Living alone, and I’m looking for a relatively cheap ISP/Router so I can have something to play PlayStation. I’m not sure about the exact size, but I live in a two room apartment and alone, no additional floor to worry about.
I have an Ethernet cable, but I’m looking for something consistent and reliable, while also being cheap.
First time ever doing this as I’m 18 and don’t know what questions to ask beside what seems obvious to me, but i’m trying to plan a decent budget. Obviously other things like food, water, and of course rent are a priority. Though I’m trying to plan things out.
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Single, two bedroom, at 18??? Sweet! Firstly, sweet! Hopefully that PS5 will get less and less use as your badass setup occupies your social time more and more.
I digress.
If you’re not concerned with waiting a little extra time to download a new game, 50Mbps and 500Mbps are the same experience for you. Give a list of all your local ISPs and their offers. Then do NOT get upsold to a speed you don’t need
Prioritize a fiber optic provider if you have a choice. I recently switched from cable and my ping/lag/latency on fiber is reliably 3ms. On Coax/modem it was more like 15ms. Still, first world lag, but it is noticable (and I don’t game anymore, just surfing use more responsive)
Hey bud,
If your PS is going to be wired in, you can get away with just about anything for hardware.
First, find out what ISP you’ll be subscribing to. You never mentioned if you’re getting Fiber or Cable Internet, so find out. Next see what hardware they provide with your Internet plan, and, importantly, see if they let you use it for free, or if there is an additional monthly charge to use their hardware. If there is a monthly fee, prepare to spend some money to buy your own hardware. It’s worth buying your own, as it saves you a lot of money in less than a year.
If they don’t charge, or let you use it free for the first year or more, then try using what they give you while it’s free. As long as your PS is wired in, anything they give you will be fine. If WiFi is too weak, then reevaluate and prepare to spend some money to fix it.
One of the benefits of living alone is that you completely control Internet usage. With that in mind you can get the lowest cost ISP speed and easily game on it if it’s not DSL. You could get away with a Internet package as low as 25 Mbps Download and 5 Mbps Upload and be fine as one person living alone. Most ISPs don’t even go that low. Starter packages usually start at 100/10 speeds, which is easily more than enough for one person, by a lot. Just plan your game downloads Intelligently, because it’ll take a little while. But even at 25/5, you can game and watch 4K movies in the background with no problems at all.
And remember, upgrading speeds is just a short phone call or online order, and it upgrades instantaneously. So start with the lowest package at least 25/5, and you can always upgrade later if it’s not enough.
Also, look into the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which every ISP participates in. It’ll give you $30 a month off your ISP bill, and is incredibly easy to apply for and receive. It’s not just for low income people; plenty of students, middle class families with a lot of kids, seniors, and guy getting started like you qualify. You can do it all online with your chosen ISP.
If you need or want your own router, right now, the very good, mid-tier ASUS AX68u is on sale for $99. That’s a steal, usually $130:
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-WiFi-Router-RT-AX68U-Compatible/dp/B08S7CK5T5?th=1
But see if you get free hardware with your ISP.