Today, Internet speed is essential for anything: working, studying or even playing online. There are an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to contracting different speeds with our fiber optic service. The speed we hire will depend on the use we are going to give it and the equipment we have at home.
It seems that the higher the speed, the better the service and experience when browsing the Internet. But this is not always the case. There are some factors that we have to take into account before contracting such high speeds, especially when you are going to contract 1Gb. But, do you know the requirements you must meet before contracting 1Gb fiber?
What is 1Gb speed?
When we talk about 1Gb speed, we are referring to a very fast Internet connection that offers a data transfer capacity of one gigabit per second. Or, what is the same, a thousand megabytes per second. A speed much higher than conventional ones. With this speed, you will be able to carry out many online activities at the same time without any problem. Such as streaming 4K videos, online games or downloading and uploading very large files. An essential speed for companies, where file transfer is huge and higher speed is needed. But hiring this speed does not ensure that you will be able to enjoy it, there are a series of requirements that you must meet and know before hiring 1Gb in your home and we are going to explain some of them to you.
Network card
One of the most important points when hiring 1Gb at home is to know if your main devices, such as a computer or tablet, have a network card capable of supporting and processing this speed. Although most modern computers have a built-in Gigabit card, it is important to check that it has one before purchasing, and if you already have one, check that the built-in network card is compatible with 1Gb. Equally important is to check that the Ethernet port, where you are going to connect the cable, is also Gigabit. This will allow you to connect your computer via cable directly to the router and browse at the highest speed your device allows.
WiFi card
Just as important as the network card is the WiFi card. You should check that the WiFi card of your devices is compatible with both bands and works with both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz. The latter will be necessary if you want higher speeds connecting your devices via WiFi. Keep in mind that, if a device only works with the 2.4GHz band, it will only be able to browse at speeds of up to 100Mb, on the contrary, if it has a WiFi card compatible with the 5Ghz band, it will be able to browse at speeds much higher than wirelessly.
RAM
Although it may not seem very important to you, the RAM memory of your computer is something that you should take into account. Think that RAM is responsible for processing all that information in real time. It processes and refreshes constantly, so if your RAM is less than 8GB, you may not be able to enjoy the speed you have contracted. But don’t worry if you don’t have 8GB RAM or higher. It is not a very important problem and almost all devices support a RAM expansion, so if in the future you need to increase the RAM memory of your computer, you will almost certainly be able to do so.
How are you going to use it
One of the things that we must take into account when choosing whether we want to have 1 GB fiber or not, is knowing what use we are going to give it. Just because it is the most is not always going to be the best or what we need the most. So be aware of how you use the Internet each day. For example, using it to check emails on your mobile or computer will not be the same as working with large volumes of data because you are dedicated to professional video editing. You will also not need the same speed if you are going to play online or broadcast on Twitch as if you simply want to watch series on Netflix. The number of people living at home will also be important to decide whether to contract 1 Gb or opt for a lower speed but one that better suits your needs.
It depends on the use we are going to give it, whether it is worth paying more for it or it is not necessary, but analyze your Internet habits and take them into account before choosing what you need. Check the features of your devices and make sure they are compatible with the speed you are going to purchase before taking the step.
