Is all Internet created the same?

Do you know what type of technology GBT or your current Broadband provider uses to provide Internet to your home or business? Did you know there are about 6 different ways to provide Internet, and the type of technology used will greatly affect the capabilities and user experience your household can come to expect? GBT provides Internet to our customers via 4 methods. Read on as we briefly explain each of their capabilities and limitations.

Internet provided via Fiber Optics

Fiber optics today is the best type of technology to provide Internet service. Fiber is a buzzword for those that do not have it but also the most expensive way to provide service. Fiber is the best because it can deliver very fast synchronous download and upload speeds and is the most reliable. At GBT, we can provide up to 1000Mbps download by 1000Mbps upload to almost 95% of our Cooperative territory, including the rural areas. Fiber is also the best when it comes to latency, which is the time it takes to send information. When it comes to latency, the lower the number the better, and typically fiber can produce latency at 17 milliseconds (ms) or quicker. Fiber is typically a dedicated connection to every home or business and does not have its bandwidth shared between other subscribers within a service group.

Internet provided via Coax or Coaxial Cable

Coax cable, which at one time was mainly used to provide cable TV service, is a second way to provide Internet. Like fiber, coax connects to your house utilizing a physical cable that transports Internet from GBT’s facilities to each individual home. Like fiber, coax can provide fast download speeds up to 250Mbps on a GBT Internet connection, but it is somewhat limited on the upload speed to 25Mbps, and latency usually is the 50-60 millisecond range. Upload speed is used to send files to other people via the Internet and is also utilized when using applications like Facetime or Snapchat.

Internet provided via Fixed Wireless

Many people think they have Wireless Internet because most households only use Wi-Fi in their homes or businesses when using the Internet. For Internet Service Providers like GBT, when we refer to Wireless Internet, what we really mean is Internet that is getting delivered to homes without a wired connection, but instead using a point-to-point or wireless Internet connection. GBT has recently made several upgrades to our wireless Internet offering and now can provide speeds up to 100Mbps by 10Mbps to most of the non-cooperative areas we serve. Fixed Wireless is a great alternative to wired Internet service because it is often less expensive to deploy, but does have limitations based on Distance from the tower to the homes and elevation. For fixed wireless to operate, line of site is important, which can often be difficult when trees or other obstacles are in the way.

There’s a good chance you spend a considerable amount of time each day checking, reading, and responding to emails. It’s obvious why email is so popular because of the convenience to communicate in a very quick and timely manner, plus the ease of sharing information across the world with each other. With any type of high-demand product or service, criminals exploit and target these services. In 2019, it was estimated 3.4 Billion fake emails, such as phishing or malicious emails, were sent each day, and that number continues to rise. These fake and malicious emails cost Americans $Billions each year, so it is important to educate yourself and understand what to look for so you are not the next victim. Below are some of the most common scam emails to look out for. Emails that ask you to reset a password or confirm personal or payment Information. Even if the email seems legit or from a person or company that you do business with, you should not click on links to reset passwords or update portal information unless you’ve initiated the request. If you think it might be legit, go to the official website to reset the password or update your information, or try to call the official phone number of the organization requesting the information. If you are not expecting the email, you should never open any attachments or click on any links. Malicious emails embed ransomware or viruses into links and attachments within the email. Typically opening an email will not harm your device, but once you click the link or attachment, that’s when it’s possible for your device and data to be exposed or locked until you pay a ransom. Do not click on links or open attachments if you are not expecting them or did not request them. The email message creates a sense of urgency or curiosity. A notification that a charge was made on your credit or bank account or a purchase didn’t go through, a special offering if you click on the link within 30 minutes, or news about a change in...

Is your house going to be busting at the seams with family coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Doing these 2 things before guests come will save you headaches so you can focus on food, fun, and family! 1. Make your Wifi network and password info easy to find. Don’t be left fumbling around for that tiny slip of paper where you wrote down your home’s Wifi information. Have the network name and wifi password displayed where guests (and you) they can find them easily. You can so something as simple as putting it on the fridge, or have a little fun with it by printing it out and putting it in a picture frame. If you don’t want to display this info, you can write it in a note in your phone or tape it to the back of your router. 2. Make sure you have the speed and router to support your increased Internet usage. Many people plan and have extra mashed potatoes and Turkey for the additional people, but they forget about the extra Internet bandwidth needed when they have all those extra phones, tablets, and much more connecting to their home Internet. If you are still on a slow Internet speed or don’t know what Internet speed you are on but would like to learn more, use this time now to call our GBT experts to ask them about the Internet you need. Also, make sure you have GBT’s Managed Protection which includes our router and Wifi. Did you know that 75% of the Internet troubles GBT responds to aren’t Internet troubles but are Wifi-related troubles. With pretty much every device we use to get on the Internet, wireless these days, it's important to have an updated router that can handle the Internet speeds and a number of devices in your home. Don’t deal with Wifi issues preventing you from getting a good deal on Cyber Monday. Upgrade to GBT’s Managed Protection today and get your first 6 months FREE! Show off this holiday season to all your grandkids - Grandma & Grandpa have better Internet than what they have at...