Tips For Finding The Right ISP To Take Your Business Online

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Every business needs Internet service. Whether you sell clothing, work as a freelance writer, or own a car-parts store, the majority of your customer base uses mobile and desktop devices to access the Internet. They use this service to comparison shop, to find local businesses in their areas, and to look up coupon codes and nearby promotions. Your business needs to have an Internet presence in the form of a website or blog to stay competitive in today's digital-shopping age.

If you haven't yet stepped into the 21st Century by contracting with an Internet service provider, there are a few things to remember that will help you choose both the provider and the package that best suits your needs:

Find Out Who Offers the Service in Your Area

There's a National Broadband Map available online to help you discover which Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, operate in your geographic location. You can plug in your address to get a better idea of Which ISPs serve your area. Using the map, you can find the following information:

  • Which ISPs operate in your area.
  • Advertised Internet speeds
  • Size of the area served
  • Whether a provider offers wired or wireless service
  • The average Internet speed in your area

Using this information, you can contact each individual ISP to inquire about rates and packages. 

Ask About Bundled Packages

Just like car insurance, Internet service is often cheaper if you combine it in a bundle with other services such as phone or cable. For instance, the cost to sign up for straight Internet access to your home or place of business might run $50 a month, your cable TV service another $60 a month, and your landline phone another $50, for a total of $160 a month for the three. But if you purchase Internet, cable, and phone all from one cable service provider, you can often save big bucks off your monthly bill. 

Find Out if there's an Internet Cap

Wired companies sometimes cap your monthly Internet usage. This means they allow you a certain amount of usage for a certain price, and if you go over, your bill goes up. Make sure you check into this before signing up for any Internet service. Companies that place caps typically have multiple packages available for their customers to choose from. This helps you get the service that best fits your individual needs without costing you an arm and a leg. 

If you do opt-in to capped Internet, make sure you understand how to check your usage from time to time throughout the month to see where you're at. This is the responsibility of the customer, not the ISP, and it will pay to stay on top of things where your Internet usage is concerned. 

Familiarize Yourself With What's Out There

There are different types of Internet service available, and each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Having a firm grasp of which type of service best suits your needs will go far in helping you make an educated choice between the options:

  • Cable is provided by your local cable television company.
  • Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL is delivered through your land line telephone.
  • Satellite Internet is bounced to you from various satellite locations.
  • Fiber Optic Service, or FIOS is delivered via optical lines. It's the fastest and most expensive service available. 
  • Dial-Up requires your computer to "dial in" to your ISP just like it's making a phone call. This service is slower and somewhat outdated.

The first four options are considered high-speed broadband Internet, while dial-up service is not. Not many providers still offer dial-up service because of it's many disadvantages to broadband, but if you live in a very remote area, it may be the only way to obtain Internet service. 

Once you understand the ins and outs of Internet service and what you need to look for in a provider, getting it up and running is a snap. The longer your business lingers without an Internet presence, the more customers you're losing. Make the choice to get online today by visiting sites like http://www.rtconline.com to get started.

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18 August 2015

get the most out of your internet service provider

Working from home has opened many doors for me and forced me to learn new things that I previously had no interest in before. Over the ten years that I have been working from home, I have learned a whole lot about internet service providers. I learned what to look for in a good provider, how to maximize the speed of the service that I receive and how to get the best possible price for the service I need to do my job. My site is loaded with tips and advice to help other people get the most from their internet service provider.