Broadband

Connecting to the internet at home and work normally requires having broadband access.

Broadband refers to a communication bandwidth such as “at least 256kbits/s”.  The wider (or broader) the bandwidth of a channel, the greater the information-carrying capacity, given the same channel quality.  So the broad in broadband can mean different things according to whom is talking (Ofcom, BT, etc).  It is often called broadband speed.   In cities it normally refers to a minimum of 2Mb/s.

There are a number of ways of connecting to the internet with broadband.

ADSL

ADSL stands for “Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.”and is a method of transferring data over copper telephone lines.  It is the most common way to connect to the internet in the UK.  ADSL coverage is often especially spotty in rural areas. Speeds will vary depending upon the physical distance from local hubs (telephone exchanges), as well as the number of people using the service at one time in the same area. A faster service uses ADSL 2+ but you cannot be too far away from the exchange.

graph from broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk

Fibre and cable are faster and mobile broadband tends to be slower

Mobile broadband

Mobile broadband is high-speed Internet access provided by mobile phone operators using a device that requires a sim card to access the service.  4G is a faster replacement for the old 3G technology but is not available everywhere. In rural areas is not not as fast as broadband.

• Thinkbroadband’s guides

• MoneySavingExpert guide

• Broadbandchoices

• Moneysupermarket

• USwitch

Please note that many companies and websites will give you “speeds up to” figures.  These are selling techniques and do NOT necessarily represent the speed you will get with your broadband.

The only true check will be by speaking to the provider, but below are some checkers:

• BT postcode checker
• Broadbandspeedchecker
• Broadbandchecker

If you already have broadband you can run tests yourself.  They are only approximate, so it is best to run a couple.  What makes them useful is their relative values.  In other words, how consistent are the results.

• Broadband Choices Speedtester
• Speedtest.net
• Broadbandspeedchecker.net

Broadband Speed in this area from broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk