Broadband Services and Options

Broadband providers all offer slightly different services and options at different prices so you must check whether the service provides what you want before signing up. Here are some things to look for when choosing a provider:-

Price Check what you will pay on a monthly basis as well as the cost of the modem or router and the cost of the initial connection (some offer free connection and modem but charge more for the service - over a period of time a lower monthly payment may provide a saving). You can usually switch price plans but you may be limited on the number of times, you may have to pay to switch and, having switched you may not be allowed to switch back.

Contract Period Providers usually offer an annual or a monthly contract. Generally you will pay an extra set up fee for a monthly contract (to cover the cost of switching if you only stay a short period) but get a better deal if you sign up on an annual contract.

Download Speed Speeds usually start at 2Mbps (some providers supply slower speeds at reduced rates) but you may also be able to get 8Mbps. 1Mbps should be available everywhere. You can apply for the 1 / 2Mbps and if it is not available you will go onto the 512Kbps. Most providers are allowing new connections and upgrades to 8Mbps but in Gorefield you may still be limited to around 2.5Mbps (due to the distance from the exchange). A standard dial up has a normal maximum speed of 50Kbps which means a 2Mbps is 40 times faster. Check your download speed.

Download Limit (Bandwidth) This is the limit on the amount of information (e-mail, web pages, graphics, video, music etc) you transfer (download and upload) and it varies considerably. It usually starts at 1GB per month and goes up to unlimited download. BEWARE! The trend is to price according to your bandwidth usage and this will probably become more standard with unlimited usage being charged according to the bandwidth used. Some unlimited providers are starting to cap those using excessive bandwidth (50GB + per month). The table below will give you a feel for how much you would download in a month. These are only approximate figures but should help you decide the sort of bandwidth you are likely to need. For reference, 1000Mb = 1Gb.

E-mail Address Most providers allow a number of e-mail addresses so that each family member can have their own and use their e-mail program. Check how many you need against what you are allocated. BT, for instance, only provides Webmail (access your mail box through your browser) and you have to pay an extra monthly fee for separate addresses which can be set up in your e-mail program.

FIxed IP Address This means that your connection always has the same IP address (your numerical identification while you are on the Internet). This will be useful when using Windows Remote Desktop which allows other Windows PCs to connect to your Windows XP Pro PC Desktop at home (or at work) which uses your IP address to find your computer on the Internet.

Security Suite This may be a collection of software to install or it may be a first line of defence that your provider uses to stop viruses etc reaching your PC. It is especially important to have anti-virus software and a firewall installed and both kept up to date (see page on Viruses).

Extras Providers do, from time to time, offer incentives such as a low startup rate or free software and free services. These vary from provider to provider and are usually time limited, so check back to ensure the offer is still valid when you decide to subscribe.