What is Broadband?
Broadband is just a word we use w intehen we’re
talking about any kind of fast Internet connection. It’s as simple as
that.
If you’re reading this guide, the chances
are that you already have an Internet connection and want to upgrade, or you’re
setting up an Internet connection at home for the first time.
If you already have an Internet connection,
you probably connect to the Internet with a modem that plugs into your
telephone line (often referred to as a “dial-up connection”). And you’re
probably no longer satisfied with the performance it offers.
If you’re setting up an Internet connection
for the first time, it really makes sense to go for Broadband right from the
start, as the entry-level packages are generally much better value than the
dial-up alternative.
A broadband connection is actually not all
that different from a dial-up connection. The equipment is very similar - a
different kind of modem, but still a modem, and in many cases the connection is
still made through your telephone line.
The difference is that you’ll have an Internet connection that is always on,
24 hours a day. Normally you pay a flat monthly fee, no matter how often
you use the Internet. And a broadband connection is much faster. How
much faster? Read on…
What will I be able to do with my broadband connection?
You’ll be able to do things that just
weren’t practical with a dial-up connection. You’ll be able to:
- Watch video clips and listen to music in real time, including
live broadcasts.
- Download music, software, film trailers and other files much
more quickly.
- Play games online.
- Do everything you could do before, just much more quickly!
Is Broadband difficult to install?
Not at all! First, you sign up with an
Internet Service Provider (or ‘ISP’). The ISP will supply you with your
Broadband connection. If you already have an ISP shop around – other companies
might offer you a better deal. If you are signing up for a contract, most ISPs
will arrange a date to connect you up and supply you with everything you need
to get started.
As well as connecting you up, most ISPs
will send you a CD. All you need to do is put this into your computer and
follow the step-by-step instructions. Some companies offer a home installation
service and will send over an engineer to set up your Broadband connection for
you.
What are the different types of broadband Internet
connection? And which type is best for me?
There are only a few different types of
broadband connection. And it’s usually not hard to choose which type to go for
- your choice will probably depend mostly on where you live.
Rule of Thumb: Odds are that you’ll choose an ADSL connection for Broadband as
it’s widely available and easy to set up. Cable might be an option, if it’s
available in your area. Which begs the question: ADSL or Cable? The truth is,
one isn’t better than another and it really depends more on where you live and
how good the supplier is. So, your choice will probably be based upon the deal
offered and the reputation of the ISP that provides the service. There are two
simple steps you can take to aid your decision: use broadband.co.uk to find the
best prices in your area and, if you can, ask around: what ISP do your friends
use and is the service good?
The main types of broadband Internet
connection are:
ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL coverage is available to around 80% of
the UK population. As such, it is the most likely choice unless you happen
to live somewhere remote, or in an area where cable is available.
ADSL broadband is delivered through your
existing BT telephone line, using a special modem or router. There is no need
to have an additional telephone line installed and you will be still be able to
make and receive calls whilst surfing the web.
When you have an ADSL connection it is
necessary to fit small devices called micro filters to all your
telephone sockets. You need to plug them in to prevent the ADSL signal from
interfering with your voice calls. Typically your ISP will provide you one or
two micro filters and, if you need any more they only cost a few pounds.
Although you must have a BT telephone line,
there are many ADSL Internet providers to choose from, each offering a
selection of different deals.
Cable
If you already have cable TV, or if you
live in an area served by a cable operator, then a broadband cable Internet
connection may be an option for you.
A cable Internet connection requires a
special modem, which is connected to your cable along with your cable TV box
(if you have one). Most cable companies offer packages that include telephone
and TV channels as well as a broadband Internet connection.
As with ADSL, cable Internet providers
usually offer a selection of broadband deals for different requirements.
Wireless
In some of the more remote or rural areas
of the UK, ADSL and Cable Internet connections may not be available.
Increasingly in these areas, smaller Internet providers are providing local
coverage using wireless technology.
For a wireless Internet connection, a small
antenna is installed on the outside of your house (much like a TV aerial) and
this sends signals to a connection point on the inside, which in turn is
connected to your computer. No telephone line of any kind is required.
Satellite
Satellite is generally seen as a last
resort for people who live in remote areas and cannot receive any other form of
broadband Internet. It is available throughout the UK and
requires the installation of a special satellite dish. There are two types of
satellite connection.
The first type is a one-way connection,
where you will be able to receive data (view web pages), but can only send data
(if for example you want to send an email) by using a dial-up modem through a
telephone line.
Two-way services, where data is both sent and received through the satellite dish,
are also available, although these tend to be quite expensive to install –
typically £800 – with an additional monthly subscription.
SDSL – Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Some providers also offer SDSL
services. An SDSL connection is very similar to an ADSL connection. The
difference is that ADSL can download data from the Internet faster than
it can upload data, while SDSL is just as fast at uploading as downloading.
