What Type of Internet Do You Have at Home?

Fiber is truly the fastest, most reliable, and most high-tech internet around. Unlike internet connections like cable and DSL, it doesn’t rely on older or potentially outdated communications infrastructure. Instead, it carries data over light signals through its own spiffy network of fiber-optic cabling.

That makes fiber incredibly powerful and fast, capable of reaching up to 50Gbps (although 1Gbps is far more common, and all you really need). It also lets you take advantage of symmetrical internet speeds. This way you can upload enormous video files, do Zoom video-conferencing, and complete other upload-heavy tasks with fast speeds and no interruptions.

Costs for fiber plans are comparable to what you’ll find for cable internet plans, but generally more expensive than fixed wireless. They’re a much better deal than satellite, though, where you pay a lot for speeds that aren’t so reliable.

Pros:

• Efficient connections
• Symmetrical upload and download speeds

Cons:

• Less availability
• Higher prices

Cable internet is reliable, fast, and pretty much ubiquitous. Most cable internet providers now use fiber in their core network but keep coax cables in place for the “last mile” due to cost.

Believe it or not, the technology is capable of 10,000Mbps (10Gbps) download speeds, but the fastest plan you’ll find right now is 2,000Mbps. 

In some cases, cable internet can slow down during peak hours since your service draws from a neighborhood-wide network. Cable also tends to feature regular price hikes, so your bill can go up after a year or two of service. But cable companies are usually game to negotiate, so don’t be afraid of calling up your provider and asking for a promotional hookup if it’s time for your bill to go up.

Pros:

• Fast speeds
• Frequent promo offers

Cons:

• Possible contract requirements
• Possible data caps

Instead of photons zooming through fiberglass or signals beaming across the latest telecom protocols, DSL internet carries data over the old-school wiring of a landline phone network. That makes DSL many times slower than cable or fiber—and the signal gets even weaker as you get farther away from the main network.

But if you can get 25 Mbps on DSL or faster in your area, you’re pretty much good to go. You won’t be able to rely on it for uploading terabyte-sized film projects to YouTube or doing Netflix movie marathons in 4K resolution. But you can still stream in HD, surf social media, and do plenty of other stuff with minimal issues as long as you live in a small household.

DSL used to be available everywhere, but network upgrades are replacing old phone cables with new fiber ones. In most cases, we’d recommend fiber or fixed wireless instead anyway.

Pros:

• Wide availability
• Straightforward pricing

Cons:

• Slower speeds
• Inconsistent performance depending on area

5G is built on the latest generation of wireless technology, which promises superspeeds of 2,000 Mbps and faster with minimal buffering. The technology works best in densely populated areas, so 5G rollouts are mostly focused around towns and cities.

Pros:

• Decent speeds
• Affordable, straightforward pricing

Cons:

• Limited availability
• Congestion-related slowdowns

4G LTE internet gives you a Wi-Fi connection over a 4G wireless network. It’s what you get when you use the internet data on your phone or a mobile hotspot, or if you have a fixed wireless internet connection in areas that can’t get 5G.

Speeds can be inconsistent because they depend on where you are in relation to the nearest cell tower, but there are perks. Prices are low, and it may be available where cable and fiber aren’t. 4G LTE is an excellent alternative to satellite internet, since it gives you faster speeds and, in most cases, unlimited data.

Pros:

• Available in remote areas where 5G isn’t
• Faster than satellite internet (and has more data too)

Cons:

• Slower than fiber and cable internet
• Available only in areas with excess cellular capacity

Old-fashioned fixed wireless technology delivers internet over radio signals beamed to an antenna console that you install in your home. It’s not a particularly common internet type, but it does come in handy in cities with bad internet service and in rural areas where your only other option is satellite internet, which tends to be slower and cost more.

That said, fixed wireless internet will still give you slower speeds and less data for the money compared to cable, DSL, and fiber providers. You’ll likely also have limitations when it comes to monthly data usage. But fixed wireless is usually offered by smaller internet providers, so that means you can get more personalized customer service experience.

Pros:

• Great rural option
• Cheaper than satellite internet

Cons:

• Limited coverage
• Monthly data caps

Satellite internet works by beaming a signal down from satellites in space. That means you can get satellite internet basically anywhere in the US. But it also means your internet will be fairly slow because your signal has to travel literally to space and back again—a distance that could span up to 1,200 miles one way—to reach your computer, tablet, or phone.

Satellite internet could get a lot more spectacular in the near future as companies like SpaceX race to launch LEO (low-Earth orbit) satellites into the cosmos to provide improved speeds and reduced latency. Until then, we recommend satellite internet as a fallback if you can’t get any other type of internet service.

Pros:

• Nationwide availability
• Potential for growth with new tech

Cons:

• Slow speeds and high latency
• Low data limits