How do I choose Internet plans

So, what type of Internet plan is right for you? There’s a few things to consider. Are you a gamer with a need for speed? Do you stream 4K movies and need a whole lot of data? What Internet deals are actually available in your area? How much can you afford to spend? It stands to reason that higher speed and higher data limits will be a higher price! Furthermore, are you in a position to commit to a fixed-length contract, or is month-by-month better for your needs? And what extras could seal the deal? Considering these factors will help you narrow down a wide range of plans to find what works well for you.

Internet data required

Data limits can make a big difference to the cost of your Internet plan! Data limits start from the bare-bones lowest limits for occasional users; on the other hand, unlimited Internet data is for consumers that use lots of Internet data (gamers, streamers, families, etc).

So, how much Internet data do you need in a month? Let’s assume nothing’s changing in terms of how you use your Internet connection; you’re just changing Internet providers. This should mean the amount of data you use stays about the same. So, check your last few months of bills – the data you’ve been using should be approximately the data you need. Your Internet provider may even offer you data on your average usage; they may also show a breakdown on where you’ve been using your data – for example, social media, streaming, Skype, etc.

But what if you’re hoping to go for a plan with less Internet data allowance than you’ve been using? This can be a good way to nab a bargain, if you’re careful; but if you go over your Internet plan’s data allowance, you may incur extra charges. There can also be unexpected periods of higher data usage; are you having extended family members or houseguests stay over? Maybe it’s the school holidays and the kids are home? If your Internet plan isn’t offering unlimited Internet, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your usage; even more so if your Internet plan incurs excess data charges rather than speed-limiting.

So, with that in mind, it’s best to understand what Internet usages are data-heavy. Some helpful approximate yardsticks are as below:

• Web browsing - 7GB per month.
• Skype - 25MB per hour (video).
• Spotify - 150MB per hour.
• Facebook - 2.5GB per month. That’s 2MB per minute, and assumes 5 hours every week.
• Netflix - from 300MB per hour for low-quality, to 7GB per hour for 4K. Yes, that’s 23x as much data!)
• Stan - from 570MB per hour for low-quality, to the same 7GB per hour for 4K.
• YouTube - between 0.26GB and 2.7GB per hour, depending on quality.

The average Aussie spends 5.5 hours a day online. That’s about 3 hours of streaming, 45 mins of listening to music, and 1.5 hours on social media. Assuming high-quality streaming, that’d take up about 21 GB for streaming alone, every day; assuming low-quality streaming on Netflix, you can expect to use 1GB on streaming, 180MB on social media, 112MB on music. So for a low-quality streaming, you’re looking at about 40GB a month. For high-quality streaming, it’s more like 660GB per month. And keep in mind, that’s per person. So how much data you’ll need is really all about what YOU need; particularly your family size, and the way you use your Internet.

Of course, if you’re happy to use streaming services and YouTube on low quality, you can significantly reduce data consumption. But does quality matter to you? Especially if you’ve invested in that 4K TV, then high data or Unlimited Internet plans will be very appealing! In fact, with Unlimited Internet plans, you’ll generally have no data limits whatsoever. Check your conditions fully, though – is it truly unlimited?

There’s some things that are worth the money, so if #streamingislife, you’ll want to budget accordingly. You also won’t want to sit there waiting for your streaming service to buffer; so for streamers, speed is certainly a criteria to consider too!

It’s also important to know what happens when you go over your data limits. It’s considered best-practice for Internet providers to let you know when you’ve gone over the limits of your Internet plan; at the very least, you should have the option for data usage notifications on your account page. However, you don’t want to be entirely relying on this; you also don’t want to end up with a huge bill. So, what happens when you go over the limits? Will you be speed-limited down to a lower speed? Will you carry on being charged and end up with a huge bill? Especially for mobile Internet with its relatively low data limits, it’s easy to get bill shock. (Anecdotally, this often happens when the kids have borrowed your phone and been downloading games – so keep that phone locked!) Know your data limits, know your conditions, and keep to them (especially monitoring your data); that way, you can enjoy your Internet plan at the monthly fee you’ve been expecting.

Cheapest Internet Plans

You might find yourself wondering, is the Internet plan with the cheapest monthly fee really going to be the cheapest? Not necessarily! This really depends on how you use your Internet. That is, if you’re willing to spend 20+ hours a month unnecessarily frustrated waiting for websites to load. Even waiting for Wikipedia to load. Urgh. And for many of us, speed is a dealbreaker! You don’t want to be late to grab that eBay auction, cheap-as-chips promotional flight, or important business deal. There really is a balance you want to strike between fast, cheap, reliable and fit-for-purpose; otherwise, the cheapest can end up being aggravating and expensive.

