Broadband

Broadband is a high speed method of accessing the Internet. Until the invention of broadband people who wanted to access the Internet from their computers used to have to do so via dial-up. Dial-up basically used a phone line to dial into an Internet connection.

Compared to dial-up broadband is much quicker and more powerful. This doesn't mean that you simply access the Internet quicker as there are also other benefits involved. These include faster download of web pages and faster downloads of files, programs, music and videos. Broadband can download in minutes what it would take dial-up hours to download. The speed you get here may also depend on the speed of broadband package that you choose.

Unlike dial-up connections broadband is 'always on' so basically if your computer is running and your broadband connection is plugged in then you will have constant access to the Internet. This also has a big advantage over dial-up. Malicious computer tools used to be able to hijack the phone line to which your computer was connected and use it to dial up expensive phone lines. This isn't an issue with broadband.

Broadband also has a series of cost advantages over other types of connection. Dial-up options, for example, could have charged you a monthly fee and the cost of every phone call that your computer made to access the Internet. Most broadband suppliers will simply charge a flat fee per month that includes all your charges and, as you are not paying for calls, this can work out cheaper.

There are two main types of broadband connection available to you:

Cable broadband - this is supplied by a cable company and may also come with cable TV and other services if you want them.
ADSL broadband - this uses a BT phone line and turns it into a broadband connection