Ask your Internet Service Provider these questions before signing the dotted line

We sat down with Pronto Computer Solutions who guided us through a few of the basic questions that one needs to ask before making a decision. In the world of technology, it is normally what is not said that is going to come back to haunt you.

So here goes –

Question 1: What is your Contention Ratio?

In order for service providers to provide you with an internet connection at an affordable price, the cost would need to be shared. Otherwise, a simple 10mb/s line for your home could set you back up to R 6000 per month. So this is where contention ratio comes in.

Your home internet connection is shared with a number of other users (This is done by fancy networking setups in the background), in order to bring down the cost. This is standard business practice.

Question 2: So what is a good contention ratio?

A 1:10 contention ratio is the generally accepted ratio. In other words, you share you 10mb/s with 9 other users. It will not necessarily mean that you would only get 1mb/s, but the speed would fluctuate between 1mb/s and up to 10mb/s and should normally average out between 8 and 10mb/s.

The problem arises when service providers have contention ratios above 1:10. Some of the larger ISP’s entertain ratios of 1:60, and when you reach these levels of sharing you might as well start using carrier pigeons to send your emails.

Question 3: Is it Truly Uncapped?

You’re in the market for uncapped internet because you have decided to cancel your DSTV and switch to Netflix instead. So, you’re streaming to your heart’s content when suddenly the movie that you’re halfway through starts buffering. You think to yourself “It’s uncapped, this cannot be”, but alas, your ISP forget to inform you of their Fair Usage Policy (FUP).

Say you’ve signed up for a 10mb/s uncapped line, you’ll get your average 10mb/s speed, but only up to a certain data limit. This is called a “Soft Cap” or “fare usage policy” . In order to protect the integrity and costs of their network, ISPs implement a Soft Cap. The user will still have Internet Access but the speed of the line will be throttled.

So one must always query as to what is the Soft Cap Limit and once the limit has been reached, to what speed is the line reduced and when will it be reset? An acceptable Soft Cap speed limit would be half of what your line speed was.

So if you had a 10mb/s line, it would be throttled to 5mb/s which would still be more than enough to watch Netflix and some more. Unfortunately, some providers throttle their users down to a small fraction of what their line speed was.

With the introduction of Data guzzling devices, it does happen that unknowingly a device in the house suddenly does an update and eats up all your data.

Now you sit with a throttled internet connection for the rest of the month. So always look out for providers that reset their Soft Caps weekly.

No hassle when connecting your home and Business online

Weekly soft cap reset

Most ISPs throttle your speed and only reset it in the new month, but not Pronto! If you’ve hit your data limit, you will only have to wait until the following Monday until your speed and data is reset back to normal.

No More Contracts

The days of contracts are over, as a user you have the ability to switch service providers whenever you wish. Why be tied into a contract when you are not even being supplied what you were paying for. A Service Provider must deliver a service good enough that they can feel confident that they will not lose any your business.

Pronto Computer Solutions offers seamless online solutions in Nelspruit, White River, the greater Mpumalanga area and further afield. From hosted services for websites and onsite support, to network infrastructure, VoIP and boardroom installations, Pronto is here to take the everyday hassle out of keeping your home and business connected.