Mobile Phone Reviews
 
 

What is broadband?

Broadband is simply a fast, permanent connection to the worldwide web. In addition to speed, it also provides a more reliable and practical way of connecting to the internet than the previous dial-up method.

Unlike dial-up, the connection to the Internet is always on, allowing for constant web access. Also, the phone line is unaffected, meaning you can make and receive telephone calls whilst the Internet is on. The high bandwidth connection to the internet also allows users to:

  • Download complex websites almost instantly,
  • stream TV shows and music,
  • download films, music, software and other files more quickly than before,
  • play games online with thousands of other users
  • chat with other users online,
  • share photos, and
  • make free phone calls to other web users.

Types of broadband

ADSL Broadband

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology where large volumes of information are sent over a copper telephone line at rapid speeds, allowing users to download web pages, text, graphics, music and video in real time. However, the speed of an ADSL connection can vary widely according to the distance of the subscriber from their nearest telephone exchange. With ADSL, information is downloaded more rapidly than it is uploaded.

ADSL is the most common type of broadband used today and is widely available throughout Britain, covering 80% of UK households.

Cable Broadband

Cable broadband services are delivered to households through a fibre optic cable line. This type of broadband is very similar in quality and price to ADSL, although the nature of fibre optic cable means higher speeds can be maintained over longer distances than with ADSL.

Cable broadband can only be used if you already have cable TV or live in an area with cable access.

Satellite Broadband

There are two types of satellite broadband services:

One-way satellite – this service downloads information via satellite and uploads information via a telephone or IDSN line.

Two-way satellite – information is both downloaded and uploaded through satellite, providing an even higher bandwidth and a faster speed.

Satellite broadband is one of the less commonly used types of broadband as it can be expensive to run and, as with satellite TV, connection can be affected by weather conditions. It is also unsuitable for certain types of internet access such as online gaming as it generally has quite high latency (ping times) compared to other types of broadband.

Wireless Broadband

Wireless broadband is another way in which broadband internet can be delivered to your PC or laptop. This type of broadband uses a Wi-Fi radio system to connect to the internet instead of your phone line. It is particularly suitable for homes where access to ADSL or cable broadband is unavailable and for distributing information between buildings.

Wireless broadband should not be confused with 'wireless networking' (also known as wireless internet or Wi-Fi networks), which is basically a way of linking all the computers at home or at work together and letting them share an internet connection without any wires.