Concord, CA: What to Consider When Choosing an Internet Service Provider

In these modern times, having internet access is essential for almost every household and business. Businesses need internet access for a variety of things like processing credit cards, emails, and phone service. It is rare to find a business that does not need the internet to operate. However, more home users are also using the internet for a variety things as well. Because of the expansion of video streaming services and social media, the internet has become a major source of home entertainment. In this blog we will look at some important factors when choosing an internet service provider for your home or business.

Accessibility is the first thing to look for when choosing an internet service provider (ISP).  In the San Francisco Bay Area, high speed service is available in most, but not all, locations. Most places will have AT&T U-Verse or Comcast Xfinity services available. Other providers you may want to investigate are Wave, HughesNet, and Viasat (formerly Excede).  Plus, there are many smaller providers in the area.

When running a business, it is important that you have enough speed to keep up with daily demand and that the internet service is reliable. This reliability is especially important when the business uses “Voice over IP” (VoIP) phones and video conferencing. Therefore, both the upstream and downstream “Bandwidth” speeds (measured in Mbps (Megabits per second) are critical for a trouble-free service. Depending on your area, speeds can range from 3 to 1000 Mbps. We at Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service help businesses select the best internet service provider for their specific needs.

The type of internet connection you have can also affect the how suitable it is for certain applications. For example, satellite internet services do offer speeds of up to 25Mbps but is typically not suitable for VoIP applications due to long latency cause the phone connection to be choppy. Fiber connection is currently the best available because it is quite fast and reliable but unfortunately is not available in all areas.

For most people, reliability is probably the main component when looking for an ISP. This is especially true if you are running a business. Keep in mind that at one point or another, incidents can happen such as a damaged line or hardware problems. If your business can not afford internet service disruptions, find out if there is a Service Level Agreement (SLA) offered by the ISP you are considering. An SLA is a service contract that declares how reliable the connection should be. This service contract should let you know how fast the ISP can get your service back up and running should there be a disruption.

We hope this blog has provided good tips to help you make an informed decision. Choosing an ISP is one of the keys elements when it comes to your home or business internet online connectivity. The design and performance of the internal wiring and WiFi networks in the office and home are equally important. For over 20 years, Cantrell’s Computer Sales and Service have helped many businesses and families improve their internet connectivity. Please contact us when you need assistance acquiring and improving your internet connectivity by calling and texting (925) 827-1200.