Broadband is essential for any modern household, but what type of broadband plan is right for you? What’s the difference between DSL/ADSL, fibre and cable? 

Choosing the right broadband plan can depend on a range of factors, including the number of people in your household, what activities you predominantly use the internet for, and your budget. In this article, we’ll look at the different kinds of plans available, how to decide which one to purchase, and the things you should consider along the way.

What type of broadband user are you?

The best Broadband plans are those that suit your household’s needs. Before looking at the broadband plans available to you, it’s a good idea to determine what kind of internet user you are. 

Light User (500Mbps) – If your household rarely uses the internet, then your usage pattern could be described as light. Perhaps you only use it to check emails, or for some online shopping. This category will apply to you particularly if you’re the only one who uses the internet in your home, and you don’t use internet streaming services. If you’re a light internet user then the best WiFi plans for you may be those that are less expensive and feature slightly slower speeds.

Moderate Work From Home User (1Gbps) – This category has expanded significantly recently, due to the increased numbers of people working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. While working from home, you will likely need to use collaborative software packages such as Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, as well as cloud storage solutions like Google Drive. You’ll probably also join regular online video calls and meetings, which increase bandwidth requirements. This type of plan is perfect for you if you’re a professional working from home for some or all of the time.

Heavy User (2Gbps+) – A heavy internet user is someone who uses it daily for a wide range of activities. If you often watch on-demand TV via the internet on platforms like Netflix, play online games, conduct extensive video calls, or send and receive large files, then you could be classified as a heavy user. Heavy users generally require high-bandwidth plans that allow large amounts of data to be sent quickly. Households that are connected 24/7 for work and entertainment and those that stream high resolution 4K UHD TV and films also fit into this category.

Business User – Similar to the working from home category, it’s likely that you need to use the internet for a broad range of activities. As well as the above uses, your specific needs may vary depending on the type of business you run. For example, if you mainly use the internet for sending emails or for simple administrative tasks, you will need far less bandwidth than businesses that regularly run data-intensive activities, like streaming videos.

Student – As a student, you will likely need to search the internet extensively, access online databases and research resources. It’s also likely that you’ll want to stream online films, television and music during your leisure time. For all these, you’ll likely want a relatively fast connection. If you are on a budget, it’s a good idea to watch out for special broadband promotions or sacrifice some bandwidth for your wallet’s peace of mind.

What are the broadband plans and promotions you can choose from?

There are three main types of broadband promotion or plans available today:

DSL/ADSL – DSL stands for digital subscriber line, while ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber line. These are accessed via a traditional phone landline, usually made of copper. The top speed for these connections is 24Mbps. This can vary widely depending on how far away your home is from your nearest telephone exchange. Such plans are suitable for light users.      

Fibre broadband plans – This type of connection is the most common in Singapore, and uses fibre optic cables to transfer data and is very fast so suitable for heavier users, like those working from home, students and households with multiple people online at any one time. 

Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband is classed as ‘superfast’ and means that your connection is fibre-optic up to the point where it reaches your street, but then via traditional copper cables to your home. Fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband meanwhile is ‘ultrafast’ and can deliver speeds of 1Gbps or more. The latter kind of fibre broadband plan is however less frequently available.

Cable – Like FTTC broadband, cable broadband plans use fibre optics, but then from the ‘cabinet’ on the street they use more heavy-duty cables to deliver speeds of up to 152Mbps. Cable is also suitable for heavy internet users like gamers or business owners who need to live-stream content.

What is the best broadband WiFi plan for you?

The first thing to consider when choosing broadband plans is how fast the connection is. The provider will usually tell you what the maximum bandwidth for the plan, and this will be specified in Mbps (megabits per second) or Gbps (gigabits per second) – this is the amount of data that you can draw from your internet connection to your device at one time. Note that your actual download and upload speeds will vary depending on things like how good your device is, the strength of your Wi-Fi connection, and how many devices are connected to the network.

You should also consider the router, if any, that is included in your broadband promotion or package. The best WiFi plans will generally include this, but you should consider the physical range of these, as well as whether they are equipped with the latest wireless internet standard, WiFi 6. WiFi 6 can provide much faster speeds, up to three times faster than WiFi 5, and greater connective to multiple devices.

Get the best value fibre broadband plans

ViewQwest offers a range of fibre broadband plans to suit your needs. Choose from a 1Gbps fibre broadband plan which is perfectly suited to frequent TV streaming, working and gaming, or 2Gbps packages which are ideal for 24/7 connected homes with many devices and simultaneous 4K UHD streaming. There are also a number of gaming packages, work from home bundles and more. 

Take a look at ViewQwest’s full range of fibre broadband plans to find the right one for you now!