Are you frustrated with your connection to the Internet? Are videocalls choppy or websites slow to load, even when you’re right next to the router? This has a detrimental effect on your business, not to mention the mental stress it induces. In our civilisation, a decent internet connection is essential, and in this article Iāll tell you how to get one.
Disclaimer: I have no affiliations or referral agreements with any of the organisations or products mentioned here. What follows is an impartial recommendation of what I’ve found to be the best internet connections.
This article shouldn’t exist
Do you stop to think about whether your home’s water pressure can cope with running the washing machine, shower, and dishwasher, all at the same time? Would you accept the service if it didn’t?
In a cloud-based digital world where files continuously flow into and out of devices, and video calls are routine, the term “internet bandwidth” ought to be redundant. Instead, I think we should build our Internet infrastructure to be a utility like water or electricity ā you shouldn’t need to think about whether it can cope with your usage.
However, while we wait for this utopia to arrive, we can still make the best of the available connections we do have.
The difference between ‘Wi-Fi’ and ‘the Internet’
If you’ve already hired me for IT support, that means you’re smart and successfulā¦ and charmingā¦ and good-looking. So you already know what’s meant by the terms ‘Wi-Fi’ and ‘the Internet’. But for those who donāt, here’s a quick uncoupling of concepts.
Your ‘internet connection’ refers to the method and data bandwidth between your premises and the outside world. The fastest possible connection is usually a setup where your computer is plugged directly into your router with an Ethernet cable. ‘Wi-Fi connection’ refers to the speed and stability of the wireless connection between a device and your router.
It’s possible to pair a slow internet connection with excellent Wi-Fi, or a fast internet connection with terrible Wi-Fi. Either one will result in a bad experience, so ensure both are working well. Since Wi-Fi is a topic which deserves its own discussion, I’ve covered it separately here.
Be like water
ISPs (Internet Service Providers) like to make promises of āfastā broadband to sell their services, but you should ignore labels such as ‘ultrafast,’ ‘super fast,’ or ‘lightning fast’. Instead, the keyword you should be looking for is ‘FTTP’ (Fibre To The Premises), AKA ‘full fibreā.
This enables a gigabit (1000 Mbps) connection to your premises, which is more than enough for most peopleās usage. You can go to Thinkbroadband’s website and input your post code to find out if you can get it. Ofcom has estimated that only 62% of UK homes have access to FTTP (as of January 2024), but this has been growing rapidly.
If you canāt get full fibre, and your connection speed is falling short, it’s time to consider alternatives to cabled broadband.
Alternative #1: Cellular (AKA āMobileā)
In many areas, the speed of mobile data reaching our smartphones has actually surpassed that of normal broadband, thanks to investment in 4G and 5G infrastructure. Cellular broadband uses this to provide an internet connection to your premises.
The question is: Which network carrier should you choose? Whilst mobile carriers provide coverage checkers, these rarely produce any useful metrics. Instead, it’s best to test the cellular speed directly inside your premises, which you can do on a smartphone by switching to mobile data and visiting www.speedtest.net. If you have access to different networks, even better. Test as many networks as possible then choose the best one.
When you’ve chosen your network carrier, it’s time to sign up for their mobile broadband service. In keeping with the free-flowing water analogy, I’d recommend getting an unlimited data plan, even though this typically makes cellular a little more expensive than cabled broadband. The carrier will send you a router with a SIM card to insert into it. Once you’ve set up the cellular router, you should be ready to go, but there’s a way for your router to get even faster speeds.
A cellular broadband connection can potentially be boosted using an exterior antenna. You should consider EE, who are currently offering a subsidised antenna installation service for Ā£99. EE has been consistently rated as the best mobile network in the UK, but check their speed at your premises before going ahead.
Itās worth noting that cellular speeds can vary throughout the day due to usage by other people. In the longer term as well, speeds can vary due to mast problems, maintenance, or an increase in the number of customers connected in your area.
What if the speed irregularity makes cellular unviable for you? Or you happen to be in a cellular not-spot?
Alternative #2: Satellite
In a rural area, you may not be able to access either a decent cabled broadband or cellular signal. Satellite broadband bypasses this issue by using orbiting satellites to provide an internet connection. The most well-known service is SpaceX’s Starlink, but there are other providers, such as OneWeb and Brdy.
In the past, satellite internet’s success has been hampered by high latency, due to the long distances the radio waves must travel between the satellite and the receiving dish. Latency is important because itās the time taken to send data from source to destination, which impacts the lag between initiating an action online and seeing the result. In practice, this means that latency needs to be approximately less than 100 ms to support a video call (where it’s important to know when someone’s speaking). And even less for a fast-paced online game.
However, ongoing improvements mean this is becoming less of an issue. For example, Starlink has invested in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites and installing more ground stations, which beam data to and from the satellites. The service’s median latency in the UK has been measured at 37 ms, but this varies depending on location and the time of day. Starlinkās goal is to reduce latency to 20 ms, but this has yet to be borne out in reality.
From experience, Iāve found that businesses with 15 team members can run on Starlink and the service holds up well. So, if neither cabled broadband nor a cellular connection are cutting it, you might want to try satellite.
The last resort: A leased line
The answer is your very own fixed-bandwidth cable connected to the backbone of the Internet ā AKA a ‘leased line’.
These connections provide 1000 Gbps download and 100-1000 Gbps upload speeds, but come at a hefty cost of Ā£500+ per month. And that doesn’t include installation fees. This solution is for those with the cashflow to cope and no other viable options.
If other business happen to be nearby, you could ask them about apportioning a leased line connection. Most businesses don’t need the full 1000 Gbps, so even if they already have the line, they may be willing to share the bandwidth and cost.
FTTP: For The Time-being Performance
As you can see, there are number of alternatives available if youāre unsatisfied with your current internet connection. However, even if you are lucky enough to get FTTP, you should be aware of its life expectancy. Future demand on the Internet will continue to increase, to the point where eventually 1 Gbps won’t cut it anymore.
Therefore, you may be wondering, “Why don’t we leapfrog the 1 Gbps standard and go even further?” There is an escalation cycle at play here.
Nobody felt the need to stream HD video in 2000, but it became standard by 2010. 4K video streaming was unheard of in 2010, but it was commonplace by 2020. The more bandwidth is available, the more people will use it until it becomes insufficient, and then more bandwidth is required again.
The good news is that the more demand there is for faster connections, the more organisations are likely to invest in the infrastructure necessary to roll them out. Will we future-proof ourselves and install exabit (1,000,000 Gbps) connections in every corner of the country which will last until the 22nd century? Probably not. But you can find existing connections that satisfy your current needs.
If youāve got a decent internet connection but your wireless network is pouring weak sauce on it, then take a look at my other article about how to get perfect Wi-Fi.