Broadband at Home

Broadband internet is now available to most of the country via telephone lines ("ADSL Broadband"), via dedicated cable services ("Cable" - as typically offereded by companies such as Virgin), and also via the mobile telephone networks (often called 3G broadband). If you don't have it yet you are missing out on a number of advantages:-

• Fast downloads and web browsing

• Better security

• Quicker response when playing online games

• No call charges

• One Broadband connection can be shared between several computers

How do I get it? - step by step guide

1. Chose an ISP and order your Broadband service. Many will allow you to sign up on the web from any internet connection.

2. Once your connection has been confirmed, buy suitable broadband hardware to connect your computer to your new Broadband connection (some ISPs will even give you this free).

You can use any ISP that offers Broadband (see here for a list including prices).

What does it cost?

Your chosen ISP will charge you a monthly fee (some offer monthly contracts - some yearly, and some both). You may need to purchase your connection hardware. Prices can start from under £25, for a complete router based connection with a single plug in filter.

If you are opting for ADSL broadband via your telephone line, then we recommend that you wait until the line activation has been confirmed, just in case your telephone line fails the line test and is not suitable for ADSL.

Any Recommendations?

We currently recommend PlusNet as a ADSL Broadband ISP since, in our opinion, they offer a good service at a very reasonable price.

Prices can vary for apparently similar services depending on which ISP you choose. Note that sometimes a "free" service and be worth what you are paying for it!

Some ISPs will include bundled hardware which may seem like a good idea, but check carefully what is on offer since it may work our more expensive (and less flexible) than buying your own hardware. You may also find that ISPs who bundle hardware are unwilling to offer technical support to customers who use their own hardware rather than the bundled offering.

It is also important to understand that some vendors offer a service as Internet Access Providers (IAPs) rather than ISPs (e.g. BT Retail offer such a service under the slightly confusing title of simply "BT Broadband"). This gives you access to the internet but limited access to other services like email, and newsgroups etc. While this can be handy for a company that runs its own mail servers, most people will find they need to arrange for these missing services separately with other providers - either at extra cost, or by using web services like gmail.

ADSL Broadband - Do I need a special "modem"?

In a word yes! ADSL modems come in three flavours:

Its good to Share!

One of the advantages of broadband is its speed. There is enough available for several users on different computers to use the link at the same time without experiencing delays. The best way to share a connection is with a proper router (there are different types avaiable depending on the type of broadband you have). With a router a whole group of computers can share a single connection and yet be hidden behind the Routers firewall so they are less vulnerable to attack from other internet users.

Internal PCI cards - Not often seen, and mostly for Windows based PC users, these install inside the computer in a spare expansion slot. Cheap and Simple, but more difficult to make secure, and more difficult to share your ADSL connection between computers.

USB Modems - connect to a spare USB port on your computer. Works well with Mac and PCs. Simple to setup and cheap. The level of security of USB modems is now improving but still not as good as that offered by a router. Also a little more difficult to share a connection with other computers.

Routers - connect to your computer, or in fact, several computers at once via Local area network (Ethernet) connection. These are also pretty simple to setup and give the most flexibility and security. Some routers even offer wireless connectivity as well. So you can enjoy Broadband on your laptop at the end of the garden!

We recommend use if a router for connection to any broadband service. Prices start from Under £25 and for that you will get good flexibility, and strong security as standard.

We can supply routers from a range of manufactures, but normally recommend models from Solwise. See the Solwise web site for information and current pricing.

Security

Once you have Broadband, unless you have a router, your computer is connected directly to the internet 24 hours / day. As a result there is a far greater risk that other internet users may be tempted to "tamper" with your computer if they can. Many high profile "Worms" and "Viruses" that make the headlines from time to time can be particularly dangerous for Broadband users.

Many of the PCI cards and USB connected ADSL modems, rely on the (often poor) security facilities built into the host operating system, or add on "firewall" software products to protect the computer from attack.

In our opinion this on its own is not an adequate level of protection. This is another reason we recommend that our customers always select a router for connection to their ADSL line.

A router will include usually some form of "firewall" that will hide your computer (or your whole network if you have several) from the rest of the internet.

ADSL - What about filters?

Because ADSL uses the same phone line for both voice calls and data, it is necessary to make sure that voice calls do not interfere with the data connection. This is done using "micro filters" (aka. "Splitters", "filters" etc). Typically you will need to purchase one of these small devices to plug into each telephone extension that has a telephone, answering machine, or conventional modem, connected to it.

However, if you have more than 4 extension sockets in use, you may find it cheaper (and neater) to fit a filter at the master socket so that the whole house is filtered in one go, rather than have separate filters for each socket. You will then need to run one additional cable from the master socket to where you have your ADSL modem or router situated.

We can carry out filter installation for you if required. We can also install additional telephone, network, and modem/router connection points.

You can find more information and pricing on filters here.

For more introductory information on ADSL see the Think Broadband Guide here

Want some background
information on Broadband? See here.

We sell a full range
of routers and
other hardware at
competitive prices.

We can provide a
full install and setup
service in your own
home if required.

For more information
and prices,
drop us an email,
or give us a call.