Internet Access
I am a fairly big computer geek and would recommend that everyone get the fastest Internet connection available in order to have the least frustrating experience possible as you work on studying for various articles, essays, and tests, but if the resources you will need online are mostly just text, and e-mail, then you can get away with having a slower connection.
Today, most Internet connections worth subscribing to are 1Mbps or higher. I currently subscribe to a service that provides speeds up to 10Mbps, and there are locations in the continental U.S.A. that allows for speeds nearly ten times what I am currently getting.
To put that into perspective, most people probably only need a 3Mbps connection, as that would allow them to download most web pages in a few seconds and videos on YouTube in under two minutes.
If you are going to be watching a lot of video content online, or your study resources include full multimedia sessions and long interactive components, then faster connections will lead to a better overall experience.
The less time you spend having to wait for information, the more time you can spend studying, or free from studying. Weigh the cost to benefit ratio, and choose a connection that words with your traditional browsing habits. There also isn’t any law that says you can’t contact your provider to move to a faster connection if you are finding things too slow for your liking, or a slower connection if you need to save more money.
Also, there is a growing trend once again where Internet service providers are limiting the included bandwidth with certain packages, and charging extra if you go beyond that limit.
While most people don’t need to remain conscious of the limit, as most packages allow for enough bandwidth that you could watch a nearly unlimited amount of YouTube videos each month, those that download higher quality video, or software packages, will need to contact their ISP to be able to get information on the tool needed to track how much of the allotted bandwidth they have used.
