More and more households are embracing broadband internet, yet many of us are still unaware of what or if anything extra is needed to take advantage of this technology.
My aim is to prove how simple it is to set up your broadband connection and that it doesnÂ’t have to come at a high price.
Firstly, youÂ’ll need a computer;
The main benefit of having broadband is being able to access information at a higher speed than youÂ’d expect of an old-fashioned dialup connection. Online streaming of videos has become very popular and I recommend that your computer runs fast enough to watch a video, particularly one that is being streamed via the internet. You may also find that you will start to purchase music online, so it may be worth investing (if you already have a computer) in a new and bigger hard-drive. This will enable you to purchase music (also known as mp3 files) without worrying about using all the space you had previously reserved for word processing documents and such like.
YouÂ’ll also need to ensure you have adequate technology in your street to be able to access a broadband connection;
Due to the way in which broadband (or ADSL as it is also know to those using a phone line to access it) is set up throughout the UK, you will need to ensure that your line is one that has been installed by BT. If you have cable services in your area, such as that from Virgin Media, then you can look at using their fibre-optic network too.
Once you have a BT line in place or live in a cabled area you will look at how you will access the connection;
The most popular of solutions is to purchase a router. This will enable you to share your internet amongst computers in your home. If you are using your BT line then you will also need a modem; these are generally supplied for free by broadband providers such as AOL.
Once all of these are in place, you’re just one step away from being able to surf the web using your new broadband connection – namely choosing your broadband supplier. Use a comparison site to find the best deal available to you in your area that meets your needs. Once ordered you should be looking at going live within a matter of weeks.
If you are interested in taking advantage of broadband internet technology then you should look at comparing several broadband providers and see if they are available in your area.
ItÂ’s pronounced voy-ip and comes under a variety of names including; IP telephony, internet telephony, broadband phone and voice broadband. Yes, itÂ’s VOIP also known as voice over the internet protocol. ItÂ’s the newest technology for managing voice conversations over the internet and itÂ’s sweeping the world.
The benefits are numerous beginning with more autonomy and mobility for call center agents who can now work from anywhere with a broadband connection. Another benefit is that so long as you have internet access you can receive calls anywhere in the world. This means that the technology is independent of geographical location. Imagine making sales calls from a Virgin Mega Store in Sydney, or better yet from your own home. Also imagine video conferencing with no sound lag, while still being able to answer other incoming calls. All of these scenarios are possible with this new technology and its improving everyday.
Since 2004, VOIP has been mass marketed over many broadband networks. It has been advertised as allowing users to have full phone services with inbound and outbound calls over the internet. The largest marketers are even offering unlimited calling to certain areas for flat fees. You’ve probably seen advertisements by companies such as Vonage or AT&T claiming the benefits of online calling and it’s mostly true. With the advent of VOIP you can potentially bundle all of your services with one large media provider. For example, AT&T is willing to bundle broadband internet, cable television and “internet phone” for reduced prices.
INC and Entrepreneur magazines have claimed VOIP to be one of the greatest cost cutting tools for bootstrapping entrepreneurs. These savvy opportunists who wish to appear professional for a fraction of the cost of a traditional switchboard can do so through this new technology. Certain companies are in fact promoting virtual VOIP PBXs (private branch exchanges) allowing online voicemail, which is then forwarded to your email as an mp3 or texted to your cell phone. Even small businesses can use VOIP to setup multiple extensions under one phone line.
Regardless of its great service and benefits, there are some challenges facing this new technology. VOIP can only be used most effectively over a broadband internet connection and requires a power adapter. Consequently, in times of power failures VOIP cannot be used. Along with this there is news that occasionally certain emergency calls to 9-1-1 have been misrouted. In addition faxes and other telephone based equipment such as home security systems require phone lines and for now are not accessible over VOIP. Essentially, VOIP is best used as complementary system rather than as an exclusive communications tool.
As internet phone usage continues to expand and services improve you could potentially save quite a bit of money for yourself and your small business, while enjoying the perks of making unlimited calls from anywhere in the globe. If you are interested in setting up VOIP there are several very large companies worth researching. Including; AT&T, Broadvoice, Broadvox, Lingo, Paket 8, Verizon, Voiceglo, VoicePulse and Vonage. Starting rates vary from company to company but typically range between $20.00 and $35.00 per month.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to VOIP [http://voip-guideto.com]
So you open up your browser and hop over to Google. You type in something like:
“Who has the fastest mobile broadband?“
3 sites that look very familiar pop up saying stuff like:
“BroadbandAccess Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) network from Verizon Wireless has been enhanced with EV-DO Rev. A to deliver even faster data speeds and greater efficiencies. Fast downloads – typical speeds of 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps. Fast uploads – typical speeds of 500-800 Kbps.”
