ScaleBright Solutions - Blog

Thoughts and ideas on people and technology.

How To Buy Internet

June 25, 2024

You’ve most likely run into this before; you’ve moved to a new home, or your office has moved, or a new branch is opening, and you need an internet connection. Where do you even start? How do you pick the right one?

We can break down this decision into elements which handily fit in The 5 Ws of Journalism (Who, What, When, Where, Why (and sometimes How).

Why: This might seem silly, but ask yourself if you really do need an internet connection at the location you’re considering, or if you could get away without one. Could smartphones with cellular be used instead? Is permanent work-from-home an option for the staff here? If the answer is “actually I don’t think we need internet here!” you can skip the rest of the questions and go straight to a coffee break!

Who: Is this a personal / home internet connection, or for an organization? While there are some edge cases where a personal connection will work for an org, or a business or enterprise connection is needed for a home, the vast majority of the time you’ll choose a personal connection for home and a business connection an organization.

Where: Where are you? Location will be a major factor in what kinds of internet connections are available, and in some cases may even limit you to a single option. Generally, if you’re in a city you’ll have every option, and if you’re rural you’ll have two: satellite and cellular. We’ll get into the details of those later. Either way, a good starting point is to search for your city or area on the “National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map”. After searching, scroll down below the map and expand the “Internet service providers (ISP) in the area” dropdown. Note that this system isn’t going to be as up to date as provider’s own data, and availability isn’t guaranteed.

What: What are you doing with your internet connection? Is it just for checking emails, or will you be doing things like video conferencing too (Zoom, etc.)? Do you have security cameras you want to be able to view remotely? Make a list of “internet things” you want to be able to do to give to the provider later. I’ll include a non-exhaustive list of items to get you started at the end of the post.*

When: How soon do you need it? Are you in a hurry to get it installed? Pick a “nice to have” date and a “must have” date to also give to the provider later.

How: How are you connecting? This question is a bit more technical and your options may be limited by the answers to the other questions. Here’s a list of internet connection types and a brief overview of each:

Fiber optic: If available to you, this is the best option for home, business, and enterprise connections. It will be the fastest and most dependable by a wide margin.
Coax: You may recognize this as the old cable TV technology, but in the late 1990s providers started transitioning the infrastructure over to high-speed internet. The latest generations of the technology are capable of speeds similar to fiber optic, but don’t have the same level of stability or lifespan.
Satellite: While there are other satellite internet providers, none are currently able to compete with Starlink. The hardware and installation can be expensive (especially the business-class systems), but it’s the best option for rural offices and connected homes.
Fixed wireless: In the mid 2000s governments in Canada saw the need for rural areas to have high-speed internet options, and fixed wireless was the best available solution for low-density areas. Hundreds of small regional WISPs (wireless internet service providers) had their infrastructure funded by government programs (mostly radio towers and their associated equipment). Most affordable WISP technology has been surpassed by Starlink, though existing residential customers are unlikely to switch due to the cost and narrow upgrade benefits.
Cellular: Mostly marketed as 5G, internet over cellular is a viable option for rural offices and homes where speed and monthly bandwidth (how much you can use your internet) are not a high priority or if there are no other options. It’s also sometimes used as a backup for high-availability enterprise connections.
Twisted pair: Also known as copper pair or telephone cable, twisted pair has been used in western Canada since AGT and BC Tel transitioned from open wire lines in the 1920s. ADSL (the technology behind high-speed internet over twisted pair) has largely been phased out, but is still available in some areas where there are no other options.

*Potential Internet Usage Items

Home / personal:

Online shopping
Streaming movies & music
Online gaming
Smart home devices (thermostats, lights, etc.)
Online education / e-learning
Telehealth & online medical consultations

Business & enterprise:

Security cameras
Email
Online banking & payroll
Social media & advertising
Videoconferencing
Cloud storage & file sharing
Remote work & telecommuting
Web browsing
Online customer support
E-commerce
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
Data backup
High-frequency trading platforms
Managed IT services & remote support