What are the best options for Internet when taking online classes?

When considering internet services, location needs to be considered as not all services are available in all locations. Ask local family or friends which internet service providers they use and recommend or review your local Yellow Pages.  After you have found an internet service provider (ISP) which offers service in your area, check which levels of service (often measured in data transfer speeds) it offers.  Always keep the cost in mind in selecting a package; however, also note that the more you pay (usually), the faster your connection will be, and the less trouble (usually) you will have with accessing/using online services.  Also check with neighbors to ask which service levels they purchased and their reviews of those speeds. 

Common Internet Service Providers and their available service packages (download/upload):

*Mbps = Megabits per second (approx. 1 million bits per second); Kbps = Kilobits per second (approx. 1 thousand bits per second) - a measurement of the speed of data transfer.

**These speeds are estimates. Actual speeds may vary.

Internet types based on speed / reliability

1. Fiber to house (such as FiOS from Verizon) - Excellent/Above Par.
   
   
2. Cable - Great, Typically better than DSL.
   
   
3. DSL - Great to Fair, depending on area
   
   
4. Cellular 3G/4G - Okay (not recommended).
   
   
5. Satellite - Okay (not recommended).
   
   
6. Dial-up - Poor (will not suffice).

Cellular, Satellite, and slower connections have much higher latency and low upload bandwidth, which can often result in issues watching high-bandwidth content such as course videos or issues uploading large files. The latency can also cause page load times to be much longer than other connections.