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Glossary
UK Broadband - Your Questions Answered
Answers to common UK Broadband questions received by the team at FileSaveAs, plus some useful help and advice.
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We looked closely at Broadband problems in Show 41 of our online tech radio show. Listen to the show online, or download it to your Mp3 player. Listen to Show 41 | What is FrequencyCast? | Add us to iTunes |
Frequently Asked Questions (Broadband FAQ)
Looking for general info on Broadband, or for our review of the current UK deals, see our main UK Broadband page
| Can I get broadband? | If you're looking to get broadband, you first need to select a preferred supplier (see the information above), and then need to check if that provider can offer you broadband in your area. Each supplier should have an online checker that allows you to enter a postcode and phone number to see if ADSL broadband is available. If in doubt, BT's site is a good one to check first. Go to www.bt.com/btbroadband - pick one of the packages (Option 1, 2 or 3), and select "Order now". You don't actually have to order at this stage - You'll be prompted to enter your phone number and postcode, and a check will be done on your service. This will identify if you already have broadband. If not, you'll get an estimate of your top speed |
| Download speeds | If you're looking to work out how long it takes to transfer a file over Broadband, here's a rough guide of how long it takes to transfer 1 Meg over various connection speeds:
Check out the Download Calculator to check transfer speeds |
| Improving your speed | The speed at which you're able to download from the Internet is mainly determined by your distance from your local telephone exchange, and short of moving, there's not much that you can do about that. If you feel you're getting a slow connection - first off, run one or two of the many online speed checkers to see what your line is achieving. The first one to try is speedtester.bt.com Some other things to note and tricks to try:
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| Broadband vs Dialup? | Most of the marketing for broadband sells the fact that broadband is a fast, always-on service. If you're considering broadband for home, here's a summary of the key differences between broadband and dialup:
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| Self-installation? | When Broadband first was launched, it was a case of having an engineer call out and connect you up. Now, broadband providers supply self-install kits. When ordering broadband, check what your chosen provider will be sending you. Here's what you need to do:
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| Sharing Broadband? | If you're looking
to share Broadband between multiple users and PCs, the key question
here is do you all want to be able to be online at the same time?
Assuming you do, the common way of handling this is to get a broadband
router and a single broadband account - you then connect either
via network cable or wirelessly using wi-fi from your PCs to the
router. If you're looking to share Broadband to different users, perhaps running a laptop elsewhere in the house, the best option may well be for you to get a broadband wireless router, that can be connected to your phone line, then to PCs either via an Ethernet network cable, or wirelessly, using wi-fi. For information on connecting and sharing wirelessly, see our Wi-fi page , especially our Case Study |
| What software do I need? | Broadband suppliers
will normally provide you with all you need to get connected. If
they're providing a modem, then you'll be provided with a driver
disk. You'll also get a broadband CD that contains a web browser
and a setup walkthrough. You're normally also provided with a username
and password, in case you'd rather set up the connection yourself,
have a non-standard computer (Windows and Mac software is normally
supplied), or are using a wireless router. Each broadband provider tends to have a slightly different setup process - some use a connectivity application tied to the modem, and some will customise the web browser to integrate broadband. |
| Remote control your PC | Once you have Broadband at home, you may be interested to know that you can access your home PC by remote control - great for accessing your files and emails from work, a hotel, a cybercafe or even from a Windows Mobile PDA. Find out what the remote service offered by GoToMyPC |
| TV over broadband | Known as IPTV, we're about to see a large increase in the number of companies offering TV programmes over Broadband. Services will allow you to download TV shows that you've missed, get movies on demand, and do a whole range of clever stuff, either to your PC, or to your TV via a set-top box. Services include BT Vision (free to BT Total Broadband customers, using a BT Home Hub), TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media (in cable areas). For more, see Radio & Telly's Internet TV section. |
| Download limit | When you're looking to sign up to broadband, you may see mention of monthly download limits or a monthly cap. If you're not sure what this is all about, read on. Some broadband customers make an awful lot of use of their broadband connection, downloading movies, file sharing and streaming audio/video. Heavy users can cause congestion and slow down access for other broadband users on the same phone exchange and ISP. For this reason, many broadband providers "cap" usage, to make sure that the heavy users don't degrade the service for others. Persistent offenders are likely to be moved onto a more expensive tariff, or have their account "throttled" to a slower speed. Some providers don't 'cap' accounts, but most of the mainstream suppliers cap anywhere from 2Gig to 30Gig. The download allowance includes the download of all content (email, files, images, audio, video) made over the Internet within a month. |
| Videocalling over Broadband |
For more info, see our Videocalling page, or our reviews of the Videophone 1000 and Videophone 2000 handsets |
| Online gaming? | Another
of the great benefits of a high-speed Internet connection, is that
of online gaming. The first true online gaming platform, Microsoft's Xbox revolutionised online gaming. The original
Xbox was supplied with a built-in Ethernet 10/100 communications port -
all you do is plug the Rj45 ethernet lead into your broadband point,
insert the game disc, and follow the on-screen instructions... you'll
then be able to connect with other gamers. With Broadband, you can
get your console online and get playing. |
| Can't get Broadband? | If you're not able to get Broadband where you are and still want to get the speed benefits of a Broadband connection, there are a few other options open to you: Option 1:
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| Home security |
More information at myhome247.co.uk, or see our review on the FrequencyCast site |
| Broadband around your home | If you want to get Internet around your home, wi-fi is probably the answer. Get yourself a wireless broadband router / modem, then equipment such as a laptop, mobile phone or games console can connect to the Internet at high speeds with minimal hassle. Need help with wi-fi? Try our Wi-fi page. If wi-fi isn't the answer for you, but you need a way of sending data around your house without wires - try a HomePlug. These use your home's mains wiring to send and receive data. Get a pack of two, and use them for Ethernet wiring. More on our HomePlug page. |
| I have ISDN | Before
you can be converted to Broadband, you will need an engineer to visit to remove your ISDN box, and convert you back to a standard
BT socket. Check your provider for prices. |
Broadband Links
- Broadband in the UK - Details of the broadband services on offer
- Broadband Compared - See how the UK Broadband providers stack up
- Mobile Internet - How to get high-speed Internet on the move
- USB Modems - Info on high-speed Broadband dongles for your laptop
- Wifi Webcam - Details of how to get a wireless webcam up and running
- Voice over IP - Discussed in Show 8 of our podcast
- Vonage - For cheap voice calls over the Internet
- Dial-up Internet - List of UK dial-up Internet providers
Is this page correct? Something out-of-date or broken? Report a page error. If you're looking for help, please don't use this option - instead use our forum |





BT started pushing videocalling over broadband in 2006. If you're keen on the idea of keeping in touch with voice and video, videocalling might be worth a look. BT's service uses BT Broadband Talk. You can use BT's Softphone application on a PC, or there's a more convenient option - getting one of BT's new range of videophones, which includes a colour screen and a built-in video camera.
Another
of the great benefits of a high-speed Internet connection, is that
of online gaming. The first true online gaming platform, Microsoft's Xbox revolutionised online gaming. The original
Xbox was supplied with a built-in Ethernet 10/100 communications port -
all you do is plug the Rj45 ethernet lead into your broadband point,
insert the game disc, and follow the on-screen instructions... you'll
then be able to connect with other gamers. With Broadband, you can
get your console online and get playing.
Option 2: Mobile Internet. Get high-speed Internet access to your PC. If you want to connect your laptop or PC to the Internet while away from home or the office, take a look at 