Heading back to school can be both an exciting and daunting experience, for younger children and university students alike. Whether you are a family with kids about to enter the primary school world, or a student moving into a new flat for the semester, you will likely experience a lot of homework, and assignments. These days, it’s all digital! Here at Broadband Compare, we believe that all households should check if they are on the right internet speed. Why? Because everyone has different internet needs, and therefore, not everyone needs the same speed.
Most of New Zealand is connected via fibre – or the fibre optic cable network that uses light to transmit data back and forth at crazy speeds. There are generally a few different speeds on the market, and it’s helpful to know what speed suits who the best.
Fibre 500: Also known as starter fibre, this is the often the perfect fibre speed for households of 1-2 people, with speeds of 50/100 Mbps. If you are a household of two who have lower data needs, and only use the internet for social media scrolling, web browsing, emailing, online banking and shopping, and basic video streaming, you would find that fibre 50 offers just the right speed. You won’t experience annoying buffering nor pay higher prices for more than you need.
Fibre 300: For families and student flats, fibre 300 is a common choice. Fibre 300 is a lot faster than fibre 50 and is capable of having multiple devices connected at the same time. So, if you have four or more people in your household, you can all be connected and don’t have to worry about anyone getting interrupted by buffering. You can have someone doing homework, another video calling, and another streaming a TV show without having to get into arguments with one another about the connection.
Fibre 900: If you have a very large household, or multiple gamers, fibre 900 would be a contender for you. With extra fast speeds, fibre 900 is capable of supporting 4K Ultra HD video streaming and gaming. So, if you have a household where lots of people study from home at the same time, and game at the same time, fibre 900 might be your best bet!
Hyperfibre: Considered the next generation of fibre, hyperfibre delivers ultra-fast speeds – the fastest in New Zealand! As such, it is the most expensive fibre speed, and not necessary for most households. However, if you have multiple people streaming 4K games and videos at the same time, and download large files for school, it may be worth considering hyperfibre.
Now that you know what speeds are on the market, calculate the speed your household needs. Our free-to-use interactive broadband speed calculator will do just the trick. It makes it super simple to calculate how many devices you have and the online activities your household partakes in such as video streaming and gaming. It will then show the fibre speed you need as a household.
Got your speed? Now jump on Broadband Compare and compare plans that match your speed needs! Our user-friendly comparison platform makes it easy and quick to compare broadband plans available to you so you can find the right plan for your family or flat. Simply enter in your address, and select any filters that apply. You can then compare all the options available to you side-by-side and find the best deal. There are many important benefits to comparing broadband, including saving money. Why pay more, when you can find yourself a better deal, and save money? Compare broadband plans today and get connected to the right speed in time for that first bell, so you can set yourself up for a smashing school year or uni semester. You got this!