What are the best available internet service providers (ISP) in Canadian for residential customers and ways by which you can avoid paying for charges you do not necessarily need?
In this article, we are unveiling the best Internet service providers available to residents of Canada and the various packages they offer to their customers and potential customers.
Reading through this article, it is necessary for you to come to the understanding that internet packages in Canada are more expensive when compared to that of neighbouring and distant countries.
Internet packages in Canada are expensive than in other countries on the basis that it costs a lot for Canadian internet service providers to maintain a network that has its operation in separate and far apart locations, and this cost is distributed to users across the country.
It has also been suggested that Canada’s biggest internet service providers are using their internet customers to regain declining revenue from their TV offering, as more and more customers ditch traditional cable TV.
So, it is crucial to ensure you get the best available deal while purchasing your next internet service.
When you’re getting into an apartment, it is necessary to check which internet service providers are already operating on the property.
Several apartment buildings have special deals, and a few tenant agreements will have service from ISPs in Canada already included within the cost.
Above all, don’t spend beyond what you have to.
Main Internet Service Providers Available for Residents of Canada
The best and biggest internet service providers available in Canada are Shaw Communications (Western) and Rogers Cable (Eastern), both offering an internet speed of up to 1000 Megabytes per second (Mbit/s).
Bell and Telus are also part of the larger ISPs in Canada offering packages.
Availability is dependent on your location. For example, Bell and Rogers are the large internet service providers in Ontario, while Shaw and Telus are the major ISPs competing in western provinces.
Novus is recommended by several users in many discussion forums you will find yourself. Nonetheless, they operate in only a few locations.
Their service is merely available in certain apartment buildings in Vancouver.
TekSavvy is one among several Canadian internet providers who largely depend upon the infrastructure of its bigger competitors.
What is the best Internet option in Canada?
There are a variety of things to think about, including download and upload speeds, data caps, and cost.
Don’t be shy about asking internet service providers for detail on these, and explaining to them how you sometimes use the web.
It’s their job to make sure you’re informed about the package you’re buying.
If there’s anything the person you’re chatting with seems unsure of, be happy to politely ask them to get the necessary information from their support managers.
Download/Upload Speed
Any data coming from the internet to your device relies solely on your downloading stream to reach there.
The higher the speed, the faster this data is probably going to reach its destination which is your device.
You can get by with little if you’re performing some light web browsing.
Examples would be checking email, reading articles like those on Immigly, and scrolling through your news feed on Facebook from time to time.
Other activities require more data to be transferred.
A standard example would be video, and especially video that features a very high quality like the 720P, 1080P, and 4K HD quality videos.
Netflix, for example, advocates for download speeds of a minimum of five megabits per second (Mbps) to view HD video, and 25Mbps to observe Ultra HD (very high-quality) video.
Any data going to the internet straight from your device relies solely on your uploading stream to reach its destination which is the server.
Every time you type or input a web address, or make a search activity on Google, you’re sending data from your device to the server on the internet.
These are relatively simple tasks that don’t require a really high upload speed.
More intense activities would be a Skype call, for instance.
When you’re streaming live imagery from your web camera to a different web user, you’ll need a robust upload speed to send a video that’s of a viewable quality.
Skype recommends an upload speed of a minimum of 1.5Mbps.
Other issues to consider
Slower download/upload speeds mean data will transfer more slowly.
If you would like sites to load more quickly, then buy a better speed from your Canadian internet provider.
What is the total number of people/devices that are going to be connecting to the internet?
If you buy a 10Mbps download speed, and 6 people all make connections to it at the very same time, you’ll find yourself with some very slow internet indeed.
Will you be connecting over the wireless, WiFi connection, rather than on to the modem with a cable? The advertised speeds apply to wired connections.
Speeds weaken over WiFi and get weaker the further you get away from the router.
Data Caps
Most of Canada’s internet subscription plans have a limit to what amount of data you are able to upload and download within your subscription period.
With the help of an online tracker, you can check and know the amount of data you have used so far.
If you are however okay with a package but feel concerned you might exceed the data cap, it is ideal you make a subscription for just a month so that you can monitor your data and then upgrade later if need be or you are satisfied with the monthly plan.
Let’s say there are two of you in the house.
You both watch Netflix and stream some live TV for an hour or two an evening.
You routinely also sign into Facebook and check websites like Immigly on your desktop and your phone.
You both FaceTime for about two hours in total per week. It’s unlikely that you’ll exceed 200GB per month.
Other factors to have in mind
It’s impossible to answer these factors conclusively in a piece of writing like this, so do not be timid about discussing these when you are interacting with the companies providing internet in Canada.
How big is your house/apartment? Will the wireless router they supply cover all areas? Have a glance at where the wall outlet for internet service providers is found in your home and tell them whether it’s centrally located.
Is there a rental charge for the equipment? Canada’s internet providers vary within this aspect. Some will add a monthly fee for provided modem, others won’t.
Is their technical support good? Wi-Fi operates on a variety of signals, and in apartment blocks where many Wi-Fi networks operate, these signals can sometimes interfere with one another.
If you’re not technically proficient, you might have to place a call to them, so make sure you patronize internet service providers who are able to help.
Is there a charge for technical support call-outs?
Are there any network problems within the area you ought to remember?
Occasionally, internet service providers in Canada will have issues providing full service to all or any customers within a particular area.
It sometimes may occur in the evenings, for instance, when the bulk of its users are all attempting to download so much data at an equivalent time. Determine before you purchase.
And if problems occur after you’ve got service installed, ask them about seeking refunds for loss of service, or taking your service elsewhere.
What extras are included in the cost? in fact, an honest salesperson will tell you this without being asked, but many internet service providers in Canada include some nice extras within the cost.
Make certain to enjoy the most out of your hard-earned money.
Packages and rates for internet in Canada
Packages and rates for internet across Canada are often updated and should even vary on the basis of your location.
For this reason, we recommend comparing the costs from these providers to seek out the finest deal for your setup:
- Shaw
- Rogers
- Telus
- Bell
- Novus (select parts of Vancouver)
- TekSavvy (certain areas)
- Videotron (Quebec)
Mobile Internet
Bell and Rogers are among those offering services that receive signals over the 4G LTE network (which enables mobile devices to connect to Canada’s internet) to deliver a Wi-Fi network to your home.
They can be convenient if you are within a location where wired internet services are either impractical or unavailable.
However, they have a tendency to be more expensive than normal residential internet packages.
They also usually have lower data usage caps.
We hope this article was helpful, do well to share this on your social pages as this might come in handy for some of your friends. Cheers!