“With a Sprint Mobile Broadband Card, you get average download speeds of 600-1400 Kbps, peaking at 3.1 Mbps, and 350-500 Kbps average upload speeds, peaking at 1.8 Mbps. Similar to DSL, and about ten times faster than using a dial-up modem”
” AT&T offers the broadband speed and responsiveness of BroadbandConnect…the latest 3G devices provide typical download throughput of 700 kbps to 1.7 Mbps for downloads and 500 kbps to 1.2 Mbps for upload”
Ugh.
Just give it to me straight Doc. Speak English. How in the world is someone supposed to figure out who’s the fastest with this ‘can’t sue me’ lawyer-speak?
All the ranges seem to overlap. Even looking at the maximum speeds, Verizon and Sprint look identical…until, that is, you realize they are only theoretical. A best case scenario that’s not too optimistic.
It’s just like your speedometer’s range that goes from 0 mph to 120 mph. Just because 120 mph is on your dashboard doesn’t mean your rusty 16 year old Honda Civic Hatchback with the flashing engine check light is gonna make it.
The companies also know you can’t call them on it because ‘there are too many variables’. What were the road conditions like? How fast were you going? When last have you had a tune-up? What was the weather like? Do you know how many cell phone towers were in the area? How many satellites were positioned around you at the time? Or my personal favorite ‘You were most likely roaming and we have no control over other networks’.
It’s like trying to get fresh organic vegetables at McDonald’s. It’s just not gonna happen.
It just is what it is my friend.
The only way down to the nitty gritty and feast on the raw truth is to get out into the wild. Outside of my own testing, I draw on the experiences of others from ComputerWorld, Gizmodo and jkOnTheRun. I’ll give you a quick chronological recap of what happened with each:
ComputerWorld – Which 3G Network Is The Best? – 05/13/08
Location:
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
Broadband Cards:
(AT&T) Sierra Wireless USBConnect 881, (Sprint) Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 and (Verizon) Sierra Wireless USB AirCard 595U
Result: AT&T had the highest maximum speed (1.6 Mbps), average download speed (755 Kbps) and upload speed (484 Kbps)
Gizmodo – The Definitive Coast-to-Coast 3G Data Test – 12/17/08
Location:
Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco and the Bay Area
Broadband Cards:
AT&T’s Sierra USBConnect 881, Sprint’s Sierra Wireless Compass 597 and Verizon Wireless’s Novatel USB727
Results: Sprint had the highest national average download speed (1.4 Mbps) while AT&T (640 kbps) had the highest average upload speed
jkOnTheRun – 3G SpeedTest: EV-DO vs. HSDPA in Phoenix – 12/27/08
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Broadband Cards: Verizon Wireless USB727, AT&T USB Quicksilver
Results: Verizon had the highest download speed (2.1 Mbps) and upload speed (744 Kbps)
So here we’ve got 3 different tests all showing someone else as the winner. It’s hardly surprising. Mobile broadband speeds do vary from place to place. The only way to get a clear winner is to test in multiple locations, take a couple averages and then see who comes out on top.
Since Gizmodo’s test was the most comprehensive, it’s fair to say its also the most reliable. Sprint is kicking butt in the mobile broadband game. Even if you only compare the tests Gizmodo performed in New York City alongside the tests ComputerWorld ran in NYC, Sprint still beats AT&T in download and upload speed.
Sprint is clearly the winner overall and provides serious competition in every location. If put together the fact that they’re the fastest, largest mobile broadband network, you’ve got a double whammy.
It’s no wonder that Andy Abramson of Working Anywhere recommends Sprint. He spends about $900 per month testing mobile broadband and wireless internet related services. Seems like he might know a thing or two.
To beat a dead horse even further…
I’ve personally tested it over 1001 miles of highway at 70 miles per hour (New Orleans to Jacksonville and Tampa to Atlanta). I had my connection get dropped once…for 15 minutes total. That’s solid.
Now before we all start bowing down to the awesome network that is Sprint, ComputerWorld points out some things you should know:
“Using this technology can be a bit like being on a roller coaster. I found that I could be screaming along at 1.1Mbit/sec. only to have speeds slow to a crawl at 20Kbit/sec. a moment later. That’s because, as with all cellular service, speed and reliability depend on a variety of conditions, such as how far you are from a cell tower, how many other users are connected in your vicinity and how much data they’re moving”.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s why I put together the Free E-Course “Wireless Broadband Exposed” to help people make the right decision. Besides really cool mobile broadband tips and tricks, It’s like your pre-marital counselor and prenuptial agreement all in one. It’ll save you from any future heartache and checkbook punches that might come your way. Take the Course. You’ve got nothing to lose and plenty to gain. Sign up for “Wireless Broadband Exposed“
3 Years of Telecom Experience 1 Year of Web Development 51 pages of mobile broadband content reviewed daily.
Internet services have metamorphosised all the fields of communication be it in industries, business or even home. With this kind of service you can perform various functions with an equal ease such as downloading movies and music, digital photo processing, playing on-line games and of course working on different business applications. It is imperative that time should not be wasted and thus making higher speeds a requirement. This is to keep yourself up to date with the times as many of the clients are on fast connections which requires that you reply to them as quickly as possible. For their advantage, broadband connections make the cut and are highly handy when you instate them at your work place or in your household to provide supremely fast speeds for data transmission- be it downloads or uploads.
