Internet Service Options for Your Rental Home

In the modern world, you need a connection to the Internet. Getting it set up in a new place can be a hassle, especially if you don’t know what you need to get. If you’re presented with internet service options, which do you take? Here are the options and pros and cons of each.

Fiber connection

A fiber connection is the best deal that you can hope for, with incredibly high speeds and often not unreasonably high prices. The problem is that you’re not very likely to have the chance. You’re only likely to find fiber set up in really dense, urban areas, and even if you live in a city with it, availability usually varies from building to building. Still, if you can get it, you’ll have the best consumer internet money can buy.

Cable modem

A cable modem is what most people will have and works just fine for it. These are offered by the same companies that offer cable TV and uses the same wiring. Speeds aren’t nearly as great as fiber optic connections, but are more than sufficient for all but the most intensive internet use.

DSL

DSL isn’t going to be your first choice, but it’s still an okay option. It will generally be offered by phone companies, but is significantly slower than cable internet. If you aren’t a heavy internet user, then it might work for you, but if you do any heavy use, such as watching a lot of Netflix or online gaming, you’re going to want more.

Satellite internet

Worst case, you can always get a satellite connection. These will work just about anywhere, so long as you can get a line of sight connection to a satellite dish. Just don’t expect great connection speeds - this is the option of last resort, not anyone’s first choice.

Things to keep in mind

As you get internet set up for your rental home, here are some other things to keep in mind.

• Ask your landlord and neighbors about your options. The landlord can tell you all of the choices you have, while your neighbors can give a practical comparison.
• Your options are going to be quite limited by geography. For the most part, you’ll only have one or two internet providers of any type in a given area. For fiber internet especially, it may not even be available where you live.
• Compare different plans before buying anything. There are many different internet speeds available, so you may want to start with a lower one and upgrade if you need to. Also see if bundles with cable TV give you cheaper options, since they’re often sold together by the same company.
• In a pinch, you can use different ways to get on the internet. If there are free or open Wi-Fi networks nearby, they can work while you wait for the actual service to be set up, but don’t rely on it. You can also tether to your cell phone to get online, though how much that costs will depend on the specifics of your cell phone plan.

There are a lot of options you could have for internet service, but the general rules are pretty simple. Of the options listed above, you’ll want the highest that’s available in your area. Shop around if you can, and search for the best bundles to save some money.