General Information

Internet connectivity is increasingly important in the educational experience. Several factors influence the speed and reliability of your connection: hardware, Internet service provider (ISP), physical positioning of your wireless (WiFi) access point(s) (eg. wireless router), your device type(s), and more.

 

 

Testing Your Connection:

To test your Internet connection:

you can visit this webpage here:  www.fast.com

 

The download test (data received down to your computer from the Internet), should start automatically. It should take under a minute to complete this test.

 

To test upload speed (data sent from your computer to the Internet), click on the "Show more info" button as shown below:

 

 

internet_speed_download_only_arrow.png

 

 

You'll now start to see the upload test begin.  The areas shown with a  "?" will show results once the test is complete.

 

internet_speed_download&upload.png

 

 

Understanding the Results:

You may experience problems with virtual classroom, collaboration, and video conferencing tool technologies (eg. Bongo via SLATE, Zoom, MS Teams) if the results show:


⬇︎Download speed: below 50 Mbps

⬆︎Upload speed: below 5 Mbps

Note: Your download and upload speed may be reduced if there is someone else on the same home network as you. For example, if someone is on a video chat on the same WiFi network, playing online games, video streaming (ex: Netflix), you may see your own Internet speed become slower at that time.

 

Knowing Your Options:

On an old Internet plan? Contact your current provider to see if there is a better plan offered at a similar price.

Thanks to the CRTC, major providers (Rogers, Bell, Cogeco) are not your only options. Many other providers can be found, and they often provide faster Internet plan options at cheaper rates.

 

Home Network Configuration

WiFi is impacted by a variety of factors, such as the capabilities (range / speed) of your wireless access point (eg. wireless router), the number of devices connected to the same network, the distance between the wireless access point and your device, and the types of Internet activity (eg. streaming 4K content). Generally speaking, the closer your device is to the wireless access point, the better your WiFi connection will be. See our helpful links below for more information on best practices and troubleshooting.

Another common mode of connection to the Internet is by Ethernet cable. While most portable computers (notebooks) no longer have this port built-in, this can be resolved with a cost effective adapter. The choice of Ethernet adapter greatly depends on the specific computer that you have since this dictates the ports that are available for adapters to be connected. We're happy to help you, so feel free to contact us, if you have questions.

 

Bandwidth versus Allowance

Internet plans generally have 3 numbers in their specification:

  1. Download Speed
    How quickly your device(s) can receive content online
    Examples: downloading files, watching video streams

  2. Upload Speed
    How quickly your device(s) can send content online
    Examples: sharing your screen

  3. Monthly Allowance
    How much you can receive and send on a monthly basis
    Note: Most non-cellular Internet plans are unlimited

 

Helpful Links

Fast.com: Internet Speed Testing

Wikipedia: Internet Service Providers in Canada

CRTC: Internet Services for Canadians

CRTC: Communication Service Providers in Canada

Government of Canada: Connecting Families
"for Canadian families who may struggle to afford access to home Internet"

Apple Support: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

Microsoft Support: Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows

Product: USB-C to Ethernet Adapter

Product: Thunderbolt to Ethernet Adapter

Product: Ethernet Cable

 

 

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Support

If you have any questions on the above, we will try our best to help.  Please contact us at game.support@sheridancollege.ca