An Internet connection is important to your family's daily life. The kids need to do their homework, you and your spouse need to keep up with Facebook and email, and pay the bills. And of course, this is all on top of your busy life of school, work, family, chores, extracurricular activities, and hobbies. So unlimited wireless Internet is one of the best options for families.

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The last thing you need to worry about is your Internet.

What families need the Internet for

A family's need for the Internet is very broad:

Kids need to do research, write reports and essays, and print them out.Parents may need to complete tasks for their jobs.Writing emails.We are keeping in touch via Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.Watch movies, download music, play games, etc.Run small businesses from home.Do small business tasks like taxes, payroll, or scheduling appointments.

Recommendations for Internet services for families:

Speeds of 12 Mbps or more.Avoid cellular plans (3G/4G) as the main Internet source.

Wi-fi internet network.

Bundle services when it makes sense to do so.

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Here are the recommendations are broken down to see why I recommended a particular size or speed.

Related Articles: unlimited high speed internet for rural areas

Internet speeds for families

For families, we recommend internet speeds of 12 Mbps or more. However, depending on how big your family is and what you use the Internet for, you may want to choose a higher speed - 15 or 20 Mbps.

We recommend higher speeds because you share the Internet as a family, so the speed will be slightly slower for each member who is on the Internet. But then, when you factor in speed-intensive tasks like streaming movies or playing games, the Internet can get pretty slow.

Families should avoid 3G plans.

A 3G mobile plan is not the best solution for families, at least not as the main internet source.

The reason is that there are no family-friendly tariffs. Most plans have a data cap of 5 or 10 GB, which isn't much for a family watching videos or playing games online. So you will undoubtedly exceed the limit, which is expensive at $10 per GB (over your limit). Unlimited plans don't exist now either, as most ISPs have done away with them.

However, there will be family rates in the future, around mid-2012. However, these are shared data tariffs (like shared call minutes for cell phones), and as long as the data caps are not increased, they do not make sense for a family that uses the Internet intensively.

Our recommendation, therefore, is to use a fixed Internet connection as the primary source of Internet access. Not only is it cheaper, but you can also set up a wireless network so family members with wi-fi-enabled phones and tablets can still get online. A wireless plan should be set up in addition to your landlines, such as for travel or emergencies.

Create a wireless network instead

Instead of buying wireless or multiple internet plans, your family should set up a wireless network. It's easy to do.

All you need for a wireless network is a router that connects to your computer and modem. Then each device on your network needs a wireless modem, such as a USB flash drive or wireless card. Many modems are also built into laptops, tablets, and cell phones these days. In this case, all you need to do is connect your laptop or tablet to the network.

A wireless network means you can buy an internet plan that the whole family can use, as long as they are within range of the signal (so pretty much in the house or maybe in the yard). So you can work in the study, your wife can surf Facebook from the sofa, and your kids can do their homework in their rooms.