But since SDSL requires an extra telephone
line, separate from the one you use for voice calls, SDSL is not a popular
option for the home user. SDSL is really just a specialist option for some
businesses that need to send large amounts of data.
LLU – Local Loop Unbundling
LLU is a method by which a service provider
can offer an ADSL or SDSL service without using British Telecom's exchange
systems. This can allow LLU providers to be more competitive with the prices
and features they offer. In all other respects these services are equivalent to
the corresponding ADSL or SDSL connections described above.
How
do I choose a deal?
Once you’ve looked into the options and
know which types of broadband Internet are available in your area, the next
step is to choose the best deal.
The biggest factor to consider when you
choose a deal is speed. How fast is the connection? And is it fast enough to do
all the things you would like to be able to do?
Broadband Speeds
256K? 1.5Mb? What do the numbers mean? What
speed do I need?
When we’re talking about Internet connection
speeds, things can be really confusing! For a start, Internet transfer speeds
are measured in kilobits per second and megabits per second, and
those are not the same as the kilobytes and megabytes we
use when we’re talking about hard disks and files.
Let’s not worry about the numbers. What
matters is how they apply to the kinds of things you’ll do on the Internet.
Here’s a table to make it simple:
Internet Connection Speed
|
Time to load a typical web page*
*assuming
100 kilobytes of data
|
Time to download a typical 5-minute
song*
*assuming a 5 megabyte MP3 file
|
Streaming Video Quality
|
56K dial-up modem
|
14 sec
|
12 min 30 sec
|
|
256K broadband
|
3 sec
|
3 min
|
Low Quality
|
512K broadband
|
1.6 sec
|
1 min 30 sec
|
|
1Mb broadband
|
0.8 sec
|
41 sec
|
|
2Mb broadband
|
0.4 sec
|
20 sec
|
Medium Quality
|
4Mb broadband
|
0.1 sec
|
5 sec
|
|
6Mb broadband
|
Instantaneous
|
Instantaneous
|
|
8Mb broadband
|
Instantaneous
|
Instantaneous
|
TV Quality
|
Note: all figures are approximate, and represent best-case download
speeds. Actual speeds will generally be slightly lower.
|
So you can see that an entry level 512K
broadband Internet connection is around ten times faster than a 56K dial-up
Internet connection, allowing you to view web pages with barely any noticeable
delay, whereas with an 8Mb broadband connection, you could watch TV quality
video over the web!
Any of the broadband speeds will be
perfectly good for viewing the majority of web pages – having to wait a second
or two for a page to load is perfectly acceptable – unless you’re going for a
world speed-reading record, that is!
But the Internet is so much more than just
pages of text and a few images: what about music, video, animations, games and
all the other stuff that makes the Internet so much fun?
Consider the download time for a typical
5-minute pop song – around one and a half minutes with a 512K connection. The
time it takes to download is less than the time it takes the song to play.
What this means in practice is that your computer will be able to play the song
while it downloads. We call this streaming – the sound ‘streams’ to your
computer fast enough that it can be played as it arrives, without all that
waiting around.
Streaming also applies to video. You’ll
find that many web sites allow you to watch video, even live video, without
having to wait around for more than a few seconds for it to start. In many
cases video is offered in two or more different sizes or at different qualities
– so that you can choose the one that plays best with your connection speed.
Having a faster connection means you can watch the video at a larger size and
better quality.
And what about gaming? Well, it depends on
the type of game. For those of us who want to play a little backgammon or a
card game on a wet afternoon, any kind of broadband connection will work fine.
If however you’re one of those people who
want to take on the world at Counter-Strike or Doom 3, or connect your XBox to
the Internet, you may want to consider going for the fastest connection you can
practically afford: playing first-person shooters is one of the most demanding
ways to use a broadband internet connection. But don’t worry too much – most
providers will allow you to upgrade to a faster connection at any time (you’ll
just pay a higher monthly charge).
Rule of Thumb: Here is a summary of our recommendations:
- The Best All-Rounder - For
the majority of Internet users, a 1Mb deal will offer the best balance
between price and performance.
- Entry-Level - (256K or 512K)
doesn’t offer the performance you’ll need to be able to get the best out
of streaming audio and video. Of course, if you only use the Internet to
read web pages and send email, a slower connection may be adequate.
- Heavy or Shared Usage - A
faster connection (2Mb or faster) is probably worth considering if you intend
to play a lot of games, or if you intend to share the Internet connection
between more than two or three computers at home or in the office. A connection at the higher end of the scale (4Mb upward) will
allow you to take advantage of newer trends – such as video and music on
demand or Digital Broadband Internet TV.
Download Limits
Another important factor in your choice of
a broadband Internet deal is whether there is a download limit (sometimes
called a usage allowance), and how high this limit is.
Not every broadband provider imposes a
limit on how much use you can make of your Internet connection, although most
have clauses in their terms and conditions to prevent what they consider to be
excessive use.
