Even the best product comparison tool in
the world, it helps if you understand the basic broadband features in
order to make the most informed choice. Here are the key features to
look for when searching for a broadband product, and an explanation as
to what they mean to you.
Provider
There are over a hundred broadband providers in the UK, we have
worked with a selection of the best providers to bring you this website.
It's no mistake that the big internet providers (also known as Internet
Service Providers or ISP's) are big, they are good at what they do and
provide services that people want, and at affordable prices. Don't make
the assumption that you will get all of that from a big provider and not
a small one. The
Speed (up to)
There are many factors affecting the speed of your broadband connection,
most of which is beyond your control. The primary factor is the distance
from your house to the local exchange, the closer you are to the
exchange, the fast your connection will be, so generally this will mean
that in urban areas you will have a faster connection than in rural
areas.
The quality of the copper wire that
connects your telephone to the main telephone system also has an impact
on your speeds, if the condition of the wire has deteriorated, you will
loose speed.
Packages are advertised with a maximum
speed (referred to in our comparison
tool as "Speed (up to)"), this is the fastest speed you
will be able to get with this package, however don't expect to be able
to achieve this speed due to the factors mentioned above. As a general
rule, the faster the maximum speed of your package, the fast your
broadband connection will be, ie an 8MB connection will be faster than a
4MB connection.
If you want to know what speed your
current internet connection is, use our Speed
Test tool which will download a file to your computer, and time how
long it takes, thus working out your connection speed.
The time of day also has a big impact on
the speed of your broadband. The more people that are using the internet
at any one time, the slow everyone's connection will be. Peak internet
usage is between 5pm and 9pm. If you use your internet outside of this
time slot it should be faster, sometimes significantly so.
Download Limit
This is the amount of data that you are allowed to download each month.
Some ISP's will state that they have an unlimited download limit (but
will say "subject to fair use policy", or something to that
effect). Straight up - No ISP can, or does offer an unlimited download
limit, it's simply not possible. Contained within their "Fair Use
Policy" document will be an advised monthly limit on downloads, if
you surpass this limit, you can get your granny that they'll let you
know about it. Expect an email, letter, phone call, or perhaps they will
just shut down your internet for a few days.
To try an help you calculate what your
monthly usage might be, we have detailed the average amount of data
download whilst completing the following task:
| Surfing the
internet |
7 hours = 0.3GB |
| Emails sent |
100 emails = 0.1GB |
| Music tracks
downloaded |
14 tracks = 0.25GB |
| Downloaded
television or movies |
1 hour = 1.0GB |
| Listening to
online radio |
1 hour = 0.1GB |
| Hours of playing
online games |
1 hour = 0.1GB |
| Hours of internet
phone calls |
1 hour = 1.0GB |
If you use the above data to calculate
how much data you would download in a month, you can then choose
which package is most suited to your needs.
Connection Fee
This is a one off fee charged in order to set up the service. Often this
is designed to cover the costs involved activating your broadband line
as well as any equipment (such as routers, network adaptors etc) that
they have sent you you.
Monthly Cost
This is the monthly price that you pay for the service. Some providers
offer a reduced rate for the first few months that you are subscribing
to the service, and after those months are over the price will go up to
the normal rate. For comparison purposes, the monthly price displayed on
our comparison table will be the reduced rate (if applicable). If you
are comparing
products based on their price, we suggest using the "yearly
cost" as a better indicator of value, as we have calculated this
using both the reduced and normal monthly rates.
Yearly Cost
This is the total cost of the service for twelve full months. This price
includes any connection fee, reduced monthly costs, and normal monthly
costs (where applicable). If you are choosing a product based on price,
this is the best comparable to use.
Minimum
Contract
This is the minimum period of time that you will be tied in to the
broadband supplier. Generally the only way you can leave the contract
early is by paying the full term of the contract. Example; if you agree
a 12 month contract @£9.99 per month and leave after 6 months (and 6
monthly payments of £9.99), you would then have to pay another 6
payments of £9.99 (£59.94) in order to fulfill the contract, in which
case you may as well just keep using the service. We advise that you do
not switch providers until after your 12 month contact has expired.
What if your
moving house
If you are planning on moving house before the end of your broadband
contract, check with your provider and make sure they operate in the
area you are moving to. Most of the UK's big broadband providers operate
in all areas where broadband is available. If this is the case you will
simply need to contact them and inform them of your move dates, along
with your new address and contact details. Your provider will then
switch the service from your old house to your new house.
Should your broadband provider not
operate in the are which you are moving to, or if broadband is not
available in this area try and get them to end your contract without any
penalty charges. 9 times out of then this won't be a problem but
occasionally they will be difficult, and if they are, let us know by
leaving a comment on the provider page on our site, click
here.
