How Can We Help You?
Welcome to the ResTech Services FAQ, an evolving resource of service and support information.
Internet Service FAQ
ResTech Services is available at my building, but not listed on your order page...
Your community is likely set up as a Bulk Managed Property, meaning they sell service directly to their residents. In order to set up service, visit or contact your property’s management office.
Some of the services shown are not listed on the order page for my property...
Due to the technical limitations at the time we established services at your building, some of our higher speeds may not yet be available. That said, we are working to upgrade as many of our service locations to our top rates as is economically viable, both to increase our offerings, as well as reliability gained by new technologies.
We urge you to contact us with your interest, as this helps us to decipher with locations would make a viable candidate for our next upgrade.
What is Bandwidth?
Generally speaking, bandwidth is the maximum rate at which you can download data from the internet to your computer.
Think about bandwidth like a hose. Imagine you need to fill a 100-gallon tank. If your hose can only give out only 5 gallons per minute, you’ll be waiting 20 minutes to fill the tank, while a hose that gives a gallon of water every second will fill the tank in less than 2 minutes.
Similarly, the larger the bandwidth, the more data you can pull down in a given time.
Bandwidth is measured in bits per second. Note that bits are different than bytes, which are the common measure of file size. One byte equals 8 bits, so 1 megabyte (MB) equals 8 megabits.
If you have a 1 megabit-per-second connection, a 1MB file will take eight seconds to download.
On a 1 Mbps connection, an MP3 file, which might measure about 6MB, will take about 48 seconds to download. A 5 gigabyte, or 5,000MB, movie will take about 11 hours.
What internet speed (how much bandwidth) do I need?
Bandwidth needs are dependent on the number of users and devices simultaneously accessing the internet. That being the case, a person living alone, with a limited amount of devices will obviously be less dependent on high bandwidth than a home with multiple users and devices.
The following is an idea of basic bandwidth needs for different applications.
If you want … | You’ll need about… |
---|---|
General web surfing, email, social media | 1 Mbps |
Online gaming* | 1-3 Mbps |
Video conferencing** | 1-4 Mbps |
Standard-definition video streaming | 3-4 Mbps |
High-definition video streaming | 5-8 Mbps |
Frequent large file downloading | 50 Mbps and up |
*A connection with low latency, the time it takes your computer to talk to the game server, is more important than bandwidth for gaming. | |
**You’ll want at least a 1 Mbps upload speed for quality video conferencing. |
Home Wireless Service FAQ
What are my options for WiFi at my property?
Residents may purchase their own router, or lease one from ResTech for $9.99 /mo.
Please, note: In cases where residents provide their own router, ResTech Services may need to refer the user to the manufacturer for technical support.
This isn’t because you didn’t get the router from us, but because it’s generally best to skip the middle-man and go right to the source for support. With so many options to choose from, there may be technical requirements or troubleshooting steps that we simply aren’t privy to.
Why set up a personal network when a public option is available?
While your property may offer wireless hot-spots, ResTech recommends that residents wishing to use wireless as their primary connection use a dedicated personal router, in unit, wherever direct-line connections are available.
The reason for this is simple; public wifi networks lack the security, reliability and ease of troubleshooting of a private network. A private network ensures that your dedicated service is not being used or affected by users outside of your unit. Having your own equipment minimizes points of failures and makes troubleshooting much easier for both customers and their providers.
Where should I install my wireless router?
You live in a multiple tenant property, which creates a lot of sources of noise and interference.
Placement of your router in a central location in your unit will help to minimize the chatter.