Obtaining Broadband

So, you've decided you're interested in getting Broadband Internet access, but are unsure what to do now. Well look no further, we'll take you step by step through the process.

Step 1: Owning a Computer
Step 2: Choosing an ISP
Step 3: Ordering your ADSL line
Step 4: Ordering your equipment

Click here for Part 2 of Obtaining Broadband....

• Step 1: Owning a computer.

Ok, I know that might be stating the obvious, but you do need to own a computer to be able to connect to the Internet. You can use a desktop set-up, housed permanently in a location in your house, or you can use a Laptop computer that you can move around (This will be restricted by the number of Telephone points thought.. see later.)

If you're going to go out and buy a computer especially, then you're entering an area that this website is not really big enough to cover, But I will offer some tips.

• Step 2: Selecting a Service Provider.

Ok, The golden rule again is going to be shop around. ISP contracts are similar to Mobile Phone contracts, they all offer pretty much the same service, but at varying costs with various little incentives.

The basic outlays are going to be:-

1. Connection/Installation fee - This will be a one off charge for connecting (or if you're having an engineer assisted install, the cost of a man coming to your house to install the kit.)
2. Monthly Rental - This is a month by month recurring charge of somewhere in the region of £25.00 depending on who you're provider is.
3. Equipment Purchase - In order to connect to broadband you're going to need a new modem, that old 56K dial-up beast just isn't man enough for the job. Depending on you're level of expertise, you're either going to get a USB plug and play modem for a single machine, or you're going to buy an ADSL router, capable of connecting several machine to the net and sharing the connection.
4. Micro Filters -You must have these in order to use your phone whilst connected to the internet. These filters seperate the computer ADSL signal from the normal phone line, enabling trouble free use of your telephone.

Now, this is where the shopping around comes into play, as several ISP's are running offers where they will waive the connections fee, or they provide a free plug and play modem and filters or both!!

The things you must watch out for however is the monthly rental fee, and also how long you are tied into the contract. BT Openworld for instance tie you into a 12 Month contract, whereas Zen Internet only lock you in for 1 month at a time.

This has Pro's and Con's, BT can only put the price up at the end of your 12 month contract, whereas Zen could change their prices at anytime. (This could be up or down however..)

The next issue is the speed of the ISP. The best bet here is to look at independent testers, such as The ADSLGuide.Org run a monthly test of a majority of the ISP's giving you a good idea of their speed ratings as supplied by members of the site.

• Step 3: Ordering your ADSL line.

Ok, this is the simple bit, as most ISP's permit you to sign up online from an existing dial-up or work account. But, there are a couple more choices you need to make...

Firstly, there are two classes of ADSL service, Home or Office.. As this site is geared towards home use, I'm going to concentrate on the Home product.

The next issue is speed, BT are currently offering ADSL upto a maximum download speed of 2Mb (Megabits) with an upload of 256K (In comparison, dial-up service has a theoretical maximum of only 56K)., however this is only available in the more expensive Office configuration. The Home product is available as 500 or 1000 versions, for 512Kb and 1Mb download speeds respectively.

The most popular package at the moment is Self-Install Home 500 ordered with a USB modem included in the bundle.

Ooh, hang on, we're talking equipment now...

• Step 4: Ordering your equipment.

Now this is where you can be as complex, or as simple as you want. Its time to sit back and take a good look at what you want from your Broadband connection and the machines that you want to connect to the net.

First off, Micro-Filters.. ADSL works by layering the digital signal on top of the same cable that your phone line runs on. If you've ever picked up the phone whilst you're PC is connected to the internet, you'll know that the two just don't mix normally. this is where your Micro filter comes in. It contains a small amount of electronics that filter the two signals and present them onto two seperate ports, one for your normal phone line, and one for your new ADSL modem.

Ok, so you've got your Micro Filters on the list, note you'll need a micro filter for each phone/fax or answering machine that you want to have plugged in. the next step is the modem itself

If you only have one machine, then to be quite honest, the box standard USB modem is going to be absolutely fine for your purposes. This small box has two cables, one which connects into your PC, and the other that connects into your micro-filter.

The USB plug (shown left) plugs straight into the USB socket on your PC, your Windows software should then pick this up as soon as you plug it in and the drivers will be loaded. (Some manufacturers require you to load the drivers on your PC first, but this is a simple operation and should be explained clearly in their guide.)

The alternative to USB, is to use an Ethernet modem, this is similar to the USB modem in that it is external to your PC, however you may also need to purchase an ethernet adaptor for your machine. (Your machine may already come with a network point.. Look for a port on the back of your machine that looks similar to the port pictured on the right. This method will also require more configuration than the USB version.

The next option is an ADSL Router, these are generally Ethernet based, although they can be wireless (See WAP further down..) The key advantage to these is that they will allow you to connect multiple computers to your ADSL connection (You can still connect multiple computers using the USB/Ethernet modems if you wish..) ADSL routers tend to come in a 4 port version, allowing you to connect upto 4 devices directly to the router. In this configuration, the router maintains the connection to the internet and handles communication from any of the devices connected to it.

Click here for Part 2 of Obtaining Broadband....