Which Broadband For You

The Fast Alternative
The number one benefit of home broadband is speed. 1mb broadband works at about 20x the speed of dialup. This means less time for pages to load, quicker software downloads and opportunity to download music and video without waiting for ages.

Which Broadband Provider?
Best known are BT Broadband and AoL. Other major providers include Tiscali, Orange, Eclipse Internet and Virgin. Different providers have different packages and offers. You will probably be best choosing one that offers free connection and a free modem. Beware offers of "Free" Broadband such as that offered by TalkTalk. You will often be tied in to a package where the various elements could be bought cheaper individually.

Ethernet Connection

USB Connection

What Equipment do I Need for Broadband?
You will need a fairly up to date pc ideally running Windows XP with an ethernet connection or usb port.. An older, slower pc will result in slower use of the internet. You will need a broadband modem, which is usually a small box, separate from your pc. The modem will usually connect to the the computer using an ethernet cable or usb cable. You will also need a filter or splitter in every socket that uses a phone

Filter

If you want to connect more than one computer, you will need a router. If they are not close to eachother you will want a wireless router and a wireless card in your second computer or laptop. This card can slot into your pci slot on your pc, your pcmcia slot on your laptop or can be a usb device.