Cheap Broadband UK

Home Broadband Guide

Most households in the UK now have broadband internet connection. It is the actual need that has been pushing up the home broadband adoption in recent years. The days when broadband access at home considered a luxury have gone. Today, everyone in the family have their own broadband needs. You may need to send or receive your emails on daily basis or find some vital information or do some shopping online or play games online. Likewise, your kids may have to do internet research for their homework assignments.

So, it is important to see that the broadband service that you are using at home really offers what you look for.

If you are a beginner and want to take up a broadband connection for your home, you should go for a broadband package that can suit all your needs.

Why home broadband?

The answer is simple. It is cheap and really save a fortune for you. Most broadband service providers have generally tailored their broadband packages to suit the needs of either a home user or a business user and the latter is quite expensive option and you may not need it unless you run a business. 

With a broadband internet connection at home, you can:

• Send or receive emails
• Browse the web sites to find information for you
• Play online games
• Go for online shopping
• Join online communities like myspace or hi5 or metacafe.
• Listen or download music from websites.
• Watch or download videos, movies from websites.
• Read news

Types of Home broadband

The type of broadband internet connection generally refers to the technology that offers you broadband access at home. Currently, there are three types of broadband access or technologies that are common in the UK.

ADSL broadband

Asymmetric DSL or ADSL broadband comes to your home via landline provided by BT. This means you should have an active BT line to get this type of broadband. A filter splits the copper wire (BT line) so that you can access broadband using a modem or router as well as receive voice calls simultaneously. Standard ADSL broadband connection offers speeds between 1Mbps – 8 Mbps.

With ADSL broadband, the speeds often depend on two factors – the quality of wire that carries broadband and the distance between the user and the nearest BT exchange. If you are quite far from the exchange (say, more than 6 kms), you will get speeds that could be terribly low.
High speed versions like ADSL2 and ADSL 2+ are also available in selected areas in the UK. They offer speeds up to 24Mbps. Providers like Be, O2 and Eclipse offer high speed broadband packages using this technology. However, you need to check their availability in your area.

It is easy to install ADSL broadband connection at your home and most users can do it themselves using the installation CD. You can also seek the help of your provider if you feel it is a bit difficult for you.

Easy installation, affordable cost and various package options have led to the wide popularity of ADSL broadband with house holds in the UK  

Cable broadband

You can also choose cable broadband which offers broadband access via fibre-optic cables laid under the roads. Currently, Virgin Media is the only provider that offers you this type of broadband connection in the UK. If you do not like the idea of a landline and its rental cost, cable broadband is a good option to consider. Another feature of cable broadband is that it offers better speeds when compared to ADSL broadband. Virgin Media cable broadband offers speeds of up to 50Mbps.

Virgin Media offers bundling options to its customers means you can take up broadband, tv, telephone and mobile services on a single package saving your money and time. Check the availability of Virgin Media broadband in your area before you sign up. Virgin Media also offers wireless option with its packages.

Mobile broadband

Mobile broadband offers you greater mobility and freedom so you can access broadband both at home as well as on the move. It needs a dongle to get connected to broadband using your laptop. You can also use your mobile phones specially designed for this purpose. As long as you are within the mobile networks, you can use this type of broadband fairly comfortably.

Mobile broadband packages are more expensive than ADSL or broadband and may not offer higher speeds like the traditional broadband types. However, the features like flexibility and mobility can make up for the extra cost that you need to bear. As a rule of thumb, assess your needs before you choose this broadband type. The good news is major mobile broadband providers like Vodafone, Three (3), O2 and T-mobile offer some excellent packages at affordable prices.

Wireless broadband

Wireless broadband works on a wireless router which acts just like a wi-fi hotspot. Within the area of wireless signals transmitted by the wireless router, you can access broadband using a laptop.

Wireless networking helps you to use your broadband connection without wires. This means you are not tied to a fixed place but you can access broadband anywhere at home as long as you get sufficient signal strength from the wireless router. Multiple users can also share a single broadband connection a wireless router without the need of wires. Most ADSL broadband providers (also Virgin Media cable broadband) offer wireless router free of cost with their packages. Setup is not as difficult as many think. Again, you can also get any help from your provider to setup wireless network at your home.

Things to consider before you choose a home broadband package

Home broadband packages come with various aspects that may be confusing to the beginner. However, the right assessment of your needs will help you to prioritize the features available in a home broadband package.

Speed or bandwidth

Broadband connection with lower speeds (512Kbps or 1Mbps) is entirely not a bad option, provided you use it for just emailing or browsing web pages. For these simple online activities, slow speed connection hardly matters. However, when it comes to downloading large files, music or video clips, speed does matter. Think, you have to wait for 30 minutes to download a 8MB video clip or a music album throughout a day!

As a rule of thumb, activities like downloading on regular basis, playing online games or watching movies will require higher speeds. As people are willing to pay more for higher speeds, it is not a wise idea to choose any broadband package of speeds below 2Mbps. You can get 8Mb broadband packages at reasonably affordable prices so you need not worry much over all that.

Some broadband providers offer super-fast connections (up to 24Mbps) that may cost a bit more. Virgin Media offers 50Mb broadband in selected areas in the UK. Choosing the right speed for you also means looking for a package that can save your money too.

Monthly download limit or Usage allowance

Most broadband providers may restrict your usage by specifying the amount of data that can be transferred in a month through your connection. This is called download limit or usage allowance. Say, a broadband package with 10GB monthly usage allowance cost you 10 a month. This means you can transfer the data (both upload and download) within this limit. Needless to say, if you exceed the usage limit, you will end up in paying more for the extra usage. In order to avoid this ugly situation, it is important that you properly assess your usage or download requirements.

The easy way out from all these calculations is choosing an unlimited broadband package. You can download as much as you like without thinking about the usage or price. It is a great option for regular downloaders provided they choose the right speed.

Price

There could be nothing more difficult than finding a cheap broadband package that suits all your requirements. It requires a great deal of online research and shopping around to find your dream broadband deal. Price is an important factor to consider, however, it is not the only factor to be considered. The prices have already fallen, so make a good deal of research to find package that combines all the features that you look for.

If you want to make a saving on your package,

• Consider a bundling option. You can get broadband, phone and TV package on a single deal.
• Consider going for one year or two year contract as many providers offer incentives to their consumers who agree for longer contracts.
• Check what free stuff you get with your broadband package. Most broadband providers offer free wireless router, modem or even free laptop.

Contract length

Often you may get tied up by contract length when you sign up for a broadband deal. Longer contract is not always a bad option provided you know well about the service quality of your provider and the features of the package. Read the broadband provider reviews and consumer reviews before assessing a provider.

As we have said, you may get good incentives like free wireless router or other free stuff when you agree for longer contracts.

If you do not like the idea of being tied up by contracts, you can go for no contract options or shorter contract options.