Internet

The Internet has become an integral part of our lives, and we use it for a variety of activities such as streaming movies, downloading music, business, education, gaming, shopping and more. However, having a reliable internet connection is important to ensure that these activities are uninterrupted. In this article we will cover the various types of internet connections available today (satellite, tower and physical wire.) We will also cover what can be done to your network to ensure that you are using your personal network and devices to their full potential such as how to test your internet connection using speedtest.net, Using Ethernet vs Wi-Fi, replacing your ISP-provided router with a personal router, ways to reduce streaming, and more.

Power Outages:

Before we go into depth in this article I would like to point out that sometimes power outages, even if for a second, can cause internet issues. If you are having issues with your internet first check:

• That your Router is on and all connections are securely pressed into each port.
• Ensure that your phone, or computer, has not dropped the WiFi connection to the router. If so you may need to re-connect.
• You may need to log into your routers GUI (Graphical User Interface) to ensure certain functions are still active such as if the Guest network is still active.

Three types of internet connection:

1. Satellite internet:
Satellite internet is a type of connection where data is sent and received using radio waves through a satellite dish to a satellite out in space. This type of connection can be used in remote areas or places with poor terrestrial connections. It typically has high latency, meaning that it takes longer for the signal to reach its destination than other types of connections. It is also susceptible to space weather, local weather, high local winds, and other issues. Out of the three types of internet, it is usually the slowest and most suspectable to signal degradation and other issues. For faster internet speeds it is best to attempt to replace Satellite internet with either of the other two internet types (Tower or Physical).

2. Tower Internet:
The next type of connection is tower internet, which also uses radio frequency signals to send and receive data between the home and a tower. This type of connection is usually used in urban areas or places with good terrestrial connections. It is usually faster than satellite connections and has less latency than satellite internet. This type of connection can also be easily interrupted by weather, land, trees and high winds. Tower internet is also commonly interrupted by physical objects such as trees or other buildings. On average it provides internet speeds between that of Satellite and physical wire internet connections. I currently have Tower internet and am lucky enough to be able to do some gaming with it – though I do know some people who are not so lucky as I am.

3. Physical Internet:
The final type of connection is physical wiring, which is the fastest type of internet connection available. Out of the three types of Internet – this is the best type to try to have. Though not all homes will be able to receive physical internet due to location. This type of connection uses copper, or fiber optic, cables to send and receive data all the way to the house from the ISP (Internet Service Provider). It typically has the lowest latency, offers the fastest speed, and is the most reliable of the three types. It is very rarely impacted by weather. However, it can be interrupted by power outages. I have had Fiber internet in the past and to me it is a must have when available.

WiFi vs Ethernet connections:

WiFi is a great tool to use for casual internet connections. However, to get the most from your internet connection, you should use an Ethernet cable whenever possible. WiFi connections allow for mobile connections to your home router but are typically slower than Ethernet connections. Ethernet will ensure that you get the fastest speeds and lowest latency as well as a more reliable connection. It is important to keep in mind that WiFi signals can be blocked by things like walls and furniture, which reduces signal quality and speed. Also the further away from the WiFi router the more issues you will have.

It is advisable to use Ethernet for gaming, streaming, or other activities that require higher speeds. I personally use Ethernet for all possible devices on my home network – If it has a Ethernet port it is being used instead of WiFi. I always ensure my Desktop, Printer, NAS (Network Attached Storage), Gaming consoles, and any other device connected to the router via Ethernet!

Replace ISP provided router with a new one:

Over time, the router from your internet service provider may become outdated and may not be able to handle the bandwidth you are now using. Also, sometimes the ISP-provided router is just a low-quality router that was never that great to begin with – this is especially true for Wi-Fi speeds and Wi-Fi range. For this reason, I myself always will invest in my own router that is suited to my needs with more modern features such as dual-band Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet ports. Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ask them how you can install your own router in place of their router as every ISP is different. With some Providers, routers are simply Plug-&-Play meaning that a new router can be simply plugged into the internet and it will work. However, other Internet Providers are NOT Plug-&-Play and are much more complicated and you may need to take your new router into their shop to have them program the router for you before it can be installed into your home/business. Ensure to contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for instructions on how to use your own router before you purchase one.

Ethernet over Power (EoP)

EoP devices will not work for every situation. An example would be connecting a detached garage to your home router. This is because the detached garage would most likely be on a separate breaker from the house. In short both 110v ports need to be on the same breaker in order for them to communicate with each other.

Ethernet over Power (EoP) could easily be confused with Power over Ethernet (PoE). While these two terms are similar, they are complete opposites of each other. Ensure that you purchase the correct device.

 

Test your internet speed:

To test the speed of your internet connection, you can use a website such as https://www.speedtest.net/. This website will allow you to measure the download and upload speeds of your internet connection. It is important to understand that even though your ISP (internet service provider) may advertise certain speeds, it may not always be what you are receiving due to various factors.

