5 Common Signs You Need to Upgrade Your Internet in NZ

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You’re in your living room streaming Netflix when a family member starts downloading an update for their game. Immediately, your internet slows down to a halt, leaving you with a buffering screen.

Frustratingly, you get up to scold them for their inconsiderate data usage, just to realise that you lost internet connectivity when you walked into a different room.

Okay, that probably is extreme, but the moral is this: a reliable internet connection is necessary, and facing slow speeds trying to do the bare minimum is unacceptable, especially in an age where you need to stream, play games, video chat, and work seamlessly.

That's why it may be time to switch to a more reliable plan with higher internet speeds if you notice these signs. Read on to learn them!

What Are Some Signs I Need to Upgrade My Internet?

Here are the telltale signs that your internet needs an upgrade: your upload and download speeds are always sluggish, your connection is unstable or keeps cutting out, and your performance suffers when you have multiple devices online.

Before Upgrading: Assessing Your Internet

Switching internet providers or plans can be costly and time-consuming. So, ensuring your current internet plan or hardware is the problem before upgrading is best.

Check Your Internet Speed and Outages

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First, conduct multiple internet speed tests throughout the day, during and outside peak hours, using a precise speed checker and an ethernet cable. Peak hours are the period when most people are using the internet—evenings and weekends.

These tests measure how much data your internet connection can send and receive in an amount of time and give you a number in Mbps. The higher the number is, the faster your internet is. It should be close to what you're paying for. Check whether multiple devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network, too.

There could also be an outage or a problem with your ISP or hardware if your internet speed is slower than you're paying for.

To find out whether there's an outage in your area, contact your ISP or use an outage checker tool. These can happen due to network congestion, bad weather, accidents, or damaged underground cables, and you have little over them unless you switch to a different ISP or type of broadband.

Check Your Hardware

Your hardware could be faulty if you have a slow internet connection outside outages. A poorly configured or outdated router will relay a weaker Wi-Fi signal that won't transfer data efficiently. This is common with older ones.

First, reboot it (yes, most technical issues are solved that way!) and try changing its channel (frequency band it uses to communicate with your devices) or updating its firmware to improve its performance. It needs to stay up to date and be configured properly to work efficiently and securely.

You can configure your router by logging into its web interface with a browser (type 192.168.1.1 into your web address). The login credentials are both "admin" by default or can be found on a sticker on your router. Don't edit any unfamiliar settings! Don't forget to check your cables, too, as weak links can cause slow connections.

Getting a new router may be the only solution if our suggestions don't work. Long-range or mesh routers can help with signal strengths.

5 Common Signs You Need to Upgrade Your Internet

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You should upgrade to a better internet package if you've tried everything suggested and slow connectivity issues persist. Read on to learn what these signs are.

1. Slow Connection Speed

This is the most telltale sign. Your current internet plan likely doesn't provide enough bandwidth to meet your household needs if you're consistently experiencing slow connection speeds.

This is especially when multiple devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. However, some activities also hog up your internet speed and are a sign your current bandwidth isn't enough. Activities that consume a lot of bandwidth include streaming in 4K, online gaming, video conferencing, and downloading and uploading large files.

This can manifest in buffering while streaming, download speeds dropping to kilobits per second, choppy video quality in calls, and uploads taking ages to complete.

That's also why learning how much internet speed you need when upgrading is good.

2. Multiple Smart Home Devices

Let's be honest: if you live in a large household with multiple smart devices, a 14 Mbps speed (the average in New Zealand) won't cut it. We mentioned how having many devices on a single home network can slow its performance.

Being diligent and considering faster internet plans is best if you have multiple smart TVs, laptops, smartphones, etc. This will save you the frustration of dealing with slower speeds.

3. Unreliable Connectivity

Your internet service provider could be behind your frustrations if neither your hardware nor internet outages are causing your internet connection to be unstable. You might want to switch to a different provider if your connection consistently cuts off or is low-quality.

There are many excellent ISPs in New Zealand, so compare them to find what suits you best. Signing up with one that can provide you with a high-quality, reliable, fast internet connection should be your priority.

4. High Monthly Bills

Some providers will charge you extra for exceeding data caps. You're overpaying if you're paying over a hundred for subpar internet connection speeds and a strictly limited data plan.

Consider switching to an unlimited data plan if your monthly bills are consistently high or you incur extra charges for exceeding data limits. Most fibre and cable providers offer them.

5. Fibre Availability

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Look no further than fibre when looking for the fastest, most reliable broadband connection type available today.

While more expensive than the alternatives, fibre allows speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps in download and upload. It's also very stable and less prone to outages and network congestion since it uses different underground cables and is less commonly used.

Consider upgrading to fibre if you live in a large household and need an ultrafast connection speed to replace your current troublesome one.

Wrapping Up

Since multiple devices are connected to our home networks regularly, and nearly everything we do is online, having a subpar internet connection is unacceptable.

Many factors influence your internet performance, from your internet service and plan to hardware and network settings. You should assess them before upgrading.

However, if you've done everything but still experience slow speeds, buffering videos, choppy video quality, and latency issues in gaming, then an upgrade is due; start by comparing different deals on our website!