Broadband Jargon
Looking for a broadband package
not sure what all the jargon means ?
Get a run down of the basics you need to know to get you on the right road to a broadband connection.
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BANDWIDTH ALLOWANCE.
This is the amount of information your computer is allowed to download while being online in any given month. As soon as you connect to the internet your computer is downloading information. Bandwidth allowances are per month only and unused bandwidth is not carried over to the following month. online Videos, Games and Music all take up the most bandwidth, so for anyone into either of these online on a regular basis, you will need a higher than average bandwidth allowance.
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CONNECTION SPEED TESTS.
A connection to the internet via broadband is measured in MBPS - mega bytes per second. The faster the speed, the faster the information gets to your computer.BUT - not everyone receives the same broadband speeds as even the distance from the telephone exchange makes a difference in speed so areas can vary greatly in what speeds can be provided . Use the speed test dfacilities on most broadband suppliers websites and find out just what your phone line is capable of BEFORE you buy a package. Speeds as low as 2mbps are very acceptable for most broadband applications, so even in a low speed area, a healthy connection can be had.
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CABLE BROADBAND.
Cable is only available to people who have a cable service in their area, Virgin for example use Cable for their TV service. Cable is optic fibres instead of the regular wires we all know offer an excellent way of getting online, watching TV and using the telephone.
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ADSL
This is the fastest and most standard way of connecting to broadband internet via a standard telephone line (not cable). This method of broadband is absolutely fine and very fast, though speed ratios do vary greatly between areas and the distance from the telephone exchange has an effect. If your phone line is the regular non cable, don’t forget to take a speed test on the broadband suppliers website before you buy an ADSL broadband package.
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WIRELESS BROADBAND
Most homes can now have wireless broadband . It works by connecting a modem / router to the telephone line, normally a computer will be connected to the router / modem via a lead. With wireless broadband, if a pc has inbuilt Wireless capability or if a wireless card is connected to the computer, this will enable a broadband connection to the internet without the need to connect to a modem directly via a cable or wire. Wireless is a convenient way of connecting multiple computers without the need for wires and having to be static at one desk and is excellent for laptops or people who like to be able to move position when connected.