Everything you need to know before signing up for internet at home

In the times in which we live, it is really complicated to spend more than a day living in our home without internet, as there are more and more functions that we perform daily with it, such as working from our own homes, which makes this service even more indispensable. 

Many may think that registering for this service is something so simple that it can be done at any time, but the reality is that if you want to contract the best for your home and that it also fits your pocket, it is essential to consider certain factors. 

Even though we are aware of the great importance of the internet in our lives, many people still do not know which type of internet is best suited to their needs, and this leads them to contract the highest speed fibre optic, without even knowing whether or not their area has it.

How do I know what kind of internet I can sign up for?

To contract this service properly, it is necessary to take just a few minutes and look at the possibilities we have. Nowadays, the facilities we have to contract internet in our homes are numerous, which means that it hardly takes us any time to do so, although this process has been simplified a lot over the years, this does not mean that certain things should not be looked at. 

In order to know what type of internet we can contract in our home, it is absolutely essential to check the fibre coverage in the area where the new home is located. 

Although fibre optic is the most widespread technology in Spain for providing internet in homes, and although its coverage practically extends to the entire national territory, there are still areas that do not have it, either because the house is located in areas that are difficult to access or in a rural area where it has not yet been possible to install the necessary cabling. 

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is important that, before signing up for any tariff, you check the fibre coverage that exists in your area. Once you know if you have it or not, you can start to see which internet tariff is best for you.

Alternatives to fibre optics 

If you have already checked the fibre coverage and have seen that your area does not have it, there is no need to throw your hands over your head, because there are other options to have internet in your home. 

1. ADSL: this technology continues to be one of the best alternatives to fibre, even though it is no longer in use. Companies only have it available for this type of situation. 
2. 4G in your home: this connection is powered by the 4G in your own mobile phone, nothing needs to be installed for it to work and the router is very easy to move. 
3. Satellite internet: this technology is much less common than the previous ones, it is used in places where access is really difficult or the area is too rural.

The connection speed of fibre optic, which is better? 

As the most common is that the location where your new home is located has fibre optic, another step that you should look at before signing up for a tariff or even start looking at them is to know what connection speed you will need, knowing this will help you pay for what you really need. 

• If you use the internet to check your email, watch a series or a movie and there are only one or two of you using the internet at home, a speed of 100 Mb will be enough. 
• If you use the internet to work from home, watch streaming and do some downloading and there are no more than two of you at home, 300 Mb of speed is the appropriate speed to contract, and this is the most common option. 
• If you make large internet downloads, use it to play online games, telework and you need everything to load super fast and not get hung up, 600 Mb or 1GB speed is the most advisable. This is also the recommended speed if you are four or more people living in the same house and using the same service. 

Once you have checked whether or not your area has fibre coverage – and if it does – it is time to start thinking about your internet usage and choose what speed you are interested in contracting, once you have this clear, you can start to compare the best fibre and mobile offers available. 

Making a comparison as a preliminary step before signing up for anything will help you to have an overview of all the companies and the tariffs offered by each one that are of interest to you. This is the only way to make sure that you have contracted the best internet service for your home.