If a positive internet “surfing” experience is desired, whether at home or at the place of employment, the following points should be considered:

• Bandwidth
• Latency
• Computer health
• Internet Browser Extensions

Bandwidth is the allowance of data that may be downloaded per given unit of time. For example, if a typical DSL plan of 1-20 Megabits/sec is purchased, that means the ISP (internet service provider) will allow downloading approximately 1-20 megabits of data per second. To put that into better perspective, contrast it with the speed of a dial-up Internet connection plan of approximately 20-30 kilobits per second, which is only a very small fraction of 1 megabit. Therefore, if high-speed internet is desired, it’s probably better to not choose a dial-up internet connection plan.

However, don’t be fooled by only looking at the data allowance per second when choosing a plan. There’s a variable one must consider called network latency, and can usually only be determined by reading the reviews of a given ISP. Latency refers to the delay that data must endure after given the command to transfer, and many different factors can contribute to latency. For example, if one is considering purchasing a satellite internet plan, keep in mind that although the data allowance per second might look good, it just so happens that the latency of a satellite network could be such that it will not feel like you are using a high-speed internet connection; the internet connection will feel very slow.

After the above is considered and the internet plan is purchased, it’s pretty much up to the computer user to make sure the device being used to access the internet is in good health. Even with the fastest internet plan available, a computer in poor health will diminish the speed of the internet service being used such that all that glorious speed will not be noticeable. This means making an effort to become familiar with computer maintenance. An internet service provider might offer computer maintenance as part of a purchased plan, but it would save a lot of money to do a little research and become familiar with maintenance.

Using the internet typically happens via an internet browser. With the explosion of internet usage in the last decade, internet browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome have made available extensions or add-ons which can enhance the internet experience. Adding these to your browser, each with a specific purpose, can come with a negative side. Sometimes these extensions can cause a browser to become slow or to crash, therefore, using too many of these simultaneously can greatly diminish the speed of the internet. It would be in a computer user’s best interest to learn how to turn extensions and add-ons off.

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