06 January 2020

Fibre Internet new year resolutions that you can stick to

Submitted by: Teresa Settas

It’s THAT time of year again.  Over the festive season we ate too much, spent too much, exercised too little and now we’re berating ourselves for the first weeks of the new year, promising that we’ll do better in 2020.  Instead of setting ‘punishing’ new year’s resolutions that are either impossible or unpleasant to achieve, MetroFibre has come up with a list of ‘fibre’ resolutions that you’ll love sticking to and won’t require that you donate a kidney to achieve them.

If you’re lucky enough to have fibre in your area and have the power of super-fast internet at your fingertips, then consider these top resolutions to get the most out of your fibre internet service in the new year. You will save money, time, expand your knowledge and learn new things, and find that essential downtime to just relax and shoot the breeze…

Top MetroFibre resolutions for 2020:

  • Save money on your data and connectivity costs - with the power of superfast, uncapped and reliable fibre connectivity rolling out in homes across the country, accessing these services now comes at a fraction of the eye-watering costs of mobile data, LTE and other wireless broadband connections.  Having a reliable, fast and uncapped fibre internet connection means you can now get serious about canning expensive data subscriptions and get a lot more bang for your buck with your ‘connected’ home. 
  • Wifi-calling, Facetime and Video-calling:  You can make video or audio calls over your fibre wi-fi connection via Whatsapp, Skype, Facetime (Apple devices) so you’ll save on telephony and mobile network costs and never have to worry about your data running out while you’re face-timing your bestie in New Zealand.  Set your mobile phone up to automatically switch to your wi-fi network at home and save a packet by keeping your (more expensive) mobile data for when you’re not in wi-fi range.        
  • Video and audio on Demand – With fibre internet, the world of entertainment is your oyster.  You can subscribe to multiple streaming services for music, video and entertainment at an absolute fraction of the subscription cost of a typical satellite pay TV subscription - think NetflixShowtimeShowmax and Classic Cinema Online to YouTubeAmazon Prime Video and so much more.  Watch what you want, listen to what you want, when you want.  You can also download content to watch later, so if you’re travelling or you have a power failure but you have a UPS, you can still watch on a laptop, tablet or TV.  And as a last tantaliser, your fibre line is impervious to weather, so no annoying satellite TV interruptions in a downpour or waiting weeks for technicians to come and repair your ADSL line.        
  • Online Shopping - Beat the queues and wasted time spent doing price comparisons – shop online, save time and avoid those tempting impulse buys that store retailers are so good at placing in your path.  Many grocery retailers allow you to draw up a handy online shopping list which you can revisit with every shop, and simply add to or deduct from for those regular monthly groceries – so you save time, money, petrol and only purchase what you really need.  And who wouldn’t love the convenience of having it all delivered to your door?   
  • Safety and Security – Keeping our loved ones and homes safe and sound is a top priority.  With an uncapped fibre line, you can connect safety and security devices such as your alarm system and CCTV cameras to the web, allowing you to remotely log in and access these devices – you can check in on your cameras and see what’s is going on at home or the office.  You can even arm and disarm your alarm remotely.  If your vehicle tracking provider offers a portal log in, you can use your internet connection to log in and check where your loved ones are travelling and that they are safe and sound.
  • Learn something new – one of the most exciting developments that has come about with reliable fibre internet connectivity is online learning.  And before you clock out thinking this is only for the academically-inclined, check out the likes of Udemy for a mind-blowing array of mind-stretching and very affordable educational experiences – from learning to play a new musical instrument, photography and design courses, to cooking and baking up a storm of the latest foodie trends, to fitness and health, meditation, travel, DIY, gaming, through to specific industry trades, academics and teaching content.  The internet is the most extensive library of learning materials, and it’s all available to you courtesy of a high-speed, reliable internet connection. As they say in the classics – a mind once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.
  • Music Streaming – Music streaming is the ultimate spoil when it comes to some well-deserved chill and relax time to your favourite tunes, or if you’re so inclined, some hectic cardio-pumping hits to get you and your gym workout lit.   Think SpotifyJooxiTunesYoutube Music and Google Play Music - no one still forks out for archaic CDs and DVDs that take up space, scratch and deteriorate over time.
  • Get e-mail – Sign up for an e-mail account and stay in touch.  There’s very little you can do today without an email address and internet connection – free e-mail services like Google’s Gmail are perfect if you don’t have access to subscription-based services such as Microsoft Office and Outlook.  With symmetrical upload and download speeds – which basically means your line uploads files as quickly as it downloads them, those e-mail attachments will fly through for speedy communication.  
  • Cloud-based storage and back-up – Make it your new year resolution to get serious about backing up your important data – providers like Google and Dropbox offer free accounts up to a certain storage capacity, and a paid subscription for users with bigger storage needs.  The best part of being in the cloud is having access to your data and documents from any device, anywhere in the world, with a simple log in.  Say goodbye to that filing cabinet and the days of your external hard drive crashing and you losing all your precious family photos and important documents.   

Make it your 2020 new year resolution to get the most out of your fibre internet connection.  Most people are surprised at just how much they rely on the internet for their everyday lives, and just how much they can save not only on hard costs, but on time, effort and sanity with a reliable, fibre internet connection.  

For more information go to www.metrofibre.co.za