Dorset was an early adopter in the landscape of fibre internet, first arriving in Charmouth and Wooten Fitzpaine in 2014. Since then, official statistics have mapped super-fast fibre coverage in Dorset at around 96% of premises, and still growing. While many of us have already made the jump to fibre of some kind, there’s still confusion about what you really need, when you should upgrade, and what other elements might be affecting your home internet speed.
How Much Speed Do You Need?
The speed required from home internet depends on the use case, but generally it’s nothing close to the ultra-fast standard of 1 Gbps, or 1,000 Mbps. A good way to look at it is by calculating the maximum demand you’ll place on bandwidth and multiplying that by the number of active users.
For example, according to the official Netflix help section, ultra-high-definition video requires around 15 Mbps of bandwidth, though it’s better to aim for some leeway at around 25 Mbps. Even at these demands, a 1,000 Mbps fibre connection could handle 40 users at once, which is unlikely on one connection, to say the least. For most households, around 200-500 Mbps will be more than enough.
Source: Pixabay
Other Possible Reasons for Slow Home Internet
A common complaint we’ve seen with our friends in Dorset is that, even with faster plans, their internet is still unreliable and slow. In our experience, this is almost always the result of a poor-quality router, or more often, poor Wi-Fi connection quality.
Buying a better router can alleviate this issue, or you might consider a power-line adapter to help boost the signal around your home. There’s also the option of wiring a house with internet cables, which is a more direct approach to future-proofing for your online needs.
Getting Ahead of the Curve
Upgrading your home internet isn’t just about getting what you want faster, it can also play an important part in the next step in home technology. Combined with systems like smart tech, fibre installs offer appreciable contributions to home valuation if you choose to sell. A modern and fast-paced online estate agent takes these upgrades into account, andcombined with no hidden fees and free cash offers, can help provide better sales.
If you already have a fibre plan that suits you well, it can still be worth exploring new plans thanks to the gradual lowering of prices. A plan you purchased years ago is likely available now for much cheaper, it’s just that ISPs often won’t inform users. Take another look at what’s available, and you might be able to spend less for similar speeds, or the same price for much faster home internet.
Source: Pixabay
Fibre in Dorset is just another step in the ever-lasting march into a more technological future. Thankfully, we’re now at a stage when ultra-fast options probably won’t require further upgrades for the foreseeable future, so you won’t have to keep track of evolving speeds or plans. Consider making the jump if you haven’t already, and at the very least, your days of pixelated and low-quality movie and TV streams could permanently become a thing of the past.
