How to choose a data connection – What’s best for my business?

ADSL vs. Ethernet vs. Fibre vs. Wireless vs. Mobile Broadband

In business these days it’s necessary to have a data connection. Your business and its data connection are complementary. The kind of data connection you need depends on what kind of business you have.

It goes without saying that if you’re a sole trader who does minimal online work an Ethernet Fibre service of 400Mbps would be overkill. Conversely, running an online film editing company on a Mobile Broadband service would be equally preposterous.

So what is the best kind of data connection for your business?

Let’s have a look at the different kinds of connections available and the benefits of each for different types of business.

ADSL2+

There are two flavours of ADSL2+ that we can look at here. They are probably the most common for micro- to small businesses. The kind of work you do and what you use the service for would be factors in choosing the right type.

The two that we can look at are standard ADSL2+ Annex A and ADSL2+ Annex M. What are the differences? With Annex A you are looking at having a theoretical maximum downstream of 24Mbps and an upload of 1.4Mbps. This is what we call a “best effort” service, which means if you are right next door to your exchange, you’ll get better speeds than if you were a few kilometres away. With Annex M, you get an increase to the maximum upstream, boosting it from 1.4Mbps to 3Mbps. This means you can upload things faster, reply to emails faster and share photos or documents with your clients faster.

Ethernet/Fibre

This is probably the most common type of connection that we provide here at Arrow for small- to medium-size businesses. If you have a separate office, do a lot of video conferencing, need a dedicated data service to upload or store on a cloud-based storage service or just need guaranteed speeds, this is the service for you. Ethernet and Fibre services also have “symmetrical” speeds, meaning they have the same download and upload rates. The other reason businesses choose Ethernet and Fibre services is that they aren’t “best effort.” They’re guaranteed to be stable at the given speed, so if you’re on the 100/100Mbps plan, then that is what you get – 100Mbps downstream and 100Mbps upstream.

NBN

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is the most recent technology for data services. It transmits using fibre optic cable instead of copper and produces incredible speeds with reliability. Businesses for which this is available can currently get speeds up to 100Mbps, with future speeds looking at 1Gbps. The difference is that NBN is an asymmetrical service, so upstream speed will be less than the downstream. Currently the rollout is only in some areas. Those with access should apply for this technology, as it is definitely the future of data connection.

Wireless Ethernet

Wireless Ethernet is essentially a service that has point-to-point wireless connections from the supplier to your premises. Some businesses, especially in remote areas, cannot always get a dedicated service. In this instance, Wireless Ethernet is a good solution because it is also a symmetrical service that lets you be on the same upload and download with no issues. Wireless Ethernet is also a good option for a contingency service, as it can serve as a good backup to keep your business running smoothly if you have complications with your wired service due to service difficulty, hardware issues or other problems.

Mobile Broadband

Mobile Broadband (MBB) is great for businesses that are on the go or have staff that need network access when offsite. However, the service transmits through mobile towers, so there can be complications when users are not in mobile range. Most connections these days run through 4G/LTE technology that sometimes gets even better speeds than fixed services. This type of connection is useful for micro- to small-business owners as another contingency plan, as most MBB USB dongles can fit into the back of WiFi routers and provide a seamless connection if faced with service disruptions.

As you can see, there are benefits and drawbacks to each type of data service. If your business doesn’t rely heavily on the internet, a 100Mbps Ethernet connection would be of little use, while a slower connection would be a problem if you do a lot of teleconferencing. Determining why you need your data connection will help steer you in the right direction when it comes time to choose which type to go with.