It’s official: the internet has taken over. There is no escaping this relatively new world of hyper-connectivity, and most of us don’t seem to want to escape it, either. You might be nostalgic for the old days, when you had to read a magazine while you waited for the doctor instead of incessantly scrolling, or maybe you fantasize about moving to a farm and getting away from it all, but for now, here you are reading this…on the internet.
The reality is, almost everything we do is connected to the internet, from work and school to our social lives, our entertainment, our bank accounts, right down to our thermostats. How ever did we function before we could ask Alexa for a measurement conversion while flour is all over our hands?
If you’re finding that your home internet isn’t keeping up with the demands of your life, you may want to consider upgrading to a fiber-optic internet connection. But then, what speed do you need for the kind of lifestyle you’re living? How many devices you have and the level of internet activity in your home can help determine what you need.
Here’s a guide to device connectivity…until you make good on that idea to move off the grid.
What is fiber internet?
Fiber internet, unlike traditional copper connections, uses fiber-optic cables to transmit data via light signals. This results in ultra-fast speeds, greater reliability and significantly lower latency. With fiber, you get symmetrical upload and download speeds, which means that your upload speed matches your download speed, making for a faster, smoother connection with less lag.
Read more: A brief history of fiber internet and why it matters now
What speeds can fiber-optic internet handle?
While cable connections usually max out around 1 Gbps download (with much slower upload speeds), fiber internet can provide symmetrical multi-gig speeds. We’re talking up to 5 Gig — and Ziply Fiber has America’s fastest home internet speeds with a breakneck 50 Gig plan. In non-technical language, that means “really fast.”
What does bandwidth have to do with it?
Bandwidth is essentially the maximum rate at which data can be transmitted over your internet connection. Think of it like a highway: the wider the road, the more cars that can travel. Fiber internet offers more bandwidth potential than cable. On the bandwidth and speed front, fiber already has a leg up on performance over cable.
Read more: Speed vs. bandwidth: what’s the difference?
How many devices can fiber internet handle?
There’s no magic number as to how many devices fiber internet can support. Your speed, the size of your home, your router and your level of connectivity will all factor in to how well your devices perform.
Here are some basic things to consider:
How many devices you have
The average home has over 20 online devices. You probably immediately think of your computer and cell phone, but also think about your TV, security system and all the devices the people in your home use. Tablets, assistants like Alexa, more phones, that other TV in the basement…the list goes on.
If all you do is light emailing and maybe some streaming of online content, a 100 Mbps plan would probably suffice. You’ll probably get a smooth connection on multiple devices if you’re not doing tons of gaming, streaming and uploading.
Most connected households are happy with 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps plans. Different internet companies provision speeds at different rates — for instance, Ziply Fiber offers a 100/100, a 300/300 and the 1 Gbps Fiber Gig plan. We recommend the popular Fiber Gig plan for average families or households with multiple connected devices and multiple people using them at the same time. With Fiber Gig, you and your family members or housemates can hold video chats, stream shows and movies, play video games and peruse social media without lag or slowdown.
If you’re an intense internet user — for instance, if you love having the most advanced technology or if you’re uploading large files regularly — you may want to go above a Gig and venture into multigig territory. Ziply Fiber’s 2 Gig and 5 Gig plans are popular with the high-tech crowd. Need serious speed? Try the 10 Gig or 50 Gig plan.
Read more: Why gamers and livestreamers need fiber internet
Your router
Old routers can slow your internet down. Be sure you have the latest router that can handle your speed. Most internet plans are running on WiFi 6, but WiFi 7 is a game changer.
Read more: What equipment is needed for fiber internet?
Your coverage area
You may have a solid 1 Gbps internet plan, but if your router is miles away from your devices then your speeds will take a hit. Large homes with multiple stories and thick walls may need WiFi extenders so the signal can reach all your devices.
Read more: How to choose the best WiFi extender for your fiber internet connection
Is it possible to connect too many devices?
The good news is that no matter how many devices you connect, nothing will happen if you connect “too many.” You may find that overall performance decreases. In that case, you can just call your internet service provider and up your plan to the next highest level. So, if you’re on a 500 Mbps plan and things are lagging, upgrading to a 1 Gbps plan might do the trick. Before doing that, check that your router is up to date and your WiFi signal is strong where you need it, because slow speeds are not always caused by slower plans.
If you have a plan with no data caps, then you won’t run into issues with using too much bandwidth. If you don’t have unlimited data, then you’ll want to keep track of how much data you use so you don’t get charged for going over your monthly limit.
Fiber-optic internet is the best choice for the connected home
Fiber internet provides fast, symmetrical speeds and enough bandwidth to handle all a modern home’s devices, from data-intensive gaming and streaming devices to connected background appliances. Your main consideration is how much internet you use — factors that will include how many people are in your house and what they like to do. A good place to start is the 1 Gbps plan — Ziply Fiber’s Fiber Gig plan is its most popular. If you think you don’t need quite so much power, start lower with a 100, 300 or 500 Mbps plan, and you can scale up or down as needed. If you’re a serious gamer or content creator, you may find that a multigig plan gives you the speed you need.
There’s no need to count your devices or worry about using too many. The main thing is to get hooked up with fiber-optic internet — you’ll notice the difference in speed and quality immediately.