What is business internet and how does it differ from consumer internet?
We break down differences and explore the benefits of both consumer and business internet plans.
As a small business shopping for internet, you might be wondering if you can make a home internet plan work rather than choosing business internet.
Home internet can be enough for some solopreneurs, remote contractors, and even small teams with low bandwidth needs (checking email, basic administrative work) who don't mind a potential interruption.
Business internet provides advantages and features that are vital for most work environments. It can make sure essential systems (POS terminal, laptops, phone lines etc.) are online without interruption, and help you grow your business with features like offering free WiFi for customers. It can give you the security and peace of mind that businesses need to focus on their customers.
Simply put, it's designed to help your business keep making sales, maintain client communication and uninterrupted productivity.
Key differences between home and business internet
Home internet is meant to meet the needs of households. It's great for surfing the web, streaming movies, and playing games.
On the other hand, business internet supports more users engaged in more demanding activities and has features that are often vital for doing business, such as enhanced security or uptime supported by a backup connection.
Here's a quick guide comparing the two. Note that your business internet plan will have different features and it’s important to customize it to your exact business needs.
|
|
Home internet |
Business internet |
|
Speed |
Good for a small number of users streaming or video conferencing |
Range of higher speeds for more users, large file transfers, and simultaneous video calls |
|
Reliability |
Strong, reliable internet |
Can include an automatic backup connection that switches on in case the main connection isn’t working |
|
Hardware |
High quality modem |
Business-grade equipment with potential to customize to your needs |
|
Customer Support |
General consumer support |
Dedicated 24x7 business technical support with specialists who understand business operations |
|
Pricing |
Pricing reflects core internet and support services |
Pricing reflects additional business features |
|
Security |
Consumer-grade security designed for your home based internet |
Business-grade firewalls and filters designed to protect valuable data (both yours and your clients') |
How do I decide which plan is best for my business?
Consider these questions when deciding about home or business internet:
What is the space your business uses? Do you have hard-to-reach areas, areas with concrete walls between them where you usually lose wireless coverage? Are you running a smaller space or a larger warehouse where consumer internet might not be enough?
Do you need to entertain customers while they wait? For example, a salon might want to offer guest WiFi for their clients as they wait for their hair to be sculpted to perfection. Or a retail store can offer the same to encourage customers posting on Instagram while using free WiFi and tagging them in their post, becoming a new marketing arm for the business.
How many employees do you have? The more employees, the higher likelihood that you have specific needs for your connection.
What is your location? Business internet has a wide range of solutions for temporary locations, rural areas or a bustling downtown office.
5 advantages of business internet over home internet
Now let's dig a little deeper into business internet's main advantages to see if any might benefit your company.
1. Faster downloads and uploads
Both consumer and business internet can offer fast plans. However, if you have specific needs, business dedicated fiber internet can take your operations to the next level with speeds upto10 Gbps, dedicated solely to your business so that you always have the amount of bandwidth you need.
2. Virtually no downtime
Business internet keeps you online, even during emergencies. Internet backup through Rogers' wireless network means local outages that leave your competitors in the dark, affect you less. For example, if you're in an office you can stay productive without searching for public WiFi.
3. Easy set-up, ongoing support
No IT team? No problem! Rogers will send a team of its own to set up business-grade networking hardware. Remote monitoring and automatic software updates ensure your network is always up and running and in peak operating order, and specialized tech support for businesses is available 24/7.
4. Secure access for everyone on your network
Do you run a coffee shop or medical office? Set up a public login to give customers internet access. Offices, meanwhile, can offer visiting clients secure and discrete guest logins. And since your company's network is separate from customers and guests, your data always remains safe.
5. Enhanced security
You've seen news stories about cyberattacks impacting bottom lines and data breaches destroying hard-earned business reputation. Business-grade security keeps unwanted traffic out and assets—like customer data—safe. You can also create custom filters to block sites (such as adult URLs) and apps (like social media). Virtual private networks (VPNs) extend this protection to remote users at home or on the road.
How do I pick the right internet plan for my business?
Now you know the differences between home internet and business internet. To learn more, explore our business internet plans and options.
Deciding which plan is right for you depends on more than just business size.
Estimate the number of simultaneously connected users and their online activity. More users put more strain on a network. And if many of those users are engaging in bandwidth-heavy activities—such as video conferencing and large file sharing—the load increases substantially.
But speed isn't everything. You'll also want to look at features available for each type of business internet. These range from wireless backup to cybersecurity options and the potential advantage of getting a fiber connection for simultaneous up- and download speeds.
What to do next?
If you think business internet is the right choice for your small business, contact one of our Business Sales Advisors. We will discuss your business needs and offer the best plan for you to keep growing.