Is Your Internet Connection Suitable for Working from Home?

Many more people are working from home now then ever before. Most people have experienced the need for home working during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether it was themselves or a family member. Additionally, many people have realised that working from home can be more efficient and has benefits to employers, employees, the environment and more. As such, it has become apparent that our home internet needs are not always in sync with the capabilities of the current systems that we have in place. It seems that many connections just simply aren’t good enough or are not reaching optimal standards.

What are our needs as remote workers?

Your needs as a remote worker are generally the same needs that you would have as a casual user simply browsing and streaming, only more so. The main factors being speed, consistency and good customer service.

Speed

Everyone knows how frustrating it is to have to wait for downloads to happen before you can watch a video or play a game. How much more frustrating is it when it effects your work? You will need a minimum speed to run certain apps and over time those speeds will increase, so there is a need to plan ahead with your internet capabilities. Upload and download speeds differ when not on a Full Fibre network that runs off the old copper cables, so its best to make sure that you have symmetric speeds, up and down.

Consistency

Another common problem that many people will have already experienced is the drop in signal during an important call, especially when on a video call or conference. This is not only extremely annoying for you but also for those on the other end of the communication. Furthermore, it can be very damaging to your business if this keeps happening. You may have a very fast connection but there is not much point in having great speeds if the consistency is poor. Again, a Full Fibre network should resolve most of these problems and will future-proof you from the ever-increasing amounts of data that are being forced down the old copper cables.

Customer Service

This category is probably the most self-explanatory as most people will know the need for good customer service from other areas of their life. However, for home workers it is even more important to have internet support they can rely on. Also, for the internet provider, customer service is a very prominent factor of their business and reputation. Not everybody feels comfortable operating technology, and often people need reassurance on setting up and keeping everything running smoothly. Sometimes there may be a problem that needs to be reported and resolved quickly and efficiently, so that your work is not impacted too heavily. So, it is very important to have a provider you can trust.

Fibre Optic Cable

The most cutting-edge option technology with gigabit connections that are run off fibre-optic networks. For the home worker this is clearly the best option and boasts the fast speeds available and an unbeatable level of consistency. However, not all networks are Full Fibre networks. Even in this modern age, some internet providers are still running off copper cable to the cabinet and then fibre the rest of the way. A Full Fibre network is the best and will be run entirely through fibre-optic cables the whole way, also known as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), or Fibre to the Home (FTTH).

The huge capabilities of FTTP cables will future proof your household from increasing demands on data from larger apps, programs, and other household technologies. Symmetric speeds (upload and download) up to 1000Mbpscan be achieved with Full Fibre, whereas cable (the next best alternative) usually maxes out at around 100Mbps. With a fully functional fibre optic connection you will never have to worry about working from home, or any other online activity overwhelming your connection.

Technical Issues

Even if you have Full Fibre (FTTP) installed at your home you may experience unrelated issues with your internet connection such as Wi-Fi dark spots. Its recommended that you use an ethernet cable wherever possible as you will receive the full uninterrupted signal from the fibre optic cable to your house. Alternatively, arrange your home furniture in a way that minimises interference and try to make sure that there is as little in the way of the WiFi signal as possible. You can test your signal with different setups to see which is the optimal arrangement.

#workfromhome #stayathome #wfh #telecommute #fttp #ftth#hyperfastbroadband #braoadband #fullfibre

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