Tech Tip # 18 Your Internet Plan Isn’t Always the Problem
Tip # 18
TECH TIP TUESDAYS!
Every Tuesday, we’re breaking down quick, helpful info about all things tech—because let’s face it, the internet isn’t always easy to understand.
Today’s tech tip:
Your Internet Plan Isn’t Always the Problem
Let’s go! 👇
Your Internet Plan Isn’t Always the Problem
Sometimes the router inside your home is holding you back.
By Josh Wentworth, Chief Technology Officer at LigTel
Things happen fast in the world of technology. What was once top-of-the-line becomes borderline obsolete much faster than we’d like. With how fast connectivity needs and desires evolve, this can be a “hidden” issue with home networks.
A significant number of older home routers had 100Mb uplink (the connection to your ISP) ports even if the connectivity ports were 1Gb. Most routers sold even today only have 1Gb uplink ports. With forward-thinking ISPs like LigTel offering services up to 8Gb symmetrical, you need routers with more than 1Gb ports to take advantage of that performance.
Even 1Gb service is limited by a 1Gb port. Cisco, one of the largest providers of data center and ISP equipment, states that you can typically only rely on about 85% of a physical port’s capacity. That means if you truly want to get the most out of a 1Gb+ connection, you may need a router with ports higher than 1Gb.
LigTel has been using an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) with a 10Gb physical hand-off port for the last year. In prior years we used an ONT with a 2.5Gb physical port. Any of these ONTs can handle 2Gb without issue, and if a customer orders 5 or 8Gb service with a “legacy” ONT, we will of course replace it.
We at LigTel do not require that our customers use our residential gateways (routers), but the ones we provide have been tested by the manufacturer and our own staff to make sure they can deliver the performance our customers have ordered and expect. Our current routers support Wi-Fi 6, multi-gig service, and IPv6. As our routers are managed by LigTel, we also keep the software up to date to ensure compatibility and cybersecurity needs are met. In the event you need new equipment, we will upgrade as needed to take care of your needs.
Want to see if fiber is available at your address?
Check availability here:
Or give us a call at (260) 894-7161 — we’re happy to help.
DOWNLOAD THE COMMAND IQ APP
Want to Learn More?
Check out our CommandIQ videos!
