The Best Work-From-Home Broadband Provider & Plans Comparison Guide

As concerns about the outbreak of the coronavirus in the nation grow, employers are giving their workers the option of operating remotely or from home. This implies you'll need a quick and dependable internet connection to keep things running smoothly when you're on a video conference with your employer or downloading an important file.

Moreover, a home broadband line is certainly categorized as a necessity now, in the era of work from home. No longer can you brush aside a wired broadband line for home as an avoidable additional expense. To get work done remotely, for your child’s online classes and for streaming Netflix once you desperately need to unwind after work, the reality is that our 3G and 4G mobile networks may just not be geared up for the tasks at hand.

In this article, we've identified some of the key factors to consider when selecting a broadband plan while working from home, and also the top telecom providers which you should consider choosing.

How Much Data & Speed Do You Need While Working From Home?

Most households would most likely already have a broadband plan that allows them to operate from home. However, if you’re facing network issues or are looking for a plan that offers high speeds and more data, consider upgrading your plan today.

Here is a short overview of several general guidelines on how high the download and upload speeds can be for various work applications.

While these speeds may not seem like a lot, it’s important to consider that if you’re working from home with your family using the internet as well, you’ll need more bandwidth to ensure all members are able to stay connected without facing any network or speed issues.

If you’re facing issues with your internet connection, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide you can follow for easy tips on how to increase your internet speed.

WiFi VS Broadband: Which One Is Better For Work From Home?

Wi-Fi technology seems to be much more convenient than wireless internet because it helps you to connect to the internet with several devices at the same time, even if on the go.

While convenient, you can only connect to the internet in a small place, such as a space or a small office with a few square meters. Furthermore, even though the network speed of a Wi-Fi connection has increased over time, it is still well below the data rates that a high-speed broadband service would have.

Broadband connections, on the other hand, link directly to your stationary computers, providing higher internet speeds and better stability. To get wireless access on your mobile devices, you'll also need an internet wifi router.

Another disadvantage to Wi-Fi is that it is vulnerable to interference, while a broadband network is essentially impervious to interference until the actual connection is disrupted. Furthermore, you can connect to the internet with a fiber cable at any time, while Wi-Fi requires the use of a modem, router, or hotspot, both of which must be powered on for the service to operate.

It's possible that you share your Wi-Fi network with other users who can connect to the internet at the same time, reducing the performance and speed of your connection. Telecommunication service providers typically provide Wi-Fi internet access via portable modems, often known as Wi-Fi/USB dongles.

This either links directly to a computer through USB or acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing you to access the internet wirelessly from a smartphone. In terms of broadband, you don't need a router or modem at all.

Benefits of Broadband Over WiFi

• What you can do online with an unlimited plan is virtually limitless. You can do any heavy-duty task, such as 4K streaming, live gaming, and live coding, without any hindrance, with a fast connection.
• Wi-Fi connections are insecure and inconsistent. Broadband connections are much more reliable and stable.
• It has much higher speeds than a Wi-Fi network, and you usually get a huge volume of data every month, allowing you to transfer large files more quickly.
• It's relatively inexpensive, given the superior speed and significantly larger amount of data you get on a broadband network each month. The only drawback is that, depending on your broadband network, you can only physically connect a certain number of computers.
• You should still connect it to a Wi-Fi network and provide high-speed wireless internet access to both your smartphone and computer devices.

Selecting The Best Telecom Provider

If your current broadband plan offers a high speed but you’re still facing issues when your whole family is connected to the internet, you could consider taking a speed test. A speed test is designed to determine the download and upload speed in real-time, allowing you to verify if you’re actually getting the speed promised by your telecommunications provider. For information about the speed test, learn more about it here.

You could consider choosing another telecom provider if you’re not getting sufficient speed or if you’re paying too much for your current plan with fewer benefits.

We have put together a list of the most popular broadband plans from Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone's subsidiary YOU, and BSNL to help you determine which network operator is best for you.

YOU Wi-Fi Broadband Plans

YOU, an affiliate of Vodafone, offer varying plans for various geographic areas. For eg, in the Gurgaon area, there are four packages ranging from Rs 1,682 to Rs 3,237– each of which has 90 days duration and providing 600GB to 1200GB data at speeds ranging from 30Mbps to 150Mbps, while in Navi Mumbai, the packages range from Rs 2,036 to Rs 3,536– each of which has 90 days duration and providing 1350GB to 3600GB data at speeds ranging from 75Mbps to 200Mbps.

