Is a gigabit of Internet too much for your home? The answer is probably yes. This will not be the case forever, as trends of Internet usage are constantly increasing. Areas that are covered in fiber networks offer customers the opportunity to purchase up to a gig of Internet speed for their homes if desired, but in most cases, this amount of bandwidth is not necessary. With this high-speed option available to many consumers, homeowners should be evaluating what speed package is most suitable for their homes.
What does a gig of speed actually mean? One gigabit is equal to 1,000 megabits (Mbps). A national average for home Internet speeds right now is about 35 Mbps, so a gig is more than 20 times over the current average. Here are some recommended Internet speeds to perform the activities you may be doing at home:
Understanding your household’s Internet habits and number of connected devices is important to help determining the amount of bandwidth needed. If there are just two people or less in your home using very few devices, a basic Internet package can be suitable. If you have multiple people in the home who are all using various devices, you may need to opt for a middle-of-the-road Internet plan. You want the appropriate amount of bandwidth for your home, but you do not want to be over paying for bandwidth that you will not use.
Let’s look at households with big families and a large number of connected devices used for working from home, online gaming, video streaming, etc. A more significant Internet bandwidth package will be required. When you combine all of these Internet users under one roof using the same network, they will utilize more bandwidth than what a basic Internet package, or middle-of-the-road plan can offer in order to keep things operating smoothly. In 2020, the average number of connected devices in the home was 10. This number is expected to increase rapidly in the years to come as smart homes become more and more prominent in the marketplace. Having a good understanding of how you are engaging with your homes internal network will be crucial up the road. Here at D & P, many of our customers utilize our D & P Connect Pro whole-home Wi-Fi solution. This platform offers valuable insights such as identifying the number of connected devices in the home. Additionally, D & P Connect Pro uses Artificial Intelligence that is constantly learning how its users are engaging with their home network in order to maximize the experience. For more information on D & P Connect Pro, please visit: https://www.d-pcomm.com/connect-pro.php
Evaluating the Internet usage of your household will determine the best network option for your family. In almost all cases, most households do not use anywhere near enough bandwidth to justify purchasing an entire gigabit of Internet. Certainly, some families can benefit from faster connections, but be careful to not to be oversold on the fastest Internet speed package your Internet provider offers. The best foot forward is to learn about how the users in your home are engaging with your network. If the technical details are too overwhelming D & P Communications is here to help!
