PSA: I picked a cafe with fast wifi over my favorite coffee and it was a bad call

Yesterday in Austin I had to choose between my usual spot with perfect cold brew and a new place with a 500 Mbps speed test. I went for the speed, but the constant blender noise and cramped table made me miss two deadlines. Who else has gotten burned by prioritizing internet over the actual work environment?

3 comments

3 Comments

blairwhite2mo agoMost Upvoted

That's the worst feeling, when you trade comfort for a number on a speed test. Was the actual connection even stable, or did it just have a good test result while being kinda useless for real work? I've found some places have fast download but terrible upload or constant drops, which is worse than a slower but steady link. The noise and space thing is a huge factor too, you can't just look at the internet. Makes me wonder if we should all just get better phone hotspots and stick to the good coffee spots.

fiona33210d ago

Is it weird that I used to be all about chasing the highest speed test numbers and never thought about the rest of it? Honestly, after reading this and hearing @blairwhite talk about stable connections and comfort, I completely shifted how I pick a spot. A fast but glitchy internet is way worse than a slower one that just works and doesn't make you want to leave.

simonl862mo ago

Oh man, I read this article that said the "third place" for work, like a good cafe, is about way more than just bandwidth. It's about the whole vibe, the noise level, the chair, how long they let you sit. Chasing a big speed number is such a trap if the place makes you want to tear your hair out. Your story proves it. That balance is everything, and a bad table can ruin the fastest internet in the world.