New to Broadband

What is broadband? Broadband is a method of connecting to the Internet. It is called broadband as it provides a high-speed Internet connection when compared with older traditional methods of connecting which are generally termed narrow band (Dial-up). Why are the benefits of broadband ? The benefits of broadband are mainly related to the speed of the connection. If you're used to using dial-up Internet access, you will know that webpages generally take 15 seconds or more to load and downloading e-mails can take a few minutes depending on the size and if there are any attachments. With a broadband internet connection all these things happen much more quickly! You will be able to do many things at once with broadband. Allows instantaneous Internet access due to broadband's "always-on nature". There are no delays due to dialing up and logging in or from having to redial due to busy signals. So how fast is it? The speed of the connection varies based on many different things including where you live and what broadband provider you use. Generally the speed will be in the region of between 512k (512 Kbps) and 10 meg (meg is an abreviation used to mean Mbps - Megabits per second), although faster connections are possible in some areas. How do I get broadband? The first step to getting broadband is to see what is available to you. The most common technology used for a broadband connection in the UK is ADSL (a form of DSL) which is provided using the BT telephone network. This is available to 99.9% of premises in the UK, so you'll more than likely be able to get it. How to choose a Broadband Service Provider Unlike dial-up, broadband is very rarely charged based on the amount of time online. There are two main types of charging schemes used. The first are generally fixed-speed services that are based on the speed of the connection. The other is usage based charging, where you are charged by the amount of data you transfer. Be aware that different broadband providers offer a different quality of service. The adage, "you get what you pay for" is often true. How much data will I use? Downloading lots of music or viewing a lot of video content will increase your usage. The amount of data you transfer depends on what you do. Video is probably one of the main causes of high usage on the Internet. This includes watching movie trailers (or even entire movies), home movies posted on websites like YouTube, or viewing TV over the Internet. Peer-to-peer (P2P) programs such as eDonkey, Kazaa, Limewire and BitTorrent can also be high bandwidth mis-users. So what else do I need? A modem or router is required to connect to the Internet. A modem is a device that connects your computer to the Internet usually using a phone line. A router allows several computers to connect at the same time and can facilitate wireless access. If the ISP you choose offers a modem or router, it might be recommended to get one from them as they can usually assist in configuring the device to work with their service. Check with them to see what level of support they offer before signing up. If you are using broadband over a phone line (ADSL), you will also need a microfilter for each device plugged into a phone socket (This includes fax machines, sky box, everything!). This is a small device that plugs into the phone socket and filters the broadband signal from the telephone signal so that you can use both the phone and broadband at the same time. What now?

If you are new to Broadband or are thinking of getting connected, it may now be a good time to give your computer a checkup and remove annoying software a good tool to fix your computer registry settings is Registryfix !
Registryfix will scan your system registry and
hard drive for invalid file and system references.
You can run a free system check by clicking here!
These invalid references may cause system instability, PC errors, constant crashes, and general system slowdowns.
To summarise,
* You usually need a BT phone line.
* Pick an ISP and a package that suits you
* Choose what hardware to use and where to get it from
* Sign up!
Speed check