Is your internet service good enough to work from home?
Chances are that you didn’t sign up for your internet service with the coronavirus in mind.
Features and channels are easier to understand, but bandwidth needs - how fast it all goes; upload and download - is harder to anticipate. Internet providers typically offer different levels of bandwidth at various price points and it’s easy to start at the least expensive speed with the idea that upgrading later is always an option if your movies are janky or out of sync.
And what might be tolerable watching Caddyshack becomes traumatic if you are on a webcast with your boss working through a key project strategy.
It’s not just your service choice either. It’s that the system was never meant to support the streaming needs of kids’ education and entertainment, family social connection, and the demands of work-at-home all at once, all day long.
Then multiply that by the number of other users on your part of the area network.
To prepare for the extended stay-at-home work/life experience, it’s a good idea to relook at what service you have in place and whether it will get you through the next few weeks successfully. If you doubt the quality of your service, here are some simple steps you can take to address it.
CHECK YOUR SPEED: Your internet service agreement promises an upload speed and a download speed you are paying for. Download an app to your mobile device or computer to test those speeds - SpeedTest by Ookla is my favorite - and try it at different times during the day to see if it delivers. If it’s consistently under the targets, talk to your service provider. If it does meet the targets and you are having glitchy service, then you may have to upgrade to a faster connection.
UPGRADE YOUR MODEM/ROUTER: You are probably paying a rental fee for the modem and wireless router that connects you to the cable or phone line. If you have upgraded your service and still feel the quality is lacking, buying your own modem/router may be the way to go. Your internet provider should have a list of approved 3rd party cable modems, wireless routers, or all-in-ones that are compatible with their system.
With the internet being a primary way that we stay connected, productive, and entertained, managing the quality of that service will go a long way to making the next few weeks of isolation tolerable and safe.