A beginners guide to broadband

The word "broadband" generally refers to a high speed connection to the internet. Your broadband connection will be "always on" which means there is no need to connect to the internet each time you need it. You pay a once per month fee which covers all your usage, so you pay the same if you are online for 3 minutes per day or 30 minutes. The three main ways in which you can receive broadband are through your telephone line (also known as ADSL), or through a cable connection, or through a mobile internet dongle or datacard.

BT HomeHub, ADSL telephone line based broadband.	Virgin Media Netgear DG834 cable broadband router	Orange Icon 225 mobile broadband dongle.

Telephone broadband basics

Receiving your broadband through the telephone infrastructure is the most common method. It works by using filters which create two separate streams of information in your phone line, voice (telephone calls), and data (your access to the internet). Because broadband works in this way, it enables you to browse the internet and use the telephone at the same time, with no loss of quality from either.

Cable broadband basics

If you wish to connect to the internet via cable, you will need to be in an area where this is available. Currently there are only 12.5 million homes which can access cable, this represents approximately a third of the total homes in the UK. If you do live in one of these areas then you can receive your broadband, telephone, and TV through this method, but you do not have to get all of the services. 

Mobile broadband basics

Mobile broadband is a relatively new concept, only going mainstream in 2008. Mobile broadband works by utilizing the 3G signal as used by mobile phone operators. In order to utilise the service you need to plug a dongle or data card into your Desktop or Laptop PC, this then allows your computer to communicate with the mobile network. Mobile broadband is great if you need broadband on the go as it can be used anywhere there is a 3G signal. It's a little more expensive than other forms of broadband so if you don't need access on the go, look elsewhere. If you need more in-depth information why not check out our Mobile Broadband Guide.

If you don't currently have broadband

If you currently do not have an internet connection (or connect using dial-up) and are viewing this page from a public library, internet cafe, or from a friend or relatives computer, and cannot decide if you want broadband or dial-up internet, help is at hand. Although we cannot make your mind up for you, we can explore the 'pros' and 'cons' of both types of connection.

As well as using our broadband comparison tool we suggest that you ask friends and family which they use, and establish what your own internet needs actually are.

Compare different types of broadband

 

Item	Dial-Up	Mobile	ADSL	Cable
Always on connection	-
Can use telephone at the same time	-
Easily & quickly brows multiple sites at once	-	up to 7.5Mb/s	up to 24Mb/s	up to 50Mb/s
Fast internet connection capable of downloading large files in seconds	-
No need to worry about how much your time online will cost	-	-
Only get one bill for telephone and internet connection	-
Pay a monthly bill which does not vary with the amount of time you spend online	-	-
Pay only for the amount of time you are online			-	-
Average time spent online by user p/month	7.5 hours / week	24 hours / week	38 hours / week	40+ hours / week
Normal contract length	1 month or no contract	pay as you go up to 24 month	12-24 month contract	12-18 month contract