It’s time to get ready to go back to school, which means it’s time to start thinking about your internet. Being in school or having children in school means your internet connection must be stable and fast. With Zoom class, group assignment sessions held online and downloading large documents, you want to make sure that your household has the appropriate speeds to meet the demand. Great Plains Communications is a proud participant in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program that helps low-income households stay connected to reliable internet. Learn more about the program here.
More users, less speed
The more people who need to be connected to Wi-Fi, the higher the chance for it to be unreliable because each device is trying to draw power from the same connection. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a bunch of devices connected to Wi-Fi; instead, choose the speed (200, 500 Mbps or 1 Gig) that matches the number of devices, wireless and wired, that require a connection.
Accommodate for working and learning
If devices are concurrently running to support working and learning from home, you may need a stronger speed to achieve functionality. This applies downloading large files, uploading large homework assignments, re-watching class videos, connecting to Teams and more. The National School Board Association’s report from 2019 stated that 70% of teachers assigned homework that required access to broadband internet (speeds of 25 Mbps or higher). The need has only increased since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Router options
Routers are devices that interact with the internet and internet-connected devices bouncing around in your home. A quality router can last for up to three years and extend to all parts of your home, making the decision to choose the correct one much more difficult. Research the type of router, look at reviews and ask experts what they recommend to cater to your needs this school year. An offset to a traditional router is the Whole Home Wi-Fi by Plume, which is a wireless mesh network. This gives you access to manage your network and security from your phone against ransomware and more.
Check what speed you need for your household’s ability to work, stream and learn from home and what fiber internet options are available for you here: https://gpcom.com/residential/internet/