What Are The Best Options For Internet When Taking Online Classes?


The recommended minimum connection speed for the best online experience is to have a minimum download speed of 3.0 Mbps and at least 768 Kbps upload speed. These minimum speeds give students the best experience when trying to watch any streaming content or taking online tests.
 
When considering internet services, location needs to be considered as not all services are available in all locations. Ask local family or friends which internet service providers they use and recommend or review your local Yellow Pages.  After you have found an internet service provider (ISP) which offers service in your area, check which levels of service (often measured in data transfer speeds) they offer.  Always keep the cost in mind in selecting a package; however, also note that the more you pay (usually), the faster your connection will be, and the less trouble (usually) you will have with accessing/using online services.  Also check with neighbors to ask which service levels they purchased and their reviews of those speeds. 

Common Internet Service Providers and their available service packages (download/upload):

HughesNet speeds**

AT&T Typical speeds**

1.0 Mbps / 200 Kbps

768 Kbps / 320 Kbps

1.5 Mbps / 250 Kbps

1.5 Mbps / 720 Kbps

2.0 Mbps / 300 Kbps

3.0 Mbps / 1.0 Mbps

 

6.0 Mbps / 3.0 Mbps

 

 

DSL Typical speeds**

Comcast (Xfinity) Typical speeds**

768 Kbps / 320 Kbps

1.5 Mbps / 384 Kbps

1.5 Mbps / 768 Kbps

6.0 Mbps / 1.0 Mbps

3.0 Mbps / 1.5 Mbps

12.0 Mbps / 2.0 Mbps

10.0 Mbps / 3.0 Mbps

15.0 Mbps / 3.0 Mbps

 

20.0 Mbps / 4.0 Mbps

 

 30.0 Mbps / 6.0 Mbps

 

Cable Typical speeds**

Verizon FIOS**

1.5 Mbps / 768 Kbps

Up to 15.0 Mbps / 5.0 Mbps

2.0 Mbps / 1.5 Mbps

Up to 25.0 Mbps / 25.0 Mbps

15.0 Mbps / 2.0 Mbps

Up to 50.0 Mbps / 20.0 Mbps

20.0 Mbps / 4.0 Mbps

Up to 150.0 Mbps / 35.0 Mbps

 

*Mbps = Megabits per second (approx. 1 million bits per second); Kbps = Kilobits per second (approx. 1 thousand bits per second) - a measurement of the speed of data transfer.

**These speeds are estimates. Actual speeds may vary.

 

Internet types based on speed / reliability

  1. Fiber to house (such as FiOS from Verizon) - Excellent

  2. Cable - Great, typically better than DSL

  3. DSL - Good to Fair, depending on area

  4. Cellular 3G/4G - Okay to Poor (not recommended)

  5. Satellite - Okay to Poor (not recommended)

  6. Dial-up - Poor (will not suffice)

Cellular, Satellite, and slower connections have much higher latency and low upload bandwidth, which can often result in issues watching high-bandwidth content such as course videos not playing or issues uploading files. The latency can also cause page load times to be much longer than other connections.

To help identify possible issues with internet speed, the following speed test links are recommended for testing internet connections.

Note: the below sites are 3rd party speed tests that you may utilize also, however they are not associated with the Liberty University website: