For those of us in rural north Texas, it wasn’t all that long ago that the best option for internet access was “whatever you could get your hands on”. Many businesses had one option, and that might have been suffering with a horrible satellite connection.
Today the story is a little different. The major fiber networks are expanding, fixed wireless has matured, and even satellite isn’t the same old laggy service it used to be. Let’s go over the better options available and take a look at their pros and cons to find the right option for your business.
Fiber is the gold standard for internet access. It’s fast, doesn’t usually come with data caps, and it’s often the cheapest. There aren’t many times in life you get the best type of service at the lowest cost, but you can with fiber.
Pros:
Typical speeds range from 100 megabit to 1 gigabit. Speeds up to 5 gigabit are available in some areas. A technician will perform the installation, which will include the fiber equipment and router.
Cable internet uses the same coaxial lines that deliver TV service. It’s widely available and typically offers high download speeds, but slower upload speeds. Many businesses won’t be able to tell the difference, but if your business involves uploading large files or videos you’ll want to look for fiber.
Pros:
Cons:
Based on the usage patterns we see, most businesses will be fine using cable if fiber isn’t available.
5G is good for more than just phones. The major carriers have started offering internet to homes and businesses over their 5G and LTE networks. A small modem connects to the nearest tower, bringing decent speeds without worrying about wired connections.
Pros:
Cons:
We particularly like fixed wireless as a backup connection. It offers decent enough speeds and is often under $100 a month. Even fiber can experience outages, but a fixed wireless backup can keep your business operational while your main connection comes back online.
Satellite internet used to be the very last resort that people hated. It had high latency, low data caps, and was unusable for phone calls or video meetings. Then SpaceX introduced Starlink and everything changed.
Starlink uses low-earth orbit satellites, meaning the signal doesn’t have to travel tens of thousands of miles each way. Latency and speeds are much better, and the data allotments are finally reasonable.
Pros:
Cons:
| Connection | Speed | Uptime | Weather Impact | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 100 Mbps - 5 Gbps | 99.99%+ | None | < 20 ms> |
| Cable | 100 Mbps - 1 Gbps | 99.9% | None | 20-40 ms |
| Fixed Wireless | 50–200 Mbps | 95–99% | Moderate | 40-60 ms |
| Satellite | 20–220 Mbps | 98% | Moderate | 50-100 ms |
If your business depends on being online, we recommend using two different internet connections. Use fiber or cable as your primary internet connection and use fixed wireless as a backup for emergencies. A dual-WAN router can automatically switch to the backup if the main connection goes down, keeping your operations running smoothly.
No matter which option you choose, having reliable internet is one of the best investments your business can make. Get in touch and we can help your business get the internet access and telephone connectivity it needs.