The above photo is the speed results for my house using SpeedTest.Net. The 90 Download and 19 Upload speeds are fine for a one person household with a single gamer. But once you add more people to the household where there are multiple streamers/gamers then these speeds may not quite be enough to keep up.

Find ways to reduce streaming:

Streaming can be quite taxing on your bandwidth, especially if you are streaming multiple videos or shows. Streaming paired with slow internet can be frustrating. To reduce the impact of streaming on your connection, try downloading videogames, movies, or TV shows from streaming companies such as Amazon Prime Video before watching, or playing, them. If you download videos overnight while you are asleep or start the downloads in the morning before work then you are using your bandwidth during times that would naturally be times the internet is being used less. If you play games look for video games that do not play over the internet.

Video Quality:
If you are trying to watch a movie but your computer seems to not be able to keep up and constantly buffers or skips. Then, try lowering the video quality. Often times video is set to 1080P by default. But the quality can be reduced all the way down to 144P in some situations. By lowering the quality this reduces how much Bandwidth is being used and while the video may not look as sharp, it will have a greater chance of playing smoothly with a lower chance of needing to buffer.

User Device:

Your internet connection may be able to handle certain speeds, however, your devices (such as phones or computers) may not be able to take advantage of those speeds. If you have a slow phone, laptop, or old desktop then it is likely that your device can’t take advantage of the high-speed connection you are paying for. Investing in computer upgrades or purchasing newer devices (that are faster) may  help to improve your internet speeds for that device.

Browser Tabs:

Similar to streaming, your Browser Tabs may be slowing down your connection to your internet. Each tab consumes a certain amount of bandwidth and computer resources, so bookmarking and closing any unnecessary tabs will help reduce the strain on your internet connection and will also reduce resources used by your user device.

• For Windows users. Checkout my post on Windows Task Manager.

Microsoft Edge has integrated its own browser tab program that will put unused tabs to sleep. There are also web browser programs for another web browser that will pause tabs that have not been viewed in a certain amount of time – these plugins make saving bandwidth from unused browser tabs automatic. One downfall to using these plugins is that they can randomly put a tab to sleep that you are currently using – while it does not happen often it can erase data that you are working on if the data is not saved.

UPS:

It is important to have your Home Router, NAS, computers, and other office equipment on an UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Having an UPS will protect the devices connected to it from power surges and power outages – both extending the life and quality of your devices and preventing data corruption. Power surges can damage sensitive electronics such as modems and routers as well as cause data corruption for any data stored on all devices. When routers lose power it may lose local network information and change IP addresses on your network forcing users to look up what the new IP addresses are for network-attached devices. When a NAS loses power it can lose user data stored on its hard-drives. When a computer loses power it can cause data to become corrupt.

It is also important to keep other internet related devices connected to the battery side of the UPS such as any internet dishes mounted on top of your house or if your ISP requires a Internet Modem to be installed physically in your house. If your router is on the UPS but the Internet Modem is not then your internet will drop during a power outage and sometimes there can be issues restoring your connection.

When using an UPS keep in mind that majority of them have two sections for the power ports – one set is protected by the battery bank within the UPS and the other set of power ports is only protected by a surge protector and not the battery. Each UPS is build differently but should have a visual indicator on it to inform you as to which section is battery protected.

UPS Recommendations:

Check out my article on UPS here

VPN (Virtual Private Network):

A VPN provides protection by encrypting data and routing it through a secure tunnel – However, this can slow down your internet speeds. The reason for this is that the process of establishing a secure connection between your computer and the VPN server takes time, so there will be some additional latency added to your overall connection speed. Additionally, the encryption process of the data itself takes some time, further decreasing your internet speed. Depending on what type of encryption the VPN uses and the quality of its server, speeds can be decreased by as much as 50% or more. To mitigate this issue, you should choose a VPN that provides high-speed connections with strong encryption protocols and make sure to use servers located close to your current location. Additionally, it is important to make sure that your internet connection can handle the additional stress of running a VPN at its full speed.

One method to using a VPN is to split your internet data between a VPN and without using a VPN. By splitting your internet data between the two you can take advantage of the protection that a VPN provides for sites that you want to be protected, such as working on business, and data that you do not care is protected such as watching music videos on YouTube. There are different types of VPNs that this Article will not be covering as this topic deserves an Article all on its own.

Conclusion:

Internet speed is incredibly important and there are a few steps you can take to ensure that you are getting the most out of your connection. Use speedtest.net to test the current performance of your connection and see what speeds you are currently receiving. Consider replacing your ISP-provided router with one that has modern features such as dual-band Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet ports for better speed. Download movies or TV shows from streaming services overnight to reduce the impact of streaming on your connection. Finally, consider upgrading your devices if they are not able to take advantage of the speeds you are receiving. Following these steps should help to get the most out of your internet connection. Thanks for reading!