A Comprehensive Guide To Internet Speed

Your internet speed and connection are pretty important when it comes to choosing the right provider for your household. To many people, internet speak is a foreign language - they just choose a provider and run with them without much research. This comprehensive guide will help you understand more about your internet so that you can know which service is right for you.

What is internet speed and why should it matter to you?

Your internet speed determines what you can do on your single connection. The faster your internet speed is, the more data it can transfer, which means you can do more.

This is important to many people who work from home and are on frequent Zoom calls, need to download files, and for those who stream games or television.

Test Your Speed

Knowing your internet speed can help you determine if you have the right plan. Are things taking too long to download? Are you having trouble with buffering when you watch movies? Test your speed out regularly to ensure everything is working properly. It can also give you an idea of the speed you need when you’re shopping around.

Key Components to Internet Speed

Your internet has many different components working together to produce your internet speed. This simple breakdown includes:

  • Broadband - A wide bandwidth for data transmission. Cable, satellite and fiber-optic are just a few popular ways to gain broadband connection.

  • Connection type - This is how you connect to your router. You can connect through WiFi, or directly connect with an ethernet cable. Of course, directly connecting to your router will allow for faster speeds and a more reliable connection, but it isn’t always as convenient.

  • Router - This is a device that forwards data packets between your computer networks. Single-band routers are part of older technology and have the ability to interfere with other single-band connections such as baby monitors, drones, etc. Double band routers use a 5 GHz frequency, therefore no interference with any other devices should occur. 

Things to consider

There’s no question about it - routers aren't aesthetic, and most people try to hide them behind furniture and inside cabinets. Doing this can actually weaken your router's signal, therefore compromising the speed of your internet. Consider also getting your router off the ground, as other device’s signals might interfere with its capabilities.

Restart your router regularly. Yes, even when it seems to be functioning properly. This is a great way to refresh your router and give it a chance to clear any data it may have stored on the back-end.

Lastly, make sure you’re using the right connection. Services usually come with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. As previously mentioned, 5 GHz allows for a more stable and reliable connection because it has more channels and is less likely to be interfered with.

Looking For a New Internet Provider?

Infinium’s wireless and fiber internet solutions offer unlimited data with speeds that meet your needs and budget, powered by Victoria Electric Cooperative. Now serving: Port O’Connor, Port Lavaca, Seadrift, Victoria, Inez, Bloomington, and Placedo.