What to look for in DSL
When you’re signing up for DSL, look for a plan with speeds that match your lifestyle. Both download and upload speeds play a role in making your internet experience the best it can be.
Download and upload speeds
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) advertise their plans based on download speed. The fastest DSL hybrid download speeds are around 100 Mbps. That’s plenty to support your family and its internet-ready devices.
If you’re the only person on your internet, though, 25 Mbps can be plenty. That download speed is the FCC’s standard for broadband internet, and it will support streaming with little trouble.
Speeds lower than 25 Mbps are fine for web browsing, but streaming could be difficult.
Upload speeds are also crucial, though most ISPs don’t advertise them. You’ll need at least 1 Mbps to support video conferences or online gaming, and while even the slowest packages in this article advertise speeds up to 1 Mbps, up to is very different from at least.
Because of this, it’s safer to go with plans that offer higher upload speeds. That way you’re less likely to lose a video call if your internet isn’t performing at its peak.
Data caps
We didn’t go into detail about data caps earlier because AT&T, Frontier, and CenturyLink all have either high data caps or unlimited data usage.
But if you’re going with another DSL provider, we recommend checking out its data allowance policy. The standard is about 1 TB, which is plenty for most people.
Data caps limit how much you use the internet, and going over them can lead to high fees. Read our data cap article for more information on these limits and the providers who have them.