Internet connectivity at home has become a necessity in the Digital Age. Having an Internet connection at home has become indispensable to be able to perform work-related tasks, online learning activities, or even connecting with your relatives and friends due to the less-than-normal lifestyle brought about by the pandemic.
The most important factor in choosing the right connection for your home is: What type of Internet connection do you prefer? The most popular form of Internet connection nowadays is Broadband which has two types namely: Fixed/Wired Broadband (Fiber Optic, DSL or VDSL) and Wireless Broadband (Pocket Wi-Fi, Wireless Modem, and Mobile Phone Tethering).
Of course, the availability of an Internet facility in your area may vary so a little bit of research on your part is required so that you can select the best option available based on your monthly budget and your Internet bandwidth requirement. The best thing to do when choosing the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) is to ask your neighbors and friends what type and which plan they are subscribed to currently. It does not really matter whether it is Prepaid or Postpaid as long it will be able to cater to your Internet needs at home.
The best Internet connection you can possibly avail of nowadays is an FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) or Fiber-Optic connection. If not, then the next best thing is a Very high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) which still uses obsolete copper wires from your home to the ISP’s network cabinet. Most local ISPs do promise to upgrade all copper lines (DSL and VDSL) to FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) in the next couple of years. Service availability varies depending on what’s currently available in your area but if you can get a VDSL connection now better get one. VDSL practically provides the same subscribed maximum speed as fiber albeit with higher latencies. A wired broadband connection is still more reliable compared to a wireless connection period.
For Wireless broadband which uses 4G/LTE and 5G technology, you may do some Mobile Data testing first using your mobile phone so you can have an idea which ISP will serve you best in your area. Some ISPs may not be able to provide the quality of service you may require or even the speed that is required for online learning or online meetings. Do note that 5G technology is not yet available in all areas so don’t be fooled by the hype of 5G since 4G/LTE is still the mainstream mobile wireless technology available in major cities and municipalities in the Philippines.
For a more detailed overview of the various types of Internet access technologies, you may visit this blog.
https://netlab.com.ph/2021/02/08/types-of-internet-access-technologies/
Prepaid
It is almost a given that you may opt for Prepaid Wireless most especially if you are not a heavy-user and would like to just be able to have an Internet connection that will allow you to do research or check emails from time to time or even upload/share work-related files in the cloud. Students who are currently enrolled in online schooling may even avail of specific data promotions that will suit their requirement. There are various options available for Prepaid Wireless. You may use the sites below for reference.
Disclaimer: Some Prepaid Data promotions and packages change from time to time so better keep yourself updated regarding the latest Data promotions and packages.
Smart Bro
https://smart.com.ph/bro/data-promos/
PLDT Home Prepaid
https://pldthome.com/homewifi?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6Or_BRC_ARIsAPzuer8uLk1PtK6wh-Bq4Z5bSI3cElfH9QNmndWwZU25GwiJeHK1RKXc7-kaAh6WEALw_wcB
Globe Prepaid
https://www.globe.com.ph/broadband/prepaid-wifi.html
Do note that with Prepaid Wireless plans, you will have to enroll in Data promotions and packages regularly since they do expire even if you have not fully consumed your Data allocation for a specific period like three days, one week, fifteen days, and thirty days. You need to put in your calendar the date you subscribed to a specific promotion/package because you need to enroll again either to the same promotion/package or a new one.
Postpaid
There are two types of Postpaid Broadband plans available namely: Fixed/Wired Broadband and Wireless Broadband. As mentioned earlier, the availability of both types of connections may vary depending on the area. But in terms of reliability, fixed/wired broadband is the better option especially if your home is in the Metro area or City. Wireless Broadband may be the best option for those areas where wired broadband is not available like in remote areas.
Unlike Wireless Broadband which practically works like a mobile phone minus the call capability, installation time for fixed/wired broadband may take a while due to the ongoing community quarantine while you can easily apply online and receive your Postpaid 4G/LTE Wireless Modem either thru delivery or you pick one up from the nearest business center of your preferred ISP. You may check the links below for reference as to the best suitable plan for your Internet requirements at home.
Smart Bro
https://smart.com.ph/bro/plans/bro-postpaid-plans/
PLDT Home Fibr
Globe
(Wired)
https://www.globe.com.ph/broadband.html?idTab=plans&indexTab=wired
Globe (Wireless)
https://www.globe.com.ph/broadband.html?idTab=plans&indexTab=wireless
Converge ICT (Wired)
https://www.convergeict.com/fiberx/
SKY
Fiber (Wired)
https://www.mysky.com.ph/skyfiber
How much Bandwidth Do You Need?
If you have already decided on what type of connection and which ISP is best suited for you then the next question would be how much bandwidth do you really need at home? Will 10Mbps or 20Mbps be enough? Well, it would highly depend on the number of devices you intend to connect to your Wi-Fi connection at home. 3-5 devices would need at least 10-20Mbps while anything above 5 devices would require at least 20Mbps or higher. Another point to consider would be the type of Internet users in your household. If you intend to do some heavy video-streaming like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or any other video streaming service then you will most definitely need an Unlimited Plan with the highest bandwidth you can possibly afford. The higher the plan you choose, the better especially for multiple users and devices. For online learning and online meetings, 5-10Mbps may be enough provided you can minimize the number of devices as well as keep bandwidth-intensive activities to a minimum.
Nowadays, 50Mbps would be the safest bet for a broadband connection since any slowdown may still provide a decent speed and make your connection at home still useable. Remember, advertised speeds do not necessarily translate to actual speed. For example, most ISPs in the Philippines guarantees 80% service reliability and minimum guaranteed speed depends on the subscribed plan, but they do not mention or highlight this in their advertisements and most of the time potential subscribers are overwhelmed by ISPs with their Up-To or maximum bandwidth speeds i.e. 20Mbps, 30Mbps, 50Mbps. You should not expect that you will be able to enjoy the maximum speed all the time especially for Wireless Broadband.
Customer Support
In choosing a home broadband plan, you need to research also the reliability of an ISPs after-sales support or customer service. It does not end on subscription alone because there will be times wherein you will be needing technical assistance especially if the problem is with the physical line or your modem is experiencing a LOS or Loss of Signal. Choose an ISP that has reliable Customer Support because you will never know when you will be needing an onsite visit from your ISP’s technical team. This is often overlooked by potential subscribers because they think they do not have to get in touch with their ISP after their Internet connection at home has already been installed.