Is Earthlink Internet Fast?
EarthLink is a company that specializes in providing internet services that it has been offering since 1994. AT&T provides internet, phone, and television services for home and commercial use, and it operates in the United States. Internet speed is another area where EarthLink provides its clients with various options and speeds of connection. However, is the internet provided by EarthLink faster than that of other large-scale ISPs? Let us fine-tune our lens.
What Speeds Does EarthLink Offer?
For home connections, EarthLink’s internet plans range from 1. 5Mbps on the low end up to 1Gbps for users on the higher tiers. The speed tier names and details are.
5Mbps - Economy Plan 6Mbps - Basic Plan 12Mbps - Select Plan 20Mbps - Plus Plan 100Mbps - Ultra Plan 1Gbps - Gig Plan
However, at the higher end with the Gig plan, EarthLink does provide high-speed internet services of up to 1,000Mps or 1Gbps. However, most of the casual users probably do not require connections that are this fast. 20-100 Mbps are quite reasonable for such tasks as streaming HD video and gaming at the same time on multiple devices.
How does the speed offered by this ISP compare to other ISPs in the country?
The internet speed of EarthLink is quite comparable to that of other top cable and DSL internet companies like Spectrum, Xfinity, CenturyLink, and many more. Many internet service providers use a very similar tiering system wherein they provide plans within a comparable range beginning with speeds of about 10-20 Mbps and working up to ultra-fast gigabit connections.
In certain places, alternative fiber optic internet companies like AT&T Fiber or Verizon Fiber could provide gigabit connectivity at somewhat cheaper rates than EarthLink's gigabit service. In other regions, nevertheless, EarthLink's pricing and fastest speeds are online with those of rival ISPs.
The exact internet connection speeds that you can get will always partly depend on what layers of underlying physical infrastructure exist in your local region. It is also important for one to know that major metro areas are usually faster in internet capabilities as compared to several non-metro areas.
Challenges That Influence True Broadband Speed
While an ISP might advertise a certain speed tier, the internet speeds you experience can fluctuate based on factors like.
- Service provision technology – cable is different from DSL fiber or satellite in terms of speed and so on.
- Network traffic and congestion – An increase in the number of users accessing the internet at any given time will lead to a slow connection.
- The internet speed – Wirelessly over a router tends to offer less speed than wired.
- Device limitations – Old devices can only support low bandwidth NICs or wireless chips
- Distance from network equipment – The farther it is, the slower will be the speed.
- Website server performance – A website that is frequently visited or heavy in loading can slow down.
That means, for example, if you have signed up for a 100Mbps package, you may receive only 50Mbps through WiFi in the evening. It may be necessary to use a wired connection via an Ethernet cable to achieve consistent connection speeds as provided by your ISP.
Consequently, the EarthLink Connection Type by Location is as follows:
What EarthLink offers as the type of internet connection technology still depends on the region where you live. Here’s an overview:
- Fiber optic – Fiber gigabit available in some metropolitan areas
- Cable – up to the gigabit speed through coaxial cables.
- DSL – A slower form of DSL service that is usually below 100Mpbs.
- Fixed wireless – Satellite and tower transmitted service
- Dial-up – Only the old dial-up service is available
Both fiber optics and cable have recorded high speeds in their maximum connectivity as compared to other technologies such as DSL and fixed wireless that are limited by their technological advancement. The gigabit fiber service that EarthLink offers is currently only offered in some metro parts of the country at the moment.
That was the case of EarthLink which traditionally relied on phone and DSL lines but has evolved over the years in terms of its network and services. The ISP has short-term objectives to offer internet connection across the country through the use of different networking technologies depending on the local network infrastructure.
How to Get a Faster EarthLink Connection?
If you decide to use EarthLink as your ISP, here are some tips to squeeze faster speeds out of your internet connection.
- Select the quickest plan existing in your region – Go for the highest bandwidth that your housing is capable of supporting.
- Get a good Wireless Router – A modern powerful router with quality external antennas ensures that one gets better wireless speeds.
- Cable devices when possible – Wired connections do not go through WiFi congestion.
- Limit multiple users – If many people are using data at a given time, the rate slows down. Sustain critical usage whenever the speed appears to be low.
- Check with customer support if speeds seem to be consistently low - There could be some network problems or provisioning issues the ISP has to address.
As for internet speeds, what you get as an end user of EarthLink can be quite different from what is promised, although the basic rates are rather decent. Controlling expectations over viable internet speeds and reducing other constraining factors within your home network are what will enable you to get the most out of EarthLink’s internet speeds regardless of the plan you have subscribed to.
