When you look for an internet connection, whether for your business or for your home, you have to make a list of priorities and do your research to learn about what you truly need. While doing your research, you must have come across terms like ‘shared bandwidth’ and ‘dedicated internet access’. You might even have researched what they are, but if you haven’t, you have landed at the right place! In this article, you will learn about what they are and what the difference between the two is!
To start with the basics, the prices, the bandwidth, and even the target customer for both a shared internet connection and a dedicated internet connection are different. Why are they different and which one should you pick? You will be able to understand and answer these questions once you’re done reading this article.
Some of you might even wonder how you can find out whether your connection is shared or dedicated, and the answer for that lies with your ISP. While most people think you can tell from the internet speed, that isn’t accurate. You can have a shared connection with a high speed too, just like you will find provided by TDS home internet.
So, the best way to know is to find it by reading through the fine print and details, or just ask them.
What is a Dedicated Internet Connection?
A dedicated internet connection is the best option if you are looking for a strong and reliable internet solution without any lags or slow speed. The reason why that is so is that a dedicated connection is like a private connection. When you sign up for a dedicated connection, it is like you have a project manager and a team that works to ensure that your internet implementation and setup are just like expected and promised.
With a dedicated internet connection, you don’t have to share your bandwidth with other businesses and this saves you from the lagging internet during peak hours. The internet connection is, like the name suggests, dedicated to your business only. One of the best things about a dedicated internet connection is that you get symmetrical upload and download speeds.
What is a Shared Internet Connection?
A shared internet connection is the opposite of a dedicated internet connection and it is shared by many people or businesses. This means that you will have a shared bandwidth and it is likely that you will experience slow internet during rush or peak hours. Usually, businesses do not opt for this option, especially if they heavily rely on the internet. However, if a business is not completely dependent on the internet, then they can make do with this connection.
Let’s make one thing clear. When we say shared here, we don’t mean that your information and files on your computer are shared, and we also don’t mean that you will be given only one router or modem, and everyone will have to make do with that. It only means that many other people or businesses in your area will be connected or use the same internet service as you. Your usage level might affect their internet connection, and vice versa.
Dedicated vs. Shared internet
Cost
A dedicated internet connection costs much higher than a shared internet connection. You can usually find it in the price range of $500 up to $3000. Yes, it is very expensive, but that’s also because a dedicated internet connection is meant for businesses rather than residential homes. So, for businesses, this is a reasonable and market-competitive rate.
A shared internet connection is way more reasonable than a dedicated internet connection. The reason for that is it is generally used for residential homes and sometimes, for home offices and small businesses. You can usually find it in the price range of $50 up to $300. You will still get to choose from a range of internet speeds here. Take the example of TDS. TDS internet prices vary depending on the connection and internet speed so you can take your pick!
Speed and Bandwidth
When it comes to the speed and bandwidth of a dedicated internet, whichever speed you subscribe to or agree upon, you get exactly that with maximum uptime and reliability. Your bandwidth will never change and you always experience minimum fluctuations, if not none. In short, bandwidth speed is guaranteed always.
On the flip side, with shared internet, the agreed-upon aped and bandwidth might fluctuate from time to time. As we said before, your usage may be affected by peak times and internet usage by other people, be it the people who live with you like family and friends, or the neighbors that have the same connection.
Support
For dedicated internet, there are some Service-Level Agreements, typically known as SLAs, that bind the company or the ISP to provide the best possible service. This means they give you the guarantee of maximum uptime, reliability, and stability of their connection.
But don’t be mistaken! You will still get a good support system with a shared internet connection. The difference is just that there are no SLAs involved here and so, there is no guarantee of maximum uptime and whatnot. The ISP will do its best to keep you online and stabilize the connection, but there is no 100% guarantee.
Use case
Dedicated internet is, understandably, something meant for big businesses and corporations. We can even say it is appropriate for medium-sized companies. One thing these companies have to have in common to be using this kind of internet connection is that they must be highly dependent on the internet for their tasks and more.
Small businesses or home businesses, home office, and residential homes can mostly meet their internet needs with a shared internet connection. We say this because they are not mostly dependent on the internet and those that are, can just opt for a high-speed shared internet connection.
Finally,
Both connections are good for different scenarios and different types of workplaces or uses. Of course, neither is bad. So, if you were looking to find which is bad and which is good, they are both good, just in different cases. You will need to think about your requirements and needs, and then decide which one is better to subscribe to.
