1 Gig Internet: What Is It, Why You Need It & How To Get It

Whether you work from home, want to stream in 4K, or need the lowest latency for online gaming, there are more reasons than ever to upgrade to 1 gig Internet.

Here’s everything you need to know about 1 gigabit Internet, including how to get it where you live.

What Is 1 Gigabit Internet?

The defining feature of 1 gig Internet is its fiber cables. These fiber-optic cables are made of glass and use light signals generated by diodes or lasers to transmit data more effectively.

When compared to copper wire, which makes up the majority of Internet infrastructure and relies on electrical pulses to send data, fiber is over 1,000 times faster and can travel more than 100 times further.

The Benefits Of 1 Gig Internet

• Speed. Download times go from minutes to seconds. Speeds are 940 Mbps, meaning you can download a 500 MB video conference in about 4 seconds.
• Reliability. The glass-based fiber optic cables of 1 gig Internet have less downtime than traditional DSL or copper wire Internet connections. Fiber cables can also withstand about 4 times the pressure of copper wires, making them more durable. More reliable hardware = more reliable Internet.
• Bandwidth. With plenty of extra bandwidth, your entire household will be able to enjoy lightning fast Internet. You’ll never have to worry about one device slowing down because another is hogging bandwidth.
• Infrastructure. Fiber cables don’t lose connectivity over long distances. A fiber network will be able to deliver 1 gigabit Internet no matter where you live.

How Can I Get 1 Gigabit Internet?

1. Find An Internet Provider With A 1 Gig Plan

You can get 1 gigabit Internet with most of the major ISPs. Time Warner, Spectrum, Verizon, and AT&T all have 1 gig Internet packages.

Check with a provider to see if fiber is available where you live. If it’s not, ISPs are always expanding their fiber networks. Ask about the status of fiber cables in your area and request for a line to be laid to your home. You may be surprised at how willing these companies are to work with you.

2. Pay For Your Package

Prices for 1 gigabit Internet vary between Internet providers, but expect to pay between $80 and $100 per month for your package.

3. If Necessary, Upgrade Your Home Equipment

If a router and modem won’t be supplied by your ISP, make sure yours are equipped to handle 1 gigabit Internet. Any equipment from the past few years is likely to work just fine, but significantly older models may need to be replaced.

4. Enjoy Lightning Fast Internet On Every Device

Enjoy instant downloads, HD streaming with no buffering, and zero latency gaming regardless of how many Internet users are in your home.

Can I Get 1 Gig Internet Speed With A VPN?

If you’re implementing best practices, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to maintain your speeds while using a VPN. Here are a few things to consider about VPNs and how they affect your Internet speed:

• You can’t go faster than your current Internet package. If you don’t have a 1 gig package, a VPN isn’t going to help you achieve those speeds.
• Avoid VPNs with poorly optimized servers. Not every VPN provider is able to consistently deliver high speeds to their users. Make sure your VPN has plenty of high speed servers that are optimized regularly.
• Your encryption protocol can slow you down. Some encryption protocols take longer to process data than others. There are protocols that emphasize speed at the expense of strong encryption, but we don’t recommend sacrificing security for speed. OpenVPN, the most recent protocol, offers a great balance of speed and security.
• Make sure you aren’t limited by hardware. Old or damaged computers, phones, routers, and other devices won’t be as fast as newer models. Make sure the hardware in your home is fairly recent — within the last 3 years — to get the most out of your 1 gig Internet and VPN.

The easiest way to find out what speeds you can get is to activate your VPN and run a speed test. If you’re searching for a VPN, try a few trial periods to find the service that gets you the highest speed. When testing, be sure to switch between VPN servers. Crowded or far away servers will typically be slower than a closed server with few users.

Faster Internet Is Always Good

As Internet continues to be integrated with our everyday lives, the need for a fast, reliable connection becomes imperative. Fiber cable networks have the capacity to support our online needs for decades to come, but still have a long way to being fully integrated into our infrastructure.

Call your Internet provider to find out the status of their fiber network and see if you can get 1 gig Internet where you live.