There are several different types of high speed broadband internet connections available, and they each have certain advantages so it is worthwhile doing a little research before you choose a package, and remember you will also be restricted in many cases by the availability of different broadband options in the area in which you live. Here are the three main types of Internet connection.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
This is one of the most common forms of broadband and is widely available, affordable and easy to install. ADSL is available in over 80% of the UK, and unless you live somewhere very remote you should be able to access this through your existing telephone line using a modem or router, and you will also still be able to make and receive telephone calls when you are surfing the web (your ISP will provide microfilters to prevent interference), so there is no need to have an additional line installed.

Cable
Cable is another common form of broadband, and although it is not as widely available as ADSL the coverage areas are growing all the time, and if you live in a large urban or residential area you should be able to access this service. Cable offers a similar service to ADSL, and the difference in costs between the two different connections are negligible, and will really depend on the deals offered by the individual providers in your local area. Cable companies do usually offer some cost effective bundle packages though where you can have cable television, telephone and broadband combined into one low monthly payment. Cable connections require a special modem and socket, and if you do not have cable already at your property you will need to arrange an engineer to come out and install the cable connection for you.

Wireless
Wireless broadband may be the only choice for those living in remote and very rural areas where ADSL and cable is unavailable, and no telephone lines are required as an antenna is installed outside your home which will send a signal to a connection point on your computer to enable it to access the Internet.

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Satellite broadband is a fairly new way of connecting to the Internet and is used by those people living in very remote areas who are unable to access cable or ADSL broadband. This service is available throughout the UK and North America, although there will be some areas which are not covered by satellite broadband, or where the signal is very weak and ineffective. You will need to install a special dish to enable you to use satellite broadband (a regular satellite television dish cannot pick up web data streaming), and there are two main types of satellite Internet broadband:
· One Way Connections – this will enable you to receive data such as webpages, but you will not be able to send data (such as emails) unless you also have a dial up Internet connection through a regular phone line.
· Two Way Services – this type of satellite broadband will allow you to both send and receive data through your dish but can be quite expensive in terms of buying the equipment, installation and also monthly subscriptions.

How Does Satellite Broadband work?
The Internet data feed is beamed out directly from the ISP’s satellite host, which is then picked up by the special dish installed on your property. Two different speeds can currently be delivered to your dish, 2 mbps per second downstream and 1 mbps upstream. This is considerably faster than dial up services which manage around 53 kilobits per second, but the beamed data feed does have to travel up and down from the geostationary orbit of the satellite (a round trip of as much as143,553 km ), so there is an unavoidable delay in satellite broadband which can make it unsuitable for ‘real time’ online use such as gaming and watching videos and films.

This means that while satellite broadband is faster than dial up it is still slower than the other broadband options available (cable and DSL). Another key disadvantage of satellite broadband is that it can be affected by atmospheric influences, such as bad weather, and this can mean you will not be able to use your satellite broadband at all in certain conditions.

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Broadband can offer you a fast and reliable way to connect to the Internet, which is ideal for medium to high level Internet users and anyone who wants to carry out ‘real time’ online activities such as watching live television feed or playing online multiplayer games.  It is easy to set up a broadband connection to your home, and here are a few simple steps for you to follow.

Choosing a Broadband Package
Check the broadband coverage in your area (you can do this by visiting each Internet Service Providers website) and make a shortlist of all of those who can offer you a service to your home.  Research each package offered by checking the Internet transfer speeds and download limits, and if you want to watch films and video clips online or play games then you should be looking for around a 4Mb package which will offer you fast download speeds and good quality video streaming.  Once you have chosen a suitable broadband package then you just need to contact the supplier and sign up to an account.

Equipment
Try and look out for those suppliers that offer free modems or routers, as you will need one of these to connect your computer to your new broadband service and in some cases you may also need a connection from your home to the nearest ISP access point installed (as with cable), and this will mean you will have to arrange a date for an engineer to come to your property and fit your new broadband service.  If you are connecting to an ADSL service then this will be carried out through your existing phone lines, and your ISP will set up the appropriate changes at your local phone exchange on your behalf, and in most cases you will not need an engineer to visit your property.

Setting up Your Account
Once you have received your modem/router and your broadband connection has been enabled all you will need to do to access your new service is plug your router into the socket provided and connect it to your computer through a spare USB or Ethernet port.  Now start up your computer and insert the installation CD, or follow the onscreen instructions that come up automatically for installing your new software.  If you are using ADSL you will have to plug in all of the required microfilters.  Now you should be able to access your Internet service just by clicking on the icon on your desktop, and unlike dial up there is no need to wait for a connection to be made, as your broadband will be on all the time.

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Internet connection speed is one of the major factors you will need to consider before choosing a broadband or dial up package for your home, and what connection speed you require will depend on what you want to use your Internet service for.  If you only want to use your service for reading emails and viewing standard webpages then you will not need a very fast Internet connection, so you can save some money by signing up for one of the slower, less expensive packages.

However if you want to play online games, watch movies and download music over the Internet then you will need a much faster connection to prevent any delays to real time activities, and so you will need to make sure you have a higher Internet transfer speed with your service.

Internet transfer speeds
Internet transfer speeds are measured in kilobits or megabits per second, and this basically describes how much information can be streamed every second through your connection.  Here is a basic comparison of the four Internet transfer speeds available with current Internet dial up and broadband packages:

56K dial-up modem (the slowest speed available on dial up)
Time to load a typical web page – 14 sec
Time to download a typical 5-minute song – 12 min 30 sec
Streaming Video Quality – cannot stream videos

512K broadband
Time to load a typical web page – 1.6 sec
Time to download a typical 5-minute song – 1 min 30 sec
Streaming Video Quality – low quality

4Mb broadband
Time to load a typical web page – 1 sec
Time to download a typical 5-minute song – 5 sec
Streaming Video Quality – medium quality

8Mb broadband (best current broadband download speed for residential use)
Time to load a typical web page – instantaneous
Time to download a typical 5-minute song – instantaneous
Streaming Video Quality – high quality

As you can see the lowest speed of 56K is not very suitable for anything but very simple online tasks, and even loading webpages can take a long time.  The very minimum you need for everyday tasks such as sending emails and shopping online is 512K, which is 10 times faster than the lowest package, and this is a cheap entry level broadband option that can allow you to surf online without too many delays.  The highest level broadband of 8Mb is an expensive option, but will allow you to play online games and watch films and television over your connection in high definition and without any delays at all.

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