A smarter way to evaluate an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
A reliable internet connection is crucial to smarter living. It carries with it the benefits of home automation, access to online entertainment including music and movie streaming, online gaming, and the ability to host video chats with work colleagues, family and friends. It also enables lightning-fast downloads and uploads, making remote work a seamless exercise.
A reliable internet connection also impacts the safety of your home by integrating remote monitoring into your CCTV surveillance and Visitor Management Systems. Smart technology, security and value-enhancing smart apps are becoming increasingly essential for homeowners, and are only made possible with a fast and stable internet connection.
Fibre-To-The-Home will also increase the desirability and the value of your property. Buyers of houses and apartments are willing to pay a premium for a fibre-connected home, and renters are willing to pay more on average for homes that have fibre, compared to those that don’t.
Selecting the right ISP is an important decision. There are many role players and steps involved, questions of what to expect, who is involved in the process, and what the important things are to look out for to streamline the process. So how does one go about making this big decision?
FIVE FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN EVALUATING AN ISP
Once the trenches are closed up, messy pavements brought back to an aesthetically pleasing condition and driveways cleared, you have to find the best internet service provider (ISP) to connect that fibre line to your home. The first question you should ask is, does your fibre provider allow you to choose your own ISP?
1. Service Level Agreements (SLA)
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contractual commitment between an internet service provider and a customer. It provides guaranteed service KPIs such as uptime, latency, jitter, and response/repair time.
2. Support
The level of support you can expect from the internet service provider once the installation is complete is essential. Look at whether your ISP has ample call centre and field support in the event of a problem or technical query.
3. Line speed
Speed is crucial when finding the right internet provider. Internet speed can range anywhere between 10Mbps – 1Gbps. Choosing the fastest internet plan is tempting, but if you are not careful, you can easily end up paying too much for bandwidth that you will never use. The number of devices using the connection also matters – the more connected devices, the greater the line speed should be to accommodate all the traffic. You need to strike a balance between cost and speed when choosing an ISP.
4. Cost
Value for money should be your main guide when looking for a connection package. In most cases, the price will range depending on the bandwidth or network speeds. Some ISP’s offer unconventional month-to-month contract options, which means no long-term commitments and easier scalability with no red tape.
5. Scalability
As your technology requirements increase, so will your internet needs. Besides that, you might want to add extra services to your current package at a later stage. Ideally, if you plan to add additional devices, which could be internet-heavy, you will need to upgrade your current bandwidth.
Sectional Title Solutions (STS) has partnered with Vox, one of the market-leading end-to-end integrated ICT infrastructure and telecommunications companies, to service internet connectivity needs as well as other smart technology add-on services for community schemes. We guide you throughout the entire process, ensuring that the implementation of our Smart Technology solutions takes your scheme from surviving to thriving.