BSNL Broadband Plans

BSNL has both broadband and fiber internet services. The broadband package begins at Rs. 349 each month and can be extended to Rs. 2,349 each month, with speeds varying from 8Mbps to 24Mbps. But for the base package, all broadband services have unlimited roaming.

The basic package provides 2 GB of data per day at 8Mbps speeds; with Rs. 399, you get equivalent advantages also with unlimited roaming. The next package is Rs. 499, which provides 3 GB of data per day at 10Mbps speeds. The far more costly package costs Rs. 2,349 per month and provides 35 GB of data each day at a speed of 24Mbps.

BSNL's fibre links provide the added benefit of faster broadband. Such packages range in price from Rs. 499 each month to Rs. 2,499 each month. You get unlimited calls for all fibre broadband plans. The basic package includes 100 GB of data at up to 20Mbps speeds. This package is only available till the end of the month, on March 31st.

Another package available is valued at Rs. 777 and is also available for a short period. This will provide you with 500 GB of data at speeds of up to 50Mbps.

Airtel Wi-Fi Broadband Plans

Airtel's internet plans range in price from Rs 799 to Rs 3,999. With unlimited voice calling, you could get speeds ranging from 100Mbps to 1 Gbps. Airtel's Basic package costs Rs 799 every month and includes 150 GB of data at up to 100Mbps speeds, as well as a connection to Airtel Xstream. Users will also recharge for Rs 299 after their data has run out in order to make their Airtel packages unlimited.

Airtel's Entertainment package, worth Rs 999 every month, provides 300GB of data at up to 200Mbps; the Premium package, worth Rs 1,499 every month, provides 500GB of data at up to 300Mbps; and the VIP package, worth Rs 3,999 every month, provides unrestricted data at up to 1Gbps rates. All of these plans also provide subscriptions to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Zee5 Premium, and Airtel Xstream.

Tata Sky Broadband Plans

Tata Sky offers three monthly internet packages, each with unlimited monthly data. The cheapest package costs Rs 900 and provides 25Mbps speeds; the Rs 1,000 plan provides 50Mbps speeds; and also the Rs 1,100 plan provides 100Mbps speeds. Tata Sky's yearly plans begin at Rs 9,180 for 25Mbps speeds, Rs 10,200 for 50Mbps speeds, as well as Rs 11,220 for 100Mbps speeds.

ACT Work From Home Upgrade Offer

ACT Fibernet, India's initial ISP to deliver up to 1Gbps speeds, has given exclusive work-from-home advantages to its customers. The business announced on Twitter that current subscribers would be able to update their services at no additional expense and enjoy unlimited high-speed broadband with speeds of up to 300Mbps.

Reliance Jio Wi-Fi Broadband Plans

Reliance Jio's broadband packages begin at Rs 699 and then go up to Rs 8,499. The packages include free voice calls everywhere in India, home networking for content distribution, TV voice conferencing, gaming, and Norton device protection service for five smartphones, with speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1Gbps. The following is a summary of the plans available:

Reliance Jio even provides quarterly, semi-annual, as well as yearly JioFiber prepaid packages in addition to monthly plans. The annual plans range from Rs 8,388 for the Bronze package to Rs 1,01,988 for the Titanium package.

Spectra

Spectra is also another ISP in the world that has gigabit connection speeds. It has swift internet connections that are capable of handling video calls and uploading critical documents in moments.

The rates vary based on your region and are not accessible in some regions of India, however, if you are in a zone where Spectra provides high-speed broadband, you're in luck. In Noida, for instance, Spectra provides three high-speed internet packages. You could pay for a year in advance and get the security fee canceled.

The starting “Spectra Fast” package costs Rs. 999 every month or Rs. 15,326 annually (including GST and installation fees). This will provide you with 1,000 GB of data at 250Mbps speeds and also a monthly data carry ahead option.

The “Spectra Faster” package would cost Rs. 1,599 for each month and includes unlimited 500Mbps data. The “Spectra Fastest” package costs Rs. 2,499 every month and has comparable advantages though with a 1Gbps broadband connection.