Questions to Ask When Researching Internet Providers

Whether you are moving, have a new provider in your community, or are just not satisfied with your current provider, choosing a new Internet service provider is an often frustrating but necessary process. There is a lot to consider such as connection speed, limits, and monthly fees. If you are looking for a new Internet service provider (ISP), we have outlined some questions that will help you figure out what your needs are and whether they line up with the services available to you.

How fast should my connection be?
It is always nice to have the fastest connection possible, but it is important to know how much speed you actually need. Many Internet service providers offer different speeds at different rates, especially fiber-based providers who can give customers up to 1,000 Mbps. However, many households do not need that much bandwidth and would have no reason to pay for a plan with a connection that fast. If you are still figuring out which speed works best for you, ask yourself the following:

• How many people in your household use the Internet?
• What devices does your household use to connect to the Internet, and how often are they used?
• Would you consider yourself or anyone in your household to be “heavy Internet users?”

A handy tool to use when answering these questions would be a bandwidth calculator. A calculator such as this can help you determine the minimum Internet speed your household would need. Now that you know exactly how fast your connection should be, you can look for a service that offers the speed you need at a fair price. You will just need to make sure the speed you are paying for is guaranteed.

Are the speeds guaranteed?
Unfortunately, most providers do not guarantee their speeds. If they do not have guarantees, find out what you can do if your Internet is not performing at your plan’s speed. If you are experiencing a slow and unreliable connection with your current service, doing a free speed test will immediately let you know if you are getting the fast connection you are paying for.

What is the provider’s reputation?
Some providers are notorious for poor customer service and frequent connection problems. Others have good representatives and rarely ever drop a connection. Be sure to look for recent reviews in your city.

Are there data limits?
Several providers use either soft or hard data limits. A hard limit will charge you overage or completely cut you off after a certain amount of data usage. Soft data limits will enable you to continue using the Internet, but at a slower speed.

Will they throttle my speeds?
Although most providers will claim not to have data limits, if you dig deeper you might learn they will slow down or throttle your speeds when you pass your soft data limit. Some may also throttle your speeds if the network is overcrowded. Be sure to find out if this will happen with their service.

How long is their contract?
It is important that you know whether a provider has a contract, and how long that contract is. If the provider has a long-term contract, you should find out what the process of an early cancellation looks like.

What additional fees will I have to pay?
Besides the recurring monthly fee, find out what other fees are possible with each provider and what you can do to avoid them. Some examples could be installation fees, overage charges, service fees, or cancellation fees. It would be smart to also consider that many Internet providers will initially offer you discounts that will eventually disappear. If you are not willing to pay for the service without the initial discount, it may not be the right service for you.

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About Tachus
Tachus offers three service levels with symmetrical speeds and hassle-free, fixed-rate pricing:

100 Mbps at $65/mo. | 500 Mbps at $80/mo. | 1,000 Mbps at $90/mo.

In addition to fixed prices, our service comes with no gimmicks, no throttled speeds, no long term contracts, no data limits, and no additional charges aside from an installation fee that can be waived with an early registration. You will never spend hours re-negotiating pricing and services at the end of contract cycles.
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To learn about how Tachus can deliver the fastest possible Internet to your neighborhood, call 832-791-1100 today!