When you move out of your parent’s house and choose to live together with other students for the duration of your study, you have to take into account that you’ll have to share things. This not only applies to the toilet and bathroom, but also to the internet connection. Having to wait a while before you can wash your hair or pee isn’t great, but waiting an eternity for your favourite movie to be uploaded? Unacceptable! So how do you ensure that you’ll be able to use high-speed internet in your student housing?
Fast, faster, fastest
Before you start arranging high-speed internet for yourself and your housemates, you must first estimate what your internet-needs actually are. To do so you have to take a number of things into account. First of all you’ll have to know which gadgets and technologies everyone uses on a daily basis; every student probably has a smartphone, but perhaps also a tablet and a laptop or PC. Are there any gaming consoles in the house? And who streams their music or binge watches their series through Netflix? Second of all your estimate should also include the size of your house and how many people use the internet connection. If you live in a small house with only 2 to 4 other students, which is comparable to a family home, it is best to opt for an internet subscription of 100 or 200Mbit / s. That way everyone can use the internet connection at the same time, without everything faltering and crashing all the time. If you live in a large building with more than 4 other students, 100 Mbit / s is probably not enough. It is better to opt for a subscription of 200 or 500 Mbit / s. Of course you have to take into account that superfast internet comes at a price. You must discuss what you and your housemates are willing to pay for a well-functioning internet connection. Of course it makes a big difference that you not only share the internet, but also the costs.
Internet via cable
In most student accommodations a super-fast fiber optic network for your internet is not an option. Usually there is only one DSL connection which has to be shared and you will also find only one cable connection for cable internet. The latter is perhaps slightly more expensive, but it’s also much faster and more convenient when there are several users at the same time. Especially when you also invest in a switch on the router, you can easily ensure that all roommates can connect their computer via cable. But in addition to fast internet, you obviously also want cheap internet. In that case it’s a good idea to start comparing internet providers (translated in Dutch: internet vergelijken).
WiFi mesh
If you and your roomies don’t want any hassle with countless cables and wires, and if you’re willing to spend a few bucks on high-speed wireless internet, a WiFi Mesh network might be a good option. It will probably set you back three hundred, but you will all have a perfect high-speed connection no matter where you are in the house. By placing multiple WiFi routers throughout the house, one at each floor, you get one big network. These routers connect to each other and together create one network with maximum speed. You can set up the network via an app, so that each roommate gets his own piece of bandwidth and everything is fair and square. That saves a lot of bickering!
The very best internet provider
When you have mapped out what your internet needs are in terms of speed and which connection you want to use, the search for a suitable internet provider can begin. Go online for an all in one comparison (translated in Dutch: alles in 1 vergelijken) to make sure you find the perfect plan for you and your housemates.