Where download limits are imposed, they can
range from as little as 1Gb (one gigabyte) per month to 15Gb or 30Gb per
month. What do these numbers mean?
Well, a gigabyte is just a little less than
the amount of data that fits on two CD-ROMs. Whether or not that seems like a
little or a lot depends largely on what you intend to do while connected to the
Internet… here’s another table to show you what download limits could mean for
you in practical terms:
Usage Allowance
(Gb per month)
|
Number of web pages*
*assuming
100 kilobytes of data per page
|
Number of songs*
*assuming a 5 megabyte MP3 file per song
|
1Gb
|
10,500
|
205 (about 20 albums)
|
2Gb
|
21,000
|
410 (about 40 albums)
|
6Gb
|
63,000
|
1229 (about 120 albums)
|
15Gb
|
157,000
|
3072 (about 300 albums)
|
30Gb
|
314,500
|
6144 (about 600 albums)
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited
|
Note: all figures are approximate.
|
At this point we should probably make it
clear that we’re not advocating the downloading of music, films or other files
via file-sharing network. Contrary to what you might think, there are plenty of
perfectly legal sources of music on the Internet!
It should be fairly obvious from the
numbers that you’re hardly likely to exceed your monthly download allowance
just by looking at web pages – unless you’re still working on that
speed-reading record…
The limit will only become a problem if you
start to use the Internet to download (or stream) a lot of audio or video files
or to download a lot of software. If you spend several hours of hours a day
online, perhaps making use of online radio stations, or playing games, then
it’s surprising just how much of your usage allowance you’ll get through.
Rule of Thumb: Generally speaking, we would recommend the following:
- Avoid any deal with a monthly allowance of 1Gb (one gigabyte)
or less, unless you’re a very light Internet user or can only afford one
of the cheaper deals.
- Many deals currently available offer a 15Gb monthly allowance;
for most people this should be more than adequate, although if you shop
around you may be able to find a deal with an unlimited allowance for the
same price.
- If you think you are likely to want to download large numbers
of files, or are a serious online gamer, go for a larger download limit -
or better still a deal with no limit.
Other Things to Consider
We’ve looked at connection speed and
download limits, but what else do you need to consider when choosing from all
the different broadband Internet packages?
Cost
Expect to pay a minimum of £15 per month
for a package, more if you’re going for one of the faster connection speeds.
Make sure you factor in any one-off costs such as installation fees and any
extra equipment you might need to purchase.
Your Existing Computer
Is your computer up-to-date? If it’s less
than 5 years old, there’s probably nothing to worry about, but you should check
that your computer meets any minimum requirements the provider specifies in
their small print. If your computer is too old and slow, it may be unsuited to
a broadband connection; in this case an upgrade may be necessary. And make sure
your operating system is supported – your computer may be fine, but if you’re
still running Windows 95, it may be time to upgrade your software! If in doubt,
the supplier should be able to offer advice.
Extra Equipment
Will you need to install any extra
equipment inside your computer, such as a network card? Will the Internet
service provider send someone to set up your computer to work with the
broadband connection, or will you need to make your own arrangements? Check the
details of the deal carefully to make sure there are no hidden installation
costs or potential pitfalls.
Support
How will the company respond if things go
wrong? It’s easy to overlook this factor when comparing deals from different
suppliers, but you should give it some consideration. If your Internet connection
stops working, how quickly will you be able to get through to someone who can
resolve the problem for you? This is where word of mouth can really help –
either from people you know or through reviews in magazines or online. If a
company’s reputation is made up of horror stories about hours spent on hold, or
engineers not turning up to install equipment, you may decide to take your
money elsewhere.
Your Email Address
If you are switching from a dial-up Internet account to a broadband account and
are changing companies, consider what will happen to your email address. If you
use a web-based email provider such as Hotmail, your email will not be affected
when you switch to broadband.
However, if your email is provided as part
of your existing Internet package, you probably won’t be able to take it with
you to a new company. If keeping your old email address is important to you
(perhaps you use it for business), you may be restricted to staying with your
existing provider and any broadband deals they may have on offer.
Final Checklist
Once you’ve fully-digested this getting
started guide, return back to broadband.co.uk and search for the best deals in
your area. From there, you can use this simple checklist, to find the best deal
for you:
The Key Considerations:
·
What kinds of Broadband
connection are available in my area?
·
What speed will I need?
·
Is a download limit important
to me?
Other Things To Consider:
·
Are the connection, modem and
installation included in the cost?
·
Do I want a 12 month contract
or do I want to ‘pay-as-I-go’?
·
What level of support is
available from the company, and how quickly will they fix a problem?
·
Is my email address important
to me? Do I mind that I might have to use a new address?
·
Finally, check the ‘small
print’. Does my computer meet the ISP’s minimum requirements or will I need to
upgrade my computer or software?
