If you think you’re ready for a high-speed connection that makes streaming even 4K movies a breeze, think again. There are some things to do before you upgrade to gigabit internet. We’ve compiled a list of each of them and if you follow along with these steps, you’ll be on the information super highway in no time.
Long-awaited gigabit internet speeds are finally coming to a growing number of cities, as fiber infrastructure improves and companies offer ultra-fast service packages. But are you and your devices ready to upgrade to gigabit internet?
Existing internet speeds can be improved by a number of factors ( including router setup), but gigabit-level services are still worth getting excited over. And it’s important to make sure that you and your devices are ready to take advantage of the new potential speeds. Here are five steps to prepare properly.
Wired connections are generally better for gigabit speeds because of their reliability and lack of interference. If you want the best benefits of gigabit internet, you need the right wired connections. It’s particularly important to sort out the wired connection from the internet modem to your router.
The good news is that most modern Ethernet ports manufactured in the last few years are in the gigabit Ethernet range. The bad news is that if you have a router or other wired device that’s older than that, it may be using an older type of Ethernet connection that will not be able to support your new, exciting speeds. If so, the router will bottleneck your entire home network.
If you don’t have a clue what kind of ports your router has, find the product number and look up the specifications online to see what type of ports it has. You can also do this with your computers to check on factory cards and connections. Everything should be rated for gigabit speeds, or 1,000 Mbps. You can also look in your Settings or “About This Computer” section to find more information on your connections.
If you need a new router, these are our current favorites .
Finally, it’s worthwhile taking a glance at the Ethernet cables themselves.
