The internet has become a necessity for many people around the world and the quality of the internet that you receive depends on your ISP. Choosing the right internet service provider is important to receive quality internet at your home. With so many internet providers available, it can be difficult to choose one from the other. Although there are many things that you can look for in an ISP, here are five questions to ask before choosing an internet service provider
1. What Type of Internet Connection Do You Offer?
The type of internet connection offered by the ISP is an important question that you must ask, as it can significantly impact your online experience. Various types of internet connections are being offered by ISPs nowadays including DSL, Cable Internet, Fiber Optic, and Satellite. You should inquire about the type of internet connection that you will be getting from the ISP and how it will align with your needs for speed, reliability, and availability. Currently, the best and most reliable option is the fiber optic internet that can fulfill most of your needs for speeds, reliability, and availability.
2. Are Speeds Guaranteed?
It has been a common occurrence that most internet service providers advertise about one speed and deliver the other. Before you choose an ISP, you should confirm with the ISP that the speeds they will be providing will be exactly what they had promised or not. If not, then what are the speeds that you can realistically expect?
Sometimes, ISPs claim about one thing and deliver the other. This catches many users off guard and they are not able to do much, since they have already signed up with the ISP. So, before choosing the ISP, ensure that the speeds that they have mentioned are guaranteed or not.
3. Are There Any Hidden or Other Fees?
Before you finalize the decision to sign up with an ISP, a very important question that you must ask is whether there are other hidden fees. Some ISPs are transparent, true to their word, and mention all the costs upfront while others have some hidden fees that they hide in the fine print. Installation fees, gateway fees, cancellation fees, and modem fees may be hidden in the fine print and you might be unaware of all these hidden fees.
Before you decide to sign a contract with an ISP, you should ask them to be transparent about the associated costs and provide you with the cost breakdown. Choosing an ISP that is transparent about its billing practices right from the start is usually a good choice.
4. Do You Offer Bundled Services?
It has become quite common for ISPs to offer bundled services, which include internet, TV, and phone. For most consumers, bundled services are convenient and cost-effective. You should ask the ISP whether they offer bundled services or not. If they do, what services are included in it and will they help you set up all the services (right from configuring the internet on the wireless router through 192.168.0.1 to setting up the TV with the modem) or not? Also, carefully review the terms and conditions of the bundled services and ask about hidden costs or fees to avoid any surprises.
5. What Is Your Tech Support Team Like?
Choosing an ISP with well-qualified tech support is important and can help you on the go about the problems that you are facing regarding your internet. Whether it is changing the WiFi on 192.168.1.1 or a major modem problem, the tech support team should be able to help you resolve the problem, both on-site and remotely through phone calls. Ask the ISP, what are their support hours. What is the level of their technical expertise? Do they understand the complex networking problems? What are the average response times for customer inquiries?
These are important things that you should inquire about from the ISP before choosing to sign up with it, as an ISP with a good support team will be able to resolve most of your problems in no time.