Get to Know More About Your Internet Speed
We’re using our Internet more than ever! Whether it’s for working at home or streaming movies online. Not sure if you’re on the right Internet package? Well, take a quick read on the difference of each package we have below and see if you’re on the right one!
Internet 35 (35mbps upload/download):
This is our most basic package – We recommend this for a household of two who don’t do massive and constant downloads/uploads and just casual streaming/web browsing. If you have two or more people doing active 4K streaming services, then you may want to consider Internet 100 or Internet 300.
Internet 100 (100mbps upload/download):
Our second tier and most popular package – This is typically recommended for a household of two with one person who does more video streaming and downloading/uploading. Example: You enjoy having 4K Netflix streaming in the background while surfing the web and one or two others are also surfing the web at the same time, then this would be a decent package for the two of you.
Internet 300 (300mbps upload/download):
Tech lovers may want to consider this package – Recommended for households who have users that enjoy having the latest tech gadgets and want fast and uninterrupted streaming, gaming and all while working.
Internet 600 (600mbps upload/download):
This one is for the speed lovers – Those who have multiple people at home who enjoy gaming and streaming video separately so each individual can enjoy watching the shows they want instead of fighting for the speed and having it to buffer at all times.
Internet 1 GIG (1000mbps upload/download):
Our fastest speed – For those who want speed on top of speed! If you enjoy downloading/uploading while streaming video content and gaming all at the same time with multiple people in the household, then you may want to consider this.
Most people enjoy watching videos or TV shows by streaming it online. Here are some recommendations for what speed you may need to help you consider what package you want to go for.
Recommended speed for streaming videos in:
– Standard definition (SD), at least 3mbps
– High definition (HD), at least 5mbps
– High dynamic ranging (HDR) or 4K, at least 25mbps
For those who are still working from home, here are some recommendations based on what you do for your work:
– Emails and basic computer software, at least 3-4mbps
– Video group calls, 10+ mbps
– Large file downloading, 40+ mbps
Hopefully this information can help you better understand the ability of what your internet package can do. Reminder that all our internet packages have unlimited data with symmetrical speeds, so you don’t have to worry about going over the data limit nor have issues uploading your new vlog onto the internet or uploading your work onto the cloud!
If you are having speed issues, please check out our quick guide on how to troubleshoot. Got suggestions or more questions? Feel free to contact our Customer Service or Tech Support at 604.642.6688 and we will be more than happy to assist you!
Published: 10:49 am on September 4th, 2020
Why You Should Reboot Your Devices?
As humans, we all need to recharge ourselves with things we enjoy or passionate about – Whether it’s going for a hike, sitting at a patio soaking up some sun, taking a dance class or playing a video game. This allows us to get our head back into the life grind we seem to be on constantly in a better mood. With electronic devices, they need a reboot from time to time as well, which will help improve their performance.
At Novus we recommend our customers to reboot their router or PVR periodically. Especially the router – it is good to reboot it every several months to enhance the performance of the router. Your router receives a temporary (or dynamic) IP address which can change at any time and most people have this. There is a way to make sure your IP doesn’t change and that is called static IP. Typically businesses are more suited for static IP than residential users, or it is used to host computer servers. When you have a dynamic IP sometimes the router does not recognize the change, which could possibly slow down your internet connection.
What are the steps you need to do to reboot the router?
- Make sure no one else is doing anything important on the internet
- Find your wireless router and unplug the power cable for 10 seconds
- Plug the power back in
- Wait 5 minutes for the router to boot back up
- Enjoy your service again!
Even when you are not experiencing any downtime, it is still a good idea to reboot your router from time to time to help fix any possible internet connectivity issues or slow connections. This goes for any electronic devices, giving it a nice small break from all the hard work by rebooting them.
For those that are looking for a static IP, Novus does offer them. Please contact our Customer Service team at 604-642-6688 for more information.
Source: Wabi Branding
Published: 3:17 pm on August 5th, 2020
IPv4 & IPv6 – what is this and what’s the difference?
IPv4 & IPv6 – what is this and what’s the difference? You may have heard these technical terms before but didn’t know what they were. Or maybe you do and are curious what, if anything Novus will be doing for the IPv6 future.
Let’s first go back to basics – IP addresses were first developed back in the 80s and it is called Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) – The majority of people are still using this. Every device that you own – your laptop, your smart phone, your gaming console, your tablet etc. – is connected to the internet has its own assigned unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. It assists with identifying the source and destination for data communication.
With IPv4, there can be 4.3 billion unique addresses. While that is a massive number, we are still running out of unique addresses to assign to people. Therefore, a temporary solution was created, a specific IP is assigned to your router and anything connected to that router would have the internal IP. But we need more than just a temporary solution, so Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) was developed as an actual solution to this problem because it will provide us with way more addresses to use. It is already being used in parts of Asia and will slowly make its way to North America.
Besides providing us with a new pool of IP addresses, what exactly are the advantages of IPv6 compared to IPv4? It is more reliable, provides faster speeds and improved user experience. From a technical standpoint, it has enhanced encryption, more efficient routing, higher website conversion, global reachability and stronger security.
