Find the Right Internet Service Provider

In general, an internet provider is confined to where their network is constructed. Be it a DSL, cable, or fiber-optic network, each ISP either owns or shares infrastructure that delivers internet service. While many times providers agree to not compete in the same zone as another, there are cases all over where the same neighborhood or street is split among different providers. The only way to really know which provider(s) are available at your home is to input your full address. A zip code search will tell you how many providers are near you, but a full address helps guarantee exact availability.

Many factors can affect your actual internet speed, but the main causes for a noticeable difference between advertised speeds and actual speeds are the provider and connection type you have.

For starters, internet service providers almost always advertise the maximum bandwidth their network can deliver. For instance, a provider like Xfinity may promote a plan with speeds up to 1,000 Mbps. Yet, on a good day, customers may only be able to experience speeds averaging around 750 Mbps. Why is this? A provider’s maximum bandwidth is the peak capacity of a network to transport data over its cables. As things like more users, poor equipment, or bad weather come into play, things slow down a bit.

Additionally, the farther away your home is from your provider or their access points, the slower your available speeds are likely to be. Or, if you have older fixed-wireless or DSL connections, your speeds are limited.

Computer scientists Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn are credited with inventing the Internet communication protocols we use today and the system referred to as the Internet. Cerf and Kahn developed a set of guidelines for data transfer using packet switching in 1980, calling those guidelines TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol. The TCP part of the protocol is in charge of packing the data before it moves across the network and unpacking it once it has arrived. The IP component acts as the trip coordinator and maps the movement of information from its start point to its end point.

Though other protocols were developed and used before TCP/IP, such as the file transfer protocol (FTP) and network control protocol (NCP), the Internet as we know it today is built on the basis of Cerf and Kahn’s “network of networks.”

The main factor you’ll want to assess is your household’s internet usage and streaming habits. Check out some additional insights on what internet speed is best for your lifestyle.

The first step to finding internet providers in your area is to enter your zip code in the search bar. If you live in a large city, more options will be available than in rural parts of the country. Enter your zip code above to find internet providers near you.