Broadband Explained – including tips on how to choose a provider that will suit your needs

The term ‘broadband’ is widely used but often an explanation of what it actually means is hard to find. Currently there are several technologies that are given the term ‘broadband’ but they are quite different in terms of speed and the method they are connected to homes and businesses throughout Australia.

These days there are a huge range of services and providers on the market including bundling your phone and internet services. The term ‘naked’ has made its way into the market and basically it means using you phone line for data only and not using it for standard voice services. This then means that you use the internet to make phone calls (Voice over internet protocol) but we’ll cover that in another article.

So let’s break down the most common connections that are currently on offer from internet service providers (ISP’s) in Australia from slowest to fastest connections and examine some of the key features to look for in an internet service provider...

Dial up – Dial up is not a broadband technology and is seen as the most basic internet connection you can have. In most cases people are only using a dial up connection because nothing else is available or due to price. It should be noted that the price difference between dial up and faster connections has decreased dramatically and in some cases is almost comparable. The data travels over your copper phone line and speeds can be affected by the quality of your phone connection.

Satellite – To most Australians outside of metro and rural centres the only choice is a satellite connection. There is some debate as to whether satellite should be called a broadband technology due to the slow connection speeds however once again as time progresses the available speed has increased. It requires you to have a satellite dish attached to your premises and can be affected by weather and the time of day however in most cases it’s all that is available. Speeds of up to 2,000kbps (2Mb) are available and are now a 2 way connection.

Wireless – Wireless seems to be the latest technology being used to Australia due to the large areas that need to be covered. As the technology is developed the speeds are slowly increasing but in general you will find up to a 6,000kbps (6Mb) connection speed. Currently there are quite a few rollouts of this technology around Australia and luckily those that have not be able to access broadband services finally have a choice. This technology requires you to mount an antenna to your home/business and you will find the speeds are increasing as time progresses.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) – ADSL is the most common broadband connection in Australia. It comes in a variety of speeds ranging from 256kbps – 1500kbps (1.5mb) however the technology itself is capable of up to 8000kbps (8Mb). This provides a huge speed increase from dial up and has become common place to those that can access it. The data travels over you copper phone line however it is always on and you can still use your phone at the same time which saves in ‘dialling up’ you connection every time.

ADSL2/ADSL2+ - ADSL/ADSL2+ is the next step in ADSL technology and provides an even faster connection speed up to 24000kbps (24Mb). Once again it still travels over your phone line and is always on but just allows a greater transfer of data.

Cable – Cable is only available in certain areas of Australia however it is an option that many people overlook. It can provide speeds up to 30,000kbps (30Mb) however it travels over a separate cable into your home or business. This cable can also be used for cable TV and other services. Sadly it can be affected by the amount of people using the cable in the local area so people do find a slight decrease in performance at certain times of the day (usually this is related to when kids get home from school funnily enough)

Choosing an internet provider

Here are some key features people should consider when choosing an internet connection:

Price – This can vary between providers but it should be stressed that the cheapest is definitely not the best method of determining who to choose. There are many features an ISP can offer and these in turn can increase the cost to consumers but in general these features add a lot of value and quality of service. You need to weigh up what your needs are and what you can afford.

Speed – You really need to determine what you are going to do on your connection before you make a choice on connection speed. If you are an occasional browser and send a few emails then you don’t need the fastest connection possible. If you have kids however and they play games, constantly share photos and videos then you should look at a faster speed.

Download limits – This is a major factor especially for new comers as usually those that finally make the plunge into a broadband connection. Studies have shown that people that use a faster connection start doing a lot more online and this directly relates to the amount of information they are downloading. Some ISP’s will charge you heavily if you go over your limit whilst others merely slow your connection down. Some ISP’s charge for your uploading (information you send out) as well as downloading but in general do not advertise the fact. All of these things need to be considered so that you are not faced with a large excess usage bill.

Quality of service – Whilst it is hard to know what level of service you will receive from an ISP you should do some research prior to signing on the dotted line. Cheap plans tend to correlate with cheap service so if you don’t want drop outs (loss of connection), dismal help desk and not quite what you expected speeds then I would stay clear from the bottom end of town and look for a well established and reputable ISP.

Extra features – You will find many ISP’s include extra features into the internet plans. These can include email filtering, virus protection, port blocking, free content and emergency dial up connections to name a few. These add value to the service provided and may well help you enjoy a hassle free connection.