How to choose your ISP?
How to choose your ISP?
Hi, I’m looking into whether there are any reliable sources that go beyond the typical speed claims from ISPs. I’m interested in real data like annual blackouts, service interruptions, infrastructure issues, and whether there’s any misleading advertising. Reading social media suggests many ISPs seem to mislead customers. Do you know of any such resources?
All internet service providers have issues. Customer support is often lacking in many places. Your selection usually depends on the technology they employ. For instance, fiber optics is top-notch, followed by cable (coaxial), then VDSL—sometimes this works better than coax, but DSL is generally constrained by distance and rarely exceeds 100 Mbps. Next comes a mix of ADSL, WISP, and LTE—LTE might offer lower latency but could be slower than ADSL in many scenarios. A WISP is a wireless internet service that uses different tech, so speeds and performance vary. Finally, you hit the limits with satellite internet; it’s only practical if you’re really desperate. Unless SpaceX launches a better satellite service, I doubt it will change much.
What county? If you're talking U.S., then, no. But, it hardly matters, because they all suck. Every. Single. Last. One. The U.S. largely has a duopoly system, where you essentially just have your choice of cable or fiber, which one and only one company offering each in each area. And, that's if you're really lucky. Some areas, particularly rural, are lucky to have a single "choice". The big companies like AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, etc. trade areas like baseball cards, and there's virtually no competition. And, since there's no competition, there's no impetus to offer actual quality service, fast speeds, good prices, or really anything that isn't anti-consumer or just marketing BS. The current FCC, the only governmental organization with any real oversight here, has largely shirked it's responsibilities, opting to let ISPs do whatever they like, and of course worked against the American consumer to end net neutrality. Long and short, you basically just pick cable or fiber, assuming you even have any choice at all, and just accept what you get.
LOL! In the USA? @jdjinn I keep it straightforward. Chat with neighbours and friends, particularly those nearby, to learn about their experiences. It's not just about fast internet, but reliable customer service that tackles issues quickly.
Remember much of the US is rural. Its not economical for companies to deploy Fiber. Hell most rural areas are lucky to have 3 Mbps DSL. The Suburbs on the other hand have a great population density but still Phone lines have been on the poles for 100 years and many cable co's made exclusive rights agreements with cities to deploy Coax when cable was first being deployed. So that where we are at. Fiber is generally in the down town of large cities or in areas where rich people live who will pay top dollar for the service. AT&T was caught cherry picking areas based on incomes of the area. On the other side of that is the investors in the companies dont want they to upgrade. Verizon figured that out when they deployed all that Fiber with their FIOS service, but still wasn't making the money the investors wanted. Thats why the big push is on LTE and 5G, where they can over sell services, and not have to invest a lot of upgrade the network.
In the United Kingdom, customers typically have four main options: DSL – a standard link available from most providers except Virgin Media; broadband using unused phone line capacity; coaxial cable – the US norm where internet is bundled with TV services; and FTTC – fiber reaching your home via street boxes before switching to copper. Virgin Media provides all these, with some speed variations. FTTP delivers pure fiber directly to your premises, offering the quickest speeds but at a higher cost and limited availability. The market is dominated by a few dozen providers, each vying on price, service quality, and speed. Choosing between coaxial or FTTC usually means relying on Virgin Media, while DSL and FTTC options are more diverse. This variety is a stark contrast to the limited choices in the US.
Thanks for your feedback. It helps clarify what to anticipate. Although two providers supply fiber in my area, they don’t seem to cover my location, and the issue is latency remains consistent or even higher than with the larger coax service. That coax provider promotes a "gamer plan" but doesn’t address latency or other concerns—essentially empty promises.