As you have got to this blog I assume that you are suffering from a slow and sluggish internet connection or are in the market for a new internet connection. With this post I will cover 5 tips that you should follow to pick a better internet service provider.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data that is downloaded by you using the connection. So if you have a 10GB download limit, you can only download 10GBs of data before facing the risk of being charged for extra bandwidth allowance. Now you may ask, what has this got to do with getting a better internet connection? Well if you keep going over your download limit it will not only cost you more money due to the bandwidth charges but also may mean that the ISP (Internet service provider) may limit your connecting giving you slower speeds and a worse internet connection. So now you may ask, how much bandwidth will I use?

This is a hard question to answer as different people use their internet connection for different tasks. If you are only visiting web pages as well as one or two videos you would be fine with a download limit such as 2GB. But if you are a demanding user and regularly download large files and stream videos you may require much more download allowance. Be careful of unlimited download limits, these normally have fair usage policy which states a usage they consider fair.

Download Speed

This is a key area to look for when looking for an ISP (Internet service provider). The first thing that you should understand is that the speed of the internet connection that you can get depends on where you live. If you live in a more remote location you are a lot less likely to be able to get the highest speeds available. Internet providers will normally use an “up to” speed when stating the download speed. This means that it may not get to the speed stated. To check the download speed your connection is able to get, there is normally a phone number checker which checks the speed that your phone line is likely to achieve.

When considering a new internet provider you have to consider what you use your connection for to understand what download speed you require. To browse web pages and check emails you will really need a download speed not any higher than 512 kbps, but if you download large files and stream high definition video you will need at least a 2Mbit connection. If you are sharing your connection with other users you should also consider a higher download speed so that the connection can cope with the data from all the users.

Contracts

With most internet providers there is some kind of contract that requires you to use their service for a set period of time (usually 12 months). Some providers offer a 1 month contract which is useful as you can cancel the service if you're not happy with it. The details of minimum contract terms as well as important information about the service you will get is stated in the terms and conditions so take time to read them! The terms and conditions will be stated on the internet providers website and you are asked to agree to them when you sign up to a provider.

Freebies

One of my top tips is to not be tempted by internet providers who offer some freebies if you use their service. This will normally end with a large minimum contract period as well as a poor and unreliable service. You may ask, just because they are giving me a free stuff why does that make them bad? If the internet service provider has to give people stuff for them to use their broadband they must not be providing a good service as they need to almost bribe people with free stuff. This doesn't mean that any internet provider that offers free stuff is rubbish, it just means that you should take care and don't be dragged in to a internet provider just because of the free stuff they offer. Customer reviews
I believe that this is the most important advice for people looking for a new internet provider. My advice is to read customer reviews. These customer reviews will provide you with an insight to what the customers of the internet provider think of their service and if they had any problems. What is also important to remember is to not trust just one review, if there is one bad customer review it doesn't meant the internet provider is bad but if there are a large number of bad reviews it is more likely that the ISP is not good.

I hope that these 5 great tips will help you get away from the bad internet service providers so you can have a better internet connection.