The cheapest plans are normally slower in speed, and have less data available; but if you’re happy with low speed, don’t use much Internet, and can keep to conditions, you’ve got some leeway. This is often most common in smaller households (2 people) that only use the internet for basic needs such as social media and have only 1 device streaming Netflix at a time. There’s some quite affordable prices on NBN 50 speed plans. And if you’re looking for the cheapest Internet plan, you’re in luck! Just head to the Econnex Internet Comparison tool to choose from our approved panel of Internet providers.

Best Internet Plans

Looking for the best Internet plan? There’s no one simple answer for everyone! We all use our Internet service a bit differently; some of us are doing fine on low speed plans, while others have a need for speed. And data limits vary from person to person, too; if you’re away lots, or you live alone, and you don’t use data-intensive sites or services, you shouldn’t need much. But maybe you’re a heavy streamer, or even a family of heavy streamers?

Choosing the best Internet plan will involve making the right trade-offs to decide what matters the most to you. Low cost, or higher speed and higher data limits? If you’re being offered a 12-month contract at a cheaper price, are you sure you can make a 12-month commitment? If not, the cheaper price may not end up cheaper after all! What’s the marginal benefit to spending another $10 or so on a better Internet plan than what you have now? What will you get in return? There’s so many players on the market, all trying to make it worth your while so you’ll sign up. So what’s the right match for you? That’s your best Internet plan.

How to compare Internet plans

With so many Internet plans and Internet providers available online, it’s hard to know where to look! Fortunately, plan and price comparison services make this process a lot easier. First of all, let’s talk about how price comparison works. Back in the day, we’d have to scour the Internet finding out what companies service our area. We’d have to explore what their various plans involve, and how much they cost. Often, the information on their website wasn’t much help! So we’d call up their Sales line and speak to someone who only knows that company’s plan. Also, they’re incentivised to sell their company’s product; that’s their job, and the more you spend, the more commission they’d make. Urgh.

Fortunately, those days are behind us for savvy bargain-hunters who realise that time is money. Thanks to price comparison, they’ll find great deals fast on reputable price comparison websites. But remember: price comparison websites are not all one and the same! Comparing price alone is NOT enough, because you’re not just signing up for a price. You’re signing up for a plan. They come with T&Cs, and if you get it wrong, you can end up in bill shock. Companies can make a lot of money when people make a mistake. Take mobile phones, for example! We’ve all heard stories of people who take vacations overseas and end up with thousands of dollars of roaming charges. And for electricity, people who’re freshly working from home; they’re on an on-peak/off-peak plan running their aircon on high all summer, and horrified when they get the bill.

That’s why here at Econnex, we aren’t just a price comparison service; we help our users to compare plans too. At a glance, no fuss, and we even help you make the transfer. It couldn’t be easier!

How to switch Internet providers

Decided on the new plan that you want? Assuming you’re out of contract, switching your Internet provider is generally pretty straightforward. Just let your new provider know that you want to sign up for a new Internet plan with them; they’ll start the process of porting you over. (Doing this with Econnex? Even easier: you can compare Internet plans and sign up for your new plan all in the one place!)

As we’ve seen earlier, it’s important not to cancel your existing Internet connection until your new Internet service is installed and working properly! You don’t want to be without Internet for days, or even weeks, if something goes wrong; not to mention getting stung unnecessarily for reconnection fees. Instead, wait till your new Internet connection is activated, and give you old Internet provider a call. They may have already been advised by the old provider to cancel your plan; however, all sorts of glitches can happen in both Internet provisioning and billing systems. So it’s better to be safe than sorry when you find yourself paying for two Internet plans!

Wondering if you’re still under contract? It’s better to check this than to get a nasty surprise in the form of an early termination fee! So log onto your account page and check, or give your current Internet provider a call. They may even be able to offer you a discount to motivate you to stay. It can’t hurt to ask!

Switching from ADSL to NBN Broadband

Now that the NBN’s become widely available, this higher-speed Internet technology is offered by many Internet providers. That’s great news for consumers, because market competition makes it easier to get a sweet deal. NBN is a wholesaler, retailing its infrastructure to Internet providers; so you can expect similar performance from whichever Internet provider you choose.