Most Broadband providers price their broadband offerings depending on how fast and how much bandwidth usage is included a month - this leaves many confused about how much bandwidth they use or need . As a result many people go for packages with a higher usage limit than they actually need or even worse, sign up to a package with less monthly bandwidth than they need and end up getting charged for the over use!
Some providers give rough estimates of how much of various types of broadband content you can download with each package but this is just a rough guide and shouldnt be relied upon
So whats the answer? the best way to judge how much bandwidth you use a month is to use software to monitor your traffic for a month ( a few months would be more accurate) and then you will have an accurate figure of how much bandwidth you use.
If you then find that you are paying for too much bandwidth you can switch to another package or provider with a usage limit closer to your actual usage
To Download and install
Quite simply broadband internet access or “Broadband” is high speed internet access, giving you faster and more reliable access to the internet. Broadband has replaced the old method of accessing the internet which was Dial-up access via a modem, this required full use of the telephone line. You may have experienced this when picking up the phone to hear a strange sound like a fax machine instead of a dial tone. Dial up modems generally operated at a maximum bit rate, or speed, of 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second). Don
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line or ADSL is the most common broadband used today and the coverage for this is 80% meaning it is widely available. ADSL uses your standard existing BT copper telephone land line and turns it into a high
There are a few different types of Broadband, however the main ones you need to know about are ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and Cable. The others less common ones are Satellite and Wireless ISP. Satellite and Wireless ISP are used in remote areas where broadband access is unavailable as a rule they cost more than the more common ADSL and cable and are seldom used when the less expensive options are available. Wireless ISP uses a Wi-Fi radio system to connect to the internet rather than your phone line. This wireless broadband should not be confused with a wireless router as explained later. And satellite broadband uses a telephone line to request the information and a satellite dish to receive the information. Down sides of this are the cost and the time delay that can be experienced due to the distance the signal has to travel.
This question depends on what area you live but with UK broadband coverage now at over 95% the short answer is yes. Different areas are best suited for different types of broadband so you may not get to choose from every possible ISP, but odds are you will be able to get broadband. Use our broadband postcode checker to see what broadband is available in your area.
The speeds available vary, and you should work out what your requirements are. Most ISPs will offer different broadband packages with different prices. For example the faster your connection the more it will usually cost, also the more you can download the more it will cost. Theses days the minimum speed you will get from your ISP, with ADSL and Cable is 512K this is fine if you want to use the internet mainly for emails, surfing and shopping. 2Mb is more common now and is fast enough to do all you will need to if you are a low end user.
However if you want to download large files like movies and games then a faster connection with higher download limits would suit you. Also for online games a fast connection is helpful. Speeds available can go up to 24 Mb however this is less common and most providers will offer 2-8 Mb.
Most ISPs will upgrade your speed for free over time as technology improves. For example BT internet upgraded for free all there customers who had 2Mb connections to 8Mb and charged the same flat fee each month.
You can find out roughly what speeds you can expect in your area using our broadband availability checker
With most Broadband Providers the price of the package is not only related to speed but also the amount you can download each month. This means that once you have reached your limit for that month you will not be able to download any more or risk being charged for the additional bandwidth used. If you are a low end user only using the internet for shopping and emails etc then the download limits may not be a problem.
When the download limit may become problem for low end uses is if during a particular month you need to download many updates or photos of friends. However if you keep an eye on your downloads and stay within the limit your monthly charge from the ISP will be lower than the unlimited download package. However should you exceed your limit you may be charged extra that month.
If you enjoy downloading music, games and videos online then a high download limit or even better, an unlimited download package is for you. For example if you pick the least expensive monthly broadband package you may have a download limit of 2Gb. When you consider most online films are 0.7Gb then this means you cannot even download 3 movies a month to watch. Also updates for online games such as Counter Strike or World of Warcraft can be very large and you cannot play without them.
More and more people are opting for unlimited downloads which provides more than enough monthly downloads for everyone except for the heaviest of down loaders and although you would think that “unlimited” would mean that you could download as much as you like this is not strictly true. Extremely heavy users may find themselves falling foul of the providers “fair use policy” so if you consider yourself in this category it would be wise to do some research on your chosen provider to see at what level they set this “fair use” cap
Should you want to switch provider for any reason, such as you have seen a better deal elsewhere you are free to do so. However bear in mind that this is only practicable at the end of your existing contract. If you are in the middle of a contract then there will likely be a charge. When you joined up with your ISP initially you agreed to a fixed term contract, usually a year. However if you signed up longer than a year ago your ISP would have simply carried on providing your service but with no contractual obligation. This means you can leave at any time if your contract is up even though you are still online. Since you signed up over a year ago then odds are a better deal has come onto the market, be it with faster speeds, lower costs or greater download limit. Due to these reasons, switching provider has become common and so ISPs have tried to make it as straight forward as possible.
The first thing you will need to do if you want to switch is get your MAC or Migration Authority Code. This MAC allows you to move smoothly and without interruption from your current ISP to your new one and is obtained from your current ISP. Simply make contact with your current ISP and ask for the MAC code they will give it to you within 5 working days, usually faster. Upon asking for the MAC code your current service provider will realise you are planning to leave then for another ISP so may try to get you to stay with them by offering you a better deal. Sometimes this deal can be better than the one your new ISP was offering. Once you have the MAC number you contact the new ISP you have chosen and give them this number when you sign up to there service, you don
Cable broadband or cable internet access is most commonly used if you already have cable TV or live in an area with cable access. It is very similar in quality and price to ADSL and one is not necessarily better than the other they just use different technologies. Cable can only be received if you live in an area with cable access, in general these areas are in large towns and cities. As with ADSL you will need a cable modem, or router to access the internet, and the connection uses the existing cable phone / TV line. If you don
Switching in this way is a little different from simply switching from one ADSL provider to another because they don