The National Broadband Network (NBN) keeps growing by the day. Australians are getting excited because they’ll finally have access to a world-class internet connection. So far, a large number of internet service providers are offering packages.
Resellers are trying to get in on the action too. Australians can even look towards Singapore when signing up for NBN plans. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen something like this rollout, so it’s leaving lots of people completely confused.
Finding the Right NBN Plan Is Tough
In some countries, an industry regulator will keep internet service providers in line. Ofcom, a UK company is the perfect example to use. If internet service providers make claims they’ll double check everything to help narrow down your decision.
You have to find a plan that will suit the needs of your entire family. We’re going to look at some of the areas you’ll likely be interested in. Once you’ve gathered enough information it should help you come to a decision, so let’s look at them now.
1. Data Requirements:
The data you’ll use will depend on a couple of things. Firstly, you’ll need to take into account how much time you spend online every month. Multiply it by the amount of data you’ll use every hour. You have to do it for each member of your family.
If you’re a basic web surfer you’ll only use roughly 300MB of data per hour. This is to look at websites, check your email, and other simple tasks. Gamers will only use around 40MB per hour but downloading and updating can see the total rise to 200GB per month for one person.
Once you start getting into videos you’ll see a sharp rise in usage. Adding videos and photos to social media equals around 1.8GB per hour. Once you start watching movies it hits 3.5GB per hour and will skyrocket your data if you’re always online.
2. Speed and Latency:
NBN plans have been structured around five tiers to help you choose the right one. The speed you’ll need will largely depend on what you’ll be doing when online. If you’re only a basic web surfer like we mentioned before you’ll want Tier 1.
If your family has lots of people who surf the web or constantly post videos and images on social media sites you’ll want Tier 2 and 3. Anything higher and it will be to prevent delays and latency when you’re gaming or watching movies.
For example, if you don’t have a fast enough speed it will be impossible to stream movies smoothly. If your entire family want to watch movies, play games, and go online during peak hours you’ll want to opt for Tier 5 to be safe.
3. Monthly Cost:
The monthly cost is easy to work out. After all, you’ll know exactly how much you can afford. You’ll need to take things like the monthly fee, upfront cost, and minimum contract period into account too.
Lots of people recommend working out how much it will cost you over the lifetime of a contract when you’re comparing plans. Also, don’t forget you can always upgrade your plan if you don’t get it right at the first attempt.
Look Around Online for ISP Advice
The last thing you’ve got to worry about is the reliability of ISPs, like we mentioned earlier on. If you had a rough idea how truthful the stats were it could make your decision much easier.
There are sites on the internet with the information you need. They won’t give you anything official, but people who already use plans will give you all the details about them. You’ll know which ones to stay away from.
