Which Type of Internet Connection is Best for Your Home?

In this day and age, the internet has become a necessity. Almost every aspect of your life, in one way or the other, largely depends on the internet. The type of internet service you use makes a great impact on the speed as well as quality of your internet connection. Look for top-rated internet providers that can provide you with reliable and affordable internet services. Each internet type has its own set of pros and cons. The specific type of internet connection will play a huge and crucial role in its speed potential, quality, and availability.

Shopping for the best internet plans can get pretty overwhelming and confusing, especially if you are not aware of the different technologies being used for delivering the internet connection to your home. When it comes to choosing the best internet service, people want the same thing – a reliable connection with high speed that is not going to cost you a fortune. But there are multiple options available for you to choose from, such as cable, DSL, fiber, and satellite internet. Thinking which of these types of internet connections will give you more bangs for your buck?

There are four main types of internet services: cable, DSL, fiber, and satellite.

1. Cable Internet

One of the most common types of internet connections, the cable is available to around 90% of the people in the United States. And you will find this type of internet bundled with home phone service and TV packages. It does make sense because cable internet makes use of the coaxial connections as cable TV does. Not only is cable internet fast and reliable, but it is also pretty much ubiquitous. Running over the coaxial wiring of a cable company, you can bundle it easily with cable TV plans or other options for streaming purposes. 

Although it does not match fiber for speed, it can hit 1,000 Mbps download speeds, which is amazingly fast. Moreover, it has a wide range of speeds compared to DSL. So, you will be spoiled for choice with more speed tiers. 

Don’t forget that the bandwidth of your cable internet is shared among other network users in your area. When you get home from work and commence streaming your favorite TV shows, every neighbor is probably doing the same thing. And if they happen to have cable internet as well, you could expect some congestion in the network, which leads to slower speeds.

You should know that coaxial cables lack the same speed and reliability as fiber-optic, but cable internet is one of the fastest types of internet connections. The prices of cable internet vary among top-rated internet providers, but the cable is one of the most competitively priced internet connection types. However, cable internet is likely to slow down during peak hours. This is because your service draws from a neighborhood-wide network.

2. DSL Internet

An acronym for “Digital Subscriber Line”, DSL utilizes the copper wires inside cables to transmit data via electricity like cable internet. But unlike cable, it does this via your landline phone network than your TV network. 

Telephone lines are pretty robust, which is why DSL is not only the most reliable type of internet connection in the world, but it is also widely available. It is a great choice for rural customers without access to cable or fiber. Moreover, it offers decent speeds for internet uses, such as light streaming and browsing.

For a DSL internet connection, you will need:

• A DSL modem and router
• A landline telephone line for connecting to your modem
• The best and cheapest internet plan with a top internet provider

The speed of the DSL internet is affected by how far you are located from your ISP (short for the internet service provider). If they are farther, it will cause more delay. And there is no question that the aerial nature of your phone network leaves the connection of your internet vulnerable to weather-related disruptions.

One of the best things about the digital subscriber line (DSL) is that it is not affected by network congestion. Even in times of peak usage, you can look forward to getting the same speed you would otherwise. 

3. Fiber Internet

Fiber internet is possibly the best type of internet connection. It is the type of connection that comes to one’s home via fiber-optic cable, using pulses of light along thin strands, or fibers of glass or plastic for transmitting data. It is an ultra-fast broadband internet that offers a great advantage i.e. symmetrical download and upload speeds. 

Upload speeds are usually significantly slower. This is because the majority of people use more bandwidth to download information to their devices. With fiber internet, on the other hand, upload speeds are almost always equal, which makes it a great choice for activities, such as live gaming or video conferencing.

There was a time when fiber internet connections were fairly expensive as far as the internet plans go, the majority of top-rated Internet service provider in my zip code have reduced their prices in recent years. As a result, fiber internet is likely to be as affordable as any other type of connection. And taking the speeds into account you get for the price, it is now one of the most affordable types of internet connections.

4. Satellite Internet

This type of internet connection is the least used. As the name suggests, it delivers the internet to your location via satellite. Although it is one of the most comprehensively available internet types, it does not count on ground-laid infrastructures, such as cables, line-of-sight antenna connections, or cellular towers. Instead, you will have to use a special dish to establish a connection with satellites revolving far overhead.

Versatility is the biggest advantage of satellite internet. Since it does not require cables or wires to work, customers living in rural areas where the infrastructure for DSL, cable, or fiber connectivity is absent can access this type of internet connection. 

Now that you know the different internet connection types available for your home, you can compare a number of plans and providers in your area. All you have to do is key in your zip code and allow internetinmyzipcode to find the best and the most competitive internet deals for you.