Internet service speed – Dsl, cable, fiber, and alternatives
My wife and I are looking at houses and we have seen a few we are interested in. We have our list of requirements, one of which is decent internet speed. Our previous experience with internet service started with dsl back in the day, and our current place is fiber 100/100. The dsl worked ok for use way back in the day, and the fiber works well for us these days.
My wife works from home for a major corporation and their current minimum requirement for internet speed is Dsl. Her work phone is voice over internet. In addition to that we use the internet for streaming TV as we can pick and choose content, and time-shift viewing based around our schedule.
We also use the internet for education, research, financial, recreational opportunities, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting. The above usage is done via the various computers, tablets and tv throughout the house with 2-3 people.
Most of our new house requirements are straight forward and easy to quantify – 3+ bedrooms etc. However, when it comes to internet service/speed I’m a bit uneasy on how to quantify it. More is better is likely the best route to take, but on some of these homes they may have only dsl, or maybe cable.
For example, I have no idea how cable speeds stack up against fiber speeds, and I don’t fully understand the units of measure used for this. Is mbps (mega bites per second) the standard unit of measure? I have heard horror stories of people purchasing homes based on service provider promises that cable or fiber will be available ‘in the area soon’, only to have the schedule pushed back years.
I realize everybody’s usage is different but I’m wondering what you have for internet and has it been satisfactory? If you were buying a new home today, what would be your minimum requirement?
Finally, one real-estate agent said he has heard of cellular used as internet solutions. I assume this means using a phone/device as a hot spot and providing internet to the house via the cell signal. Anybody have input on this or other possible alternatives?
Thanks
My wife works from home for a major corporation and their current minimum requirement for internet speed is Dsl. Her work phone is voice over internet. In addition to that we use the internet for streaming TV as we can pick and choose content, and time-shift viewing based around our schedule.
We also use the internet for education, research, financial, recreational opportunities, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting. The above usage is done via the various computers, tablets and tv throughout the house with 2-3 people.
Most of our new house requirements are straight forward and easy to quantify – 3+ bedrooms etc. However, when it comes to internet service/speed I’m a bit uneasy on how to quantify it. More is better is likely the best route to take, but on some of these homes they may have only dsl, or maybe cable.
For example, I have no idea how cable speeds stack up against fiber speeds, and I don’t fully understand the units of measure used for this. Is mbps (mega bites per second) the standard unit of measure? I have heard horror stories of people purchasing homes based on service provider promises that cable or fiber will be available ‘in the area soon’, only to have the schedule pushed back years.
I realize everybody’s usage is different but I’m wondering what you have for internet and has it been satisfactory? If you were buying a new home today, what would be your minimum requirement?
Finally, one real-estate agent said he has heard of cellular used as internet solutions. I assume this means using a phone/device as a hot spot and providing internet to the house via the cell signal. Anybody have input on this or other possible alternatives?
Thanks
