Is It Time To Upgrade to 1 Gig This Holiday Season?

In this day and age, it’s difficult to work, learn, or live with an Internet connection that doesn’t meet your needs. On top of that, it’s the holiday season, which is the busiest time of the year for Internet use, and Christmas, the Internet’s busiest day of the year, is rapidly approaching. That means your requirements for the Internet will be greater than ever. You’ll need a degree of speed and reliability that is higher than you’ve ever used before if you want to Facetime loved ones, stream your favorite Christmas movie, look up recipes for Christmas dinner, or try out your new gadgets without any interruptions. Whatever Internet plan you’re on, you should be expecting to use it to it’s fullest the closer you get to Christmas, and especially on Christmas Day itself. Is your current Internet connection up to the task, or is it time to upgrade? Here’s how to find out.

Start With a Speed Test

You should first make sure you’re getting the speeds you’re paying for. Speed tests are straightforward, and we have a simple guide for how to run one. Close as many windows and programs on your computer as you can, turn off as many devices as possible, and try to run several tests throughout the day. If you’re not getting the speeds you’re paying for, contact your Internet provider and let them know. If you see that you are getting the speeds quoted on your plan, you’ll know that experiencing any of the below issues will more likely mean it’s time to upgrade.

You Already Experience Interruptions

How often do you experience buffering when you try to game or watch Netflix? If it happens somewhat often, there’s a chance you’re pushing your current Internet plan to its limit and might already need an upgrade. Just think: any interruptions you experience now will be magnified as we get closer to Christmas and will likely be worse than ever on Christmas Day. As you and your family unwrap and connect more devices, as well as Facetime any out-of-town friends and family, there will be less bandwidth to go around than there is now. And if you have any family members staying with you for the holidays, you can expect an even greater strain on your connection as they try to connect their devices too. So if you experience any lagging or buffering now, you’re guaranteed to experience even more on Christmas Day as you try to stream your favorite Christmas movie or download and play any new games.

You Plan To Add More Devices to Your Household

Whether you are buying new tablets, computers, smart TV’s, game consoles, or any new device either for yourself or for a family member for Christmas, you should remember that you are adding to the total number of devices your household uses. Your Internet plan can only accommodate so many devices, so if you expect to have more in the very near future, consider upgrading to a plan that can accommodate for that. This also includes smart home technology. You might not always think about your security systems or smart appliances, but they are using the Internet as long as they are on and active. Are you gifting a device to a family member for Christmas or expecting to receive one yourself? Add it to your list of devices in your home you expect to connect to the Internet, and use this calculator to see if the plan you’re on right now matches the one you should be using once you’ve connected all your new devices.

Outgrowing your Internet plan is frustrating, yet very common; especially during Christmas and the holiday season. The last thing you want is for your Internet service to fall short when you’re streaming a movie, video calling your family, or trying out your new gadgets. If you think it’s time to upgrade your plan, there’s no better time to do so than before Christmas so you can keep up with the Internet’s busiest day of the year. If you’re interested in upgrading to 1 Gig with no long term contracts, data caps, throttling, or sudden price hikes, call or email us, or click below to learn more.

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