100-300 Mbps range plans.
As a general recommendation, you’ll want to allot 30-40 Mbps per device to achieve a consistent Internet experience. If five people are accessing the Internet across your home, each on one device, you’ll want speeds of at least 100-300 Mbps to ensure everyone has a good connection. Remember, this is a recommendation, not a law. Wi-Fi signals weaken over distance, or higher speeds may be needed for your home if they need to travel through building materials like floors and walls.
However, this recommendation assumes that one person has one device. With more and more devices capable of connecting to the Internet, you’ll need to plan for your bandwidth needs.
How quickly you want to access the Internet is important, but so is achieving those speeds on multiple devices. This is where bandwidth comes in. Bandwidth is a way to measure how many devices can receive high Internet speeds at any given moment.
As of 2022, the average home in the U.S. has a total of 22 connected devices! While you may fall outside of this average, it shows that more devices may be connected to your network than you think. The more devices vying for Internet access, the more congested your network will become.
With automatic updates to smartphones, large video-game downloads, and Ultra-HD streaming occurring simultaneously in your home, your speeds will get bogged down. That’s why it’s important to either limit the devices on your network - which you can easily do on the Westman Wi-Fi app - or to choose a plan that can keep up with your Internet needs. In a house full of heavy-Internet users, Fibre To The Home may be needed to achieve speeds of 500-1000 Mbps.
A good practice would be to take inventory of the number of devices connected to your network and note how Internet-demanding they may be. That way, you better understand the type of plan you should be looking into. Remember, the more devices, the more speed will be required.
Are you finding that your Internet plan doesn’t quite match the speeds you need? Don’t worry about it! Since WCG doesn’t require you to sign up for a contract, we can easily help upgrade your plan to ensure you get the desired speeds. Call our Customer Service at 204.717.2502 for more information.
Conclusion
There is no single answer to your Internet plan search. Factors like speeds and costs will always make the decision difficult. However, with proper research into your Internet lifestyle, you can make the decision much easier. Just make sure you know what speeds you need for what you’ll be using the Internet for and understand how many devices will be using your network at any given time.
If you have any comments or questions, or you have a topic that would make a good blog post, please email us at informationM@westmancom.com
