Is There A 'Best' Internet Plan And How To Find It

Is there such thing as a single ‘best’ Internet plan? Whilst it would be great if there was one plan that suited everyone, that sadly isn’t the reality.

When it comes to Internet plans, there are a range of factors that determine which plan will best suit your needs. The number of people in your household, the number of devices connected simultaneously and what you use the Internet for are just part of the equation.

The good news is that while there isn’t one ‘best’ Internet plan for everyone, the best Internet plan for you is out there. Our guide will help you understand which plan to look for.

What Do You Use The Internet For?

The reason the perfect Internet plan varies from person to person is because we all use the Internet to varying degrees for different purposes.

The NBN offers four different tiers of Internet speed. Here are the four typical ways in which Australian households use the Internet and require different speeds. Try to recognise your own household when reading about each.

• Tier 1: Households that need the more basic plans are those that have just one or two people. This is especially true if those in the house mainly use the Internet for light web browsing and sending emails.

• Tier 2: The majority of Australians will require a more expensive plan with faster Internet speeds. This is to support moderate web browsing, social media use, sending emails, and streaming music and videos in standard definition. Households that require a Tier 2 plan typically have just 2-3 people.

• Tier 3: The ‘third tier’ of Internet speed is the most popular Internet plan among Australian families. This plan supports a household of 3-4 people who will typically use the Internet to stream music and video in HD and for online gaming, video calling and uploading photos.

• Tier 4: Households with 5+ people who often simultaneously use the Internet for 4K video streaming, uploading and downloading large files, and online gaming are likely to need the most expensive and speediest Internet plans.

Do You Need Fast Internet?

The four different tiers refer to the different speed tiers that the NBN offers. These are:

1. Basic Evening Speed (12/1Mbps)
2. Standard Evening Speed (25/5Mbps)
3. Standard Plus Evening Speed (50/20Mbps)
4. Premium Evening Speed (100/40Mbps)

The hours between 7pm and 11pm in the evening tend to be the most popular hours in the day for home Internet use. The ACCC introduced ‘evening speeds’, so consumers know what speeds to expect even when their Internet is likely to be slowest.

To put Megabits per second (Mbps) in context, for two devices to stream Netflix in HD simultaneously, this would require about 10Mbps of bandwidth. It’s clear that the basic evening speed may struggle to support that level of Internet use.

Whilst the other speed tiers could likely cope, the differences in price become an important consideration factor.

What Is Your Most Affordable Option?

Often the Standard Plus Evening Speed plan is not much more expensive than its Standard Evening counterpart. The balance between speed performance and price is what will help determine the best plan for you.

Even if you recognise your Internet usage is likely to require a Premium plan, there are many variations of premium plans that are designed to suit different types of users. For example, many Premium plans are tailored towards online gamers, with extras and bonuses included to enhance the gaming experience.

To find truly the best Internet plan for your needs at the most affordable price, you will need to do a lot of research. Alternatively, you can turn to the experts at Compare & Connect to do your research for you – for free! We’ll compare Internet plans across a variety of different providers and find the very best one tailored to you. Our service is honest and reliable. That means if we can’t find you a better deal, we’ll tell you to stay exactly where you are. There’s nothing to lose by enquiring with us today