BT (formerly British Telecommunications plc) is the privatised form of the state telecommunications operator in the UK. It is the biggest telecommunications and broadband service provider in United Kingdom and has it’s headquarters in London. BT has come up with some exclusive facets to increase the speed like BT home hub, which is a wireless Internet router that connects to ones phone line. It sends the wireless signals to your laptop, phone or gaming device to offer smooth Internet access all over one’s home. Making calls through Internet is the latest feature of this online revolution and BT Broadbandsupports the VoIP . You can make calls globally through Internet broadband and that too at very cost effective prices.BT makes use of the latest ADSL2+ technology to make ultrafast broadband at a speed of 20Mbps, available to you through out United Kingdom. Being the widest and most popular broadband provider, BT should certainly aim on improving it’s name.
UK is a hub for telecommunications with respect to fixed landline and mobile technology. There are more than fifty broadband providers in United Kingdom, starting from Aberdeen in the north to Plymouth in the south and Galway in the west to Norwich in the east. All of these offer quality service and speeds to the consumers. To capture the maximum market share these days, many ISP providers in UK are giving strong competition to each other by giving its consumers broadband connections that come along with a lightning speed feature. BT broadband as one of the foremost ISP providers has addressed the internet requirements of the users in an effective way by offering them some attractive packages. The choice of the deals is so flexible that it suits every sort of budget.. The wireless connectivity that is of central importance in today’s world comes conveniently from this ISP. All these deals come along with a BT Home Hub which is a latest wireless router allows multiple devices to be connected.
About the Author:
Andrew J Peterson is a professional writer. He is writing on various products and services to distinguish price comparison shopping on Home Broadband , mobile broadband , Broadband Providers , Cheap Hotels and many others.
With all the technologies in use today over the Web, like animation and video streaming, broadband access has certainly become a necessity for those who would like to take full advantage of the offerings on the Web.
However, the early adopters of the Internet, back in the 90s, only had one way of getting on-line from home and that was by dial-up access. Dial-up access uses a device called a modem (modulation-demodulation) that makes use of the telephone wires to transmit and receive the zeros and ones that computers understand. The fastest speed that a dial-up modem can receive and transmit data is about 56Kbps (Kilo bits per second) – that’s 56,000 bps.
This may sound quite slow but believe it or not, 56Kbps was considered FAST in those days. It was more than enough speed where E-mail was the most popular application and Web pages, being quite new, were mostly just text and pictures. The only downside was that if you went online by using your modem, your telephone line became busy, so most heavy users were forced to get a second telephone subscription.
As the Web slowly grew to what it is now, by supporting animation, video and voice, dial-up access quickly became a frustrating experience for the Web users. This is the first warning sign that dial-up would soon be a thing of the past. The demand for faster access grew and just like in any market where demand is high, supply quickly followed. Although broadband was already available in the late 90s, broadband service was still expensive and only available in very limited areas.
The telephone companies were the first to provide wide spread broadband service, which allowed 10x the speed of dial-up access over the same telephone line. That’s a speed of between 512Kbps to 768Kbps, a significant difference in user experience when accessing the Web. The most common technology the telephone companies used to deliver broadband service to the home is called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), which comes in different “flavors” like ADSL or SDSL. In either case, it’s still based on the DSL technology.
With DSL broadband, both data and voice are able to share the same copper wire of the telephone in your homes in such a way that even if you’re online surfing the Web, your telephone would still be usable. That means no need for that second telephone subscription. One other advantage of broadband technology is that it is always “on”, meaning it is always connected to the Internet. You don’t have to dial before you can use it and neither do you have to disconnect to use the telephone.
Broadband is definitely gaining acceptance around the globe. In some countries, the monthly fees for a telephone line are given for FREE if the customer subscribes to the broadband service. Also, other service sectors are starting to offer their own technology to provide broadband solutions to home consumers, like the Digital Cable companies and believe it or not, even the Electric companies. Even cell phone service companies are now moving offering broadband access for your mobile phone.
Today, there may still be more dial-up users than broadband users at home, but the second half of this decade may prove to be the last days of dial-up access.
