Wanting Fiber, but unsure as to what the options mean and what is right for you ? This article is aimed at explaining and helping you choose the correct package. knowing what you need will allow you to pay for the for what you use rather than having a package you are not utilising to its fullest.
Unpacking the Jargon
Deciphering the tech speak is your first step in figuring out your Fibre needs.
- Broadband – the blanket term for all types of high-speed Internet: Fibre is currently the fastest.
- (Mbps) Megabits per second – the amount of data (measured in bits) that moves between two devices in a second. The higher the number, the faster your speed.
- Bandwidth – the maximum amount of data your ISP allows you to send and receive per second at home.
- Throughput – the actual amount of data successfully sent and received by your connected devices at home. This is what a speed test will measure.
- Download Speed – how fast you can receive/download data – crucial for buffer-free Netflix binge sessions, streaming music and browsing the web. We list this number first.
- Upload Speed – how fast you can send/upload data – crucial for seamless video calls and online gaming. We list this second.
Do I Need to Choose a Higher Upload or Download Speed?
A higher upload speed is important if you are actively creating your own content and posting it on platforms like YouTube or your own website, or making online video calls, or if you play streaming games online and use cloud storage. For the majority of users, we’d recommend a faster download speed as it is more commonly used to get data onto a device in the likes of video streaming for services like Netflix / Youtube etc.
A guide to help you decide on a Fiber Package.
WiFi Speeds.
WiFi speeds are dependent on your connection between your router and WiFi enabled device. This is considered internal and related only to the distribution of your fiber at your premises. In most cases either one or both are only able to transmit more than 100Mbps. Therefor it is important to ensure that the router you have can distribute your signal at your premises at a higher speed than your Fiber line, to ensure that bottlenecks or limitations are not set by your onsite equipment. Now days, most routers can distribute WIFI on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies
The 2.4GHz frequency will give you a greater range of signal at a reduced speed, whereas the 5GHz connection can transmit at a faster at a shorter range. We recommend having separate names for your internal network splitting the frequencies. This helps knowing which devices support the 5GHz frequency as well as when troubleshooting connection speeds, knowing which frequency you are connected to. Most IOT and smart home devices only support the 2.4GHz frequency because of the low bandwidth required and the longer range that the 2.4GHZ frequency allows.
If you are still confused or have more questions after this, please feel free to email, call or whatsapp us so we can assess and assist. All our packages are month to month and can upgrade at anytime should have have chosen and incorrect package. Downgrading is possible from the first of the following month.