07/13/2026
This topic has come up a lot lately, so I am going to attempt to lay out information in a way that should explain the differences and give you more information on how to determine which internet service is best for you on our Peninsula, and which if any you should use as a backup. If you would ever like an evaluation of your home internet setup or would like to discuss your situation and what would work best to keep you as productive as you require.
Please feel free to reach out to me at 360-214-1554 if you have any questions. If I do not answer, it means I'm currently helping someone else, so please either leave a text message or voicemail and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
This will be a long post as I will try to explain as much as possible in layman's terms.
I will use a few terms frequently which are explained here:
Bandwidth: The total available amount of data that can be transmitted or received through the specific connection by every device using it.
Latency: The time in milliseconds that it takes for your computer to send a signal from your device, through your network to a common location on the internet. In this case we'll use google.com, but a lot of things can affect latency so these numbers are based on my experiences in customer networks and my own.
The following is a list of average usage of one type of connection PER DEVICE that uses your bandwidth. These are averages, each session / connection can be quite different. But this should give you some idea on how much bandwidth you need.
Music Streaming: 1mbps
Standard Definition Videos: 3.5mbps
High Definition Video: 8 mbps
4K Ultra Videos: 20mbps
Normal Gaming: 20mps download / 4mbps upload Requires atleast decent latency
Cloud Gaming: 50+mbps download / 5mbps upload Requires VERY low latency to work right
If you feel any of this information is inaccurate, feel free to correct my numbers, as they are based on my personal experiences through the years that I have been on the peninsula helping all of you, and some of the services I have not seen recently and they may have upgraded their equipment.
I will start with the most common providers we have, followed by the more restrictive ones.
CenturyLink: Uses our copper telephone lines, in some areas they do have fiber connections available, but their fiber bandwidth options are not much better then their land line ones except for maybe latency so I will not list it.
Max bandwidth available: 10mbs download / 1.5mbs upload, 1.5mbs download / .5mbs upload
Latency: Decent (50ms - 200ms)
Available throughout the entire Peninsula, but there are still some remote areas they never ran lines to.
This connection is prone to multiple outages a month and is reliant on a single line coming to the Peninsula.
This connection is "decent" for streaming videos on ONE device per household and for "fair" online gaming experiences.
If the power fails to the peninsula this connection will remain down even if you have a generator.
Spectrum: Uses a fiber connection to get to the peninsula leased from another company, it is then spread via coaxial or fiber connections to you properties.
Max bandwidth available: 1000mbs download / 30-40mbs upload, 500mbs download / 20-25mbs upload, 100mbs download / 10-20mbs upload
Latency: Good (25ms - 75ms)
Available throughout most of the Peninsula, there are still some areas they do not service.
This connection is "excellent" for streaming videos and online gaming multiple devices.
This connection is prone to outages if something happens to the leased fiber line coming into the Peninsula and occasionally outages due to their own equipment failing. (They have had more outages then normal this year, it's normally only a few outages a year that last a couple hours.)
if the power fails to the peninsula this connection will remain down even if you have a generator.
Wahkiakum West: Uses it's own fiber connection to get to the peninsula, and is a pure fiber connection.
Max bandwidth available: 1000mbs download / 1000mbs upload, multiple plans down to 100mbs download / 100mbs upload
Latency: Superb (0ms-25ms)
Available to some parts of Long Beach and Seaview, they are trying to run fiber to more areas, they may have reached Ilwaco, but they are definitely in some parts of Long Beach and Seaview
This connection is "superb" for streaming videos and online gaming on multiple devices.
This connection is not prone to many outages, but they do occur rarely.
If the power fails on the peninsula, this connection will work if you have a generator and your network is powered by it, provided their main station and neighborhood stations still have power via a backup system.
StarLink: Uses a satellite connection to low orbiting satellites
Max bandwidth available: 400mbs download / 30-40mbs upload, 200mbs download / 15-25mbs upload
Latency: Good (25ms = 75ms)
Available anywhere with open sky, if you are surrounded by close very tall trees they could potentially cause issues.
This connection is "good - excellent" for streaming videos and online gaming on multiple devices.
This connection can have outages / low signals in severe weather, but usually remains decent.
If the power fails on the peninsula, this connection will work if you have a generator and your network is powered by it.
Cellular Home Internet Packages: Similar plans to Starlink
Max bandwidth available: 1000mbs download / 15-50mbs upload, 100mbs download / 5-10mbs upload
Latency: Good (25ms - 75ms)
Available anywhere with cellular coverage for your plan.
This connection is "good" for streaming videos and online gaming on multiple devices however a lot of things can interfere with the connection and cause higher latency and or sporadic connection issues.
This connection can have outages / low signals depending on materials it travels through, but usually remains decent.
If the power fails on the peninsula, this connection will work if you have a generator and your network is powered by it.
Satellite Internet (like HughesNet which DirecTV uses): Uses a satellite connection to high orbiting satellites
Max bandwidth available: 100mbs download / 5mbs upload, 25mbs download / 3mbs upload
Latency: Horrible (500ms = 2000ms)
Available anywhere with open sky, if you are surrounded by close very tall trees they could potentially cause issues.
This connection is "not good" for streaming videos and online gaming on multiple devices. The high altitude cause alot of lag and buffering because of the high latency.
This connection can have outages / low signals in severe weather, but usually remains connected.
If the power fails on the peninsula, this connection will work if you have a generator and your network is powered by it.
Cellular Hotspot: bandwidth and total amount of data that can be used before they throttle the connection are completely dependent on you plan.
Latency: Decent (50ms-200ms)
Available anywhere with cellular coverage for your plan.
This connection is "decent" for streaming videos and online gaming on 1 device, however a lot of things can interfere with the connection and cause higher latency and or sporadic connection issues.
This connection can have outages / low signals depending on materials it travels through, but usually remains decent.
If the power fails on the peninsula, this connection will work as long as your phone has power.
Edit: All of the above connections mentioned are acceptable connections if all you do is check emails, surf a bit on the internet and use Facebook.
Due to the many things that can interfere with most of our internet feeds to our lovely Peninsula, here are a couple setups to help maintain your connections:
For small households and businesses:
Use Wahkiakum West or Spectrum or StarLink for you main internet connection.
Use a Cellular Hotspot for a backup when needed, it's usually enough to keep you going during an outage with the right setup.
For large businesses especially like hotels:
Use Wahkiakum West or Spectrum for your main internet connection.
Use StarLink or a Cellular Home Internet package for your backup internet connection.
