Most of us love the idea of a high speed internet connection. But one of the real ironies of the modern world is that we tend to look at this valuable asset in the wrong light. It’s true that we often think about the speed of our internet connections. But it’s usually in the light of what’s wrong with our current download speeds. On rare occasions we might extend that to problems with our upload speeds. But what we seldom consider is how much we’re held back by these lowered expectations.
Because the simple fact is that most of us aren’t thinking about the internet in a modern light. Consider someone constantly frustrated by his experiences with a corded landline phone. Consider how much broader his experience would be if he was freed from the limitations of his landline. And then consider what he’d find when he used a smartphone and began to see the potential of his previously limited technology.
This metaphor can extend to how people use the internet. People look at their slow internet connection and they only think about it in a very limited way. But what if they had unlimited potential for their home internet? Lets begin by examining what the underlying issue is.
One of the most common problems simply comes down to an under performing internet service provider. And the most common reason for that is distance. People are often using internet services which spend an unnecessarily long time essentially sending data all around town. But if they use a more localized service they can avoid this latency.
It’s true that the internet will always have a series of interlocking nodes. The internet is named after a network for good reason. But one can still gain significant performance boosts by reducing the number of nodes between any two points. For example, someone in Chelan might have their ISP sending a signal all over Washington. They’d instead want a style better suited to the local environment. They’d essentially want an internet service provider Chelan County WA.
We’ve now seen the most common issues with an ISP and how to fix it. And we can go on to examine the options once one is using a faster and more reliable system. One of the main points comes down to moving to the next level with existing services. For example, many people use cloud storage.
But in doing so they wind up limited by the fact that they depend on a third party solution. They’re essentially just renting space instead of owning it. And in general the amount they pay in a month could more than buy that level of storage locally. It’s simply that one needs fast and reliable internet to set up a home based cloud storage system.
And it goes on from there. Most of the services we buy online have self hosted versions. But it’s simply not a viable option for most people. And all because of their slow internet service.
But once they’re using a faster and more reliable ISP they can start using their own file servers. They can even host their own media servers. This allows them a chance to really experience what it means to have a solid internet experience. But it only happens when people become aware of the possibilities.