Internet speeds in the lakeside area tend to swing widely according to geographic location, this newspaper has discovered after some detailed investigation.
Internet speed refers to the rate at which data is transferred between the World Wide Web to your home computer, tablet, or smartphone, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Speed impacts the quality you experience with everything from emailing and web browsing to online gaming and video conferencing.
Download speeds between 1 and 5 Mbps may be sufficient for basic email, web browsing, music streaming, remote surveillance and telecommuting, but can cause buffering issues while viewing videos and failures using online gaming applications.
The 6-10 Mbps tier is adequate “middle ground” for most home subscribers and the minimum for entertainment hounds who want to watch TV or movies on their home computers. Still, it might not be enough if several people are using the same broadband connection simultaneously.
Experts consider a range of 10-15 Mbps to be the “new normal” to assure quick access to webpages and decent download performance. At 15-50 Mbps expect quality movie viewing and use of multiple applications on various computers and devices at the same time.
Download Speeds above 50 Mbps lets users blaze along the Internet for more sophisticated purposes such as video conferencing, remote supercomputing, and real-time data collection or medical image consultation.
According to rankings listed by Akamai Technologies, Mexico registers average speeds of 5.5 Mbps, and average peaks of 27.3 Mbps, about half the rates reported for the United States and Canada.
How does lakeside compare?
Anecdotal accounts from lakeside residents combined with results of a recent survey conducted by computer expert Mike Riley indicate that 20 Mbps is the top download speed experienced by subscribers to Telmex Infinitum.
However, rates tend to swing widely according to geographic location. For example, speeds consistently run below 5 Mbps in Brisas, Chapala Haciendas, Chula Vista, San Antonio and the stretch from the west end of Ajijic to Jocotepec. On the other hand, Vista del Lago, Riberas de Pilar and downtown Chapala and central Ajijic seem to be the best areas to get 10-20 Mgps.
Ajijic Telmex office manager Rosa María Rodriguez told the Reporter that while is not authorized to provide such information to the press, office staff is permitted to tell individual customers about speed expectations for precise addresses.
Telmex contracts for home phones with Infinitum service are available in three price packages. The cheapest runs at 389 pesos per month with a maximum download speed set at 10 Mbps. The 599 pesos per month deal goes with up to 20 Mbps, while the top-end 999-peso monthly package offers an unlikely max of 100 Mbps.
Customers signed up for the latter two payment plans might consider switching to the economical package if they aren’t getting their money’s worth. Speedtest.net and fast.com are websites where you test the average download and upload speeds for the computers and devices you use. Another option is speedof.me, which doesn’t require Java to display the results.