At Novus, we strive to give our customers the best experience possible and are excited at what the future of IPv6 has to offer. Our Novus networking team is working on ways to integrate IPv6 to our service and we are looking for testers to help us along on this journey. If you are interested in becoming a tester, please contact us at customerservice@novusnow.ca and provide us with your account number as well as specific features you would like!
Sources: PureVPN & Link Labs
Published: 9:35 am on July 8th, 2020
2.4G & 5G WiFi Networks – What are the differences?
You might have heard of 3G, 4G and that 5G cellular is coming, but don’t confuse it with the wireless 2.4G and 5G network you may have at home. The cellular refers to “third generation”, “fourth generation” and “fifth generation”. In terms of home WiFi, 2.4G and 5G is short for 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio frequencies.
The routers that Novus deploys have the two different network bands that broadcast wireless connection and we say that the router has a dual-band function. If one of our agents suggests you look for a dual-band router, that’s what it means!
So what are the differences between the two networks? The primary difference between the two are the signal speed, stability and the range. 2.4GHz provides a wider coverage but it sacrifices the speed and stability. If you’re struggling to connect to a wireless connection on the far side of the room or have items or concrete walls that are hard for the network to penetrate through, then you might want to connect to the 2.4GHz. The 5GHz covers a smaller area but provides faster speeds.
Generally speaking, when a router is being set up initially, we recommend people to have them labeled differently so it’s easier to distinguish the two networks when you are trying to connect at home. For example, if you name your WiFi “Wifi”, we would leave the 2.4GHz network as is and “Wifi -5G” for the 5GHz network. We also suggest connecting to the 5G network as much as possible for the best speed results!
It is also important to note that not every single piece of device will be able to see the 5G network. For example older laptops, smartphones, some smart plugs and smart power bars may not have the capability to connect to the 5G network. You will have to consult the specifications of your device to determine whether your device is able to connect to the 5G network or not.
Where can you do a speedtest? You can head to the third party speedtest on our site, near the bottom of the page.
For more information on customizing your Novus router settings like your Wifi name please see this link.
Should you run into any questions, feel free to contact our Tech Support at
604-642-6688.
Published: 2:13 pm on June 4th, 2020
5 Tips for Working From Home
Having trouble trying to stay focused while working from home or difficulties separating yourself from work after hours? Here are 5 tips that may help out with your struggles!
1. Have a set schedule
Keeping a set schedule and sticking with it most of the time really helps us stay sane during this difficult time. If you work 9am-5pm then stick with those hours just how you would if you were going into the office. Take your lunch break at the time you normally would as well. Some may find that you don’t have much to do this evening so might as well finish off some of the work that needs to be done tomorrow. Don’t do it! Tell yourself to leave it for tomorrow so you can recharge and have a fresh mind the next work day.
2. Set ground rules with people you live with
Some of you may live with others and it may become distracting, we think it is quite important to set ground rules as to what they are allowed to do during work hours especially when we are all stuck at home working. If you’re asked to do chores, communicate with people you live with and explain that work hours are not for chores and it can be done when you are off the clock. You don’t want to let your productivity suffer!
3. Exercise during the time you would be commuting to work
Since we are working from home, your work commute probably has decreased from one train ride/bus ride/20 minute drive to less than a minute. Very convenient and hurray for extra sleep! However, it definitely is a good idea to still allow your body to wake up the normal time you would for work. Instead of commuting, why not do some simple exercises? There are many online free (or paid subscription) tutorials that you can follow along to stay active. Or if you haven’t been a breakfast person, maybe now is a good time to try out some new breakfast recipes you’ve been wanting to make!
4. Dedicated workspace
Creating a dedicated workspace allows you to unblur the line between work life and home life. When going to the office for work and coming home, it is a very physical definition between the two. Having a dedicated workspace will help create that same idea and feeling of “I am at work” and “Now is my personal time”. For example: Some may have designated work laptops – Don’t use it for personal entertainment, log out of your work machine and log onto your personal device instead. Some may not have separate devices to work on. If you are on your laptop, you could hook it up to a second monitor or have it set on a specific work desk to indicate “Now I’m at work”. Unhooking it off the second monitor, taking the laptop and using it elsewhere when it’s personal time! If you are using your personal computer for work, we would recommend closing all the tabs and software programs that are used during work – Anything to help you “leave” work for the next day.
5. Get dressed!
The temptation to stay in pajamas all day is incredible. We suggest you put on clothes that you would wear out in public to help your brain realize “It’s time to get things done!” and feel like “you’re still part of the society”. We aren’t saying dress just as fancy as you would if you were to head into the office, but if that gets you going and helps you focus, why not? We try to do our best to separate work life and personal life when everything is all bunched together during this time – so don’t underestimate the power of changing into different clothes.
These are some of the tips that were utilized by some of our employees that have helped them maintain a work-life balance while working remotely from home. Some tips and tricks were inspired by Vogue, PC Mag and The Muse. Hopefully these help some of you out in terms of working from home, and remember to wash your hands and stay safe!