Choosing your ISP
Speed
The main measurement for an internet connection is that of bandwidth or speed. All computer data is measured in ‘bits', a bit being the smallest size of data, equivalent to a single digit. When talking about sending or receiving computer data we talk in 'Kilobits' (one thousand bits), 'Megabits' (one thousand Kilobits) and 'Gigabits' (one thousand Megabits).
The speed at which we receive data over our internet connection is obviously important. This is measured in the amount of bits we receive (the downstream of data) per minute, in Kbps (Kilobits per second) or Mbps (Megabits per second, for the really fast connections).
The amount of data we can send is also important, especially if we are sending a lot of files somewhere across the internet, but it is not as important as the rate at which we receive data, because when you use the internet you are receiving data all the time, but only sending data occasionally. The rate at which we can send data is usually standard across the different broadband services - 256 Kbps. But the rate at which we can receive data is usually much faster – the most standard speed being that of 512 Kbps, which is approximately 10 times faster than a standard dial-up internet connection.
Sometimes you will hear the term broadband referred to as ADSL or DSL. This stands for Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line – the Asynchronous part refers to this difference in speed for sending and receiving data.
When purchasing a broadband service, the speed at which you can receive data should be considered along with the price of the service. A lot of the cheaper broadband deals currently advertised are only running at a receiving rate or 256Kbps, which is only 5 times faster than a dial-up, or even 150Kbps, just 3 times faster than dial-up. However, you can also pay for a service that is faster than the standard 512Kbps connection, should speed be your main priority. The different speed rates across different packages in the UK are compared in the Broadband ISP Comparison Table.
Download restrictions.
Some ISPs are now putting download restrictions onto their cheaper broadband packages, often referred to as a cap, which will limit the amount that you can use the internet without running into penalties. Every time you use the internet to browse, send and receive emails, play games, listen to music, watch a film or get some new software, you are in effect ‘downloading’ (receiving) and 'uploading' (sending) data. To give you an idea of how much data you maybe downloading and uploading in any one month, here’s a few guidelines:
- Web browsing can average at about 15 Mb per hour (this is with broadband access - remember that as soon as you get your faster internet access, you maybe spending the same amount of time online but viewing a lot more data in that time).
- Receiving or sending about 20 emails could average at around 1 Mb for 20 emails (obviously depends on the size of your emails - attachments could make the files a lot larger).
- Listening to one hour's radio via broadband would use about 15 Mb.
- Downloading a music track would take about 6 Mb.
- Playing an online game with broadband could use around 12 Mb per hour.
It can be really difficult to accurately estimate how much data you are likely to download and upload, but you can actually download a little program onto your computer that can monitor just how much you are sending and receiving over a set period, in order to help you decide whether a restricted broadband service is an option for your usage, or whether you really need to pay that little bit more and go for an unrestricted service:
DU Meter - this program is shareware and currently costs £11.45.
Don't forget, if you use one of these programs with a dial-up connection, do take into account how much more data you are likely to be sending and receiving with a connection that is around 10 times faster - don't think that because of the quicker speed to will probably spend less time online, in reality the opposite may happen as you start to get much more use out of the internet with broadband and you find new ways of usage that you wouldn't have considered with a dial-up.
If you do decide to opt for a restricted service, make sure that you read the small print of your ISP’s broadband contract to see what penalties you may be running into should you step over the download restrictions and also how easy it is to upgrade your package should you decide at sometime that you need to move on to an unrestricted service.
Contention.
Contention means how many other users maybe sharing your broadband line. The usual contention ratio is 1:50, which means that in theory, your broadband line could be shared with up to 50 other users, but in reality, this number is not likely to reach is maximum, and not all users are likely to use the internet at the same time, hence having a 1:50 contention ratio does not often have any detrimental effect on the speed at which you receive your data. However, you can pay more with some ISPs for a lower contention ratio, such as 1:20, and this is often found with the more expensive business packages, where several users in one business may already be sharing the same broadband connection, so a lower ratio is considered a more suitable option.
Connection charges.
Many ISPs are now offering a free connection. Where you do have to pay for connection, the standard charge in the UK can be anything from around £25 to around £100 for the more expensive packages. If you manage to get a smaller contract than 12 months, it will be usual to have to pay a connection charge so that your ISP does not end up out of pocket should you only stay with them for a short time.
Modems
Many ISPs are now offering a free modem with their broadband package. This usually means that the modem is provided on a rental agreement, whereby the modem actually remains the property of the ISP therefore if it breaks they provide you with a replacement. The good thing about these agreements is that the ISPs rarely ask for the modem to be returned to them at the end of the contract. Make sure to check your small print to see what the situation is with your modem. What happens if it breaks? Do you have to pay any delivery costs? Do you have to return the modem at the end of the contract?
Not all ISPs will provide a free modem. If your chosen ISP does not provide a free modem, they will most likely suggest that you purchase a modem from them, but you may first like to shop around. One benefit of purchasing your modem from your ISP, is that if there is a problem with your connection at any time, your ISP be able to support you fully and not blame the problem on a modem that you purchased elsewhere.
There are two types of modem – those that will plug into the USB port of your computer, and those that will plug into an Ethernet network card on your computer. Some older computers do not have USB ports. Operating systems that are Windows 95 or before also do not provide support for USB, in which case you would have to upgrade your operating system to use a USB modem, or opt for one that works with an Ethernet card. Make sure you check what connection method a modem uses and its compatibility with your computer before you purchase – some ISPs only provide USB modems. DSL Warehouse is worth a visit if you are thinking of buying a modem separately from your ISP.
Wireless
If you would like to share your modem connection with several people in your house at the same time, or if you would like to surf from anywhere on your property (including your garden) without having to plug into the modem, then you may like to consider a wireless router. The router is just includes a modem and plugs into your phone socket just the same, but then instead of you plugging your computer into the modem, data is transmitted to and from a small wireless receiver that is plugged into your computer. Some newer computers actually come with an in-built wireless transmitter (known as Centrino technology), but this is not necessary as you can easily buy and attach a wireless transmitter to your computer. If you have several computers in your house, fit them all with a wireless transmitter and then they will all be able to use your broadband connection via the router at the same time. DSL Warehouse  have a good range of wireless broadband equipment.
Length of contract
Most broadband contracts are for a 12 month period. If you want to cut the contract short, you will still have to pay for the full 12 month duration. A few ISPs are now offering shorter contracts or a no ties (no minimum length) contract, but these packages maybe more expensive or include a connection cost that would normally come free.
Relocation
If you are likely to move house within the next 12 months, either choose an ISP with a very short minimum contract, or look for an ISP that can get you reconnected in your new premises with minimum disruption. It is usual to have to pay a reconnection cost if you change premises and there can also be a delay of a few weeks from when you move house to when you get re-connected. If this is likely to be an issue for you, make sure you find out how your chosen ISP can help you when you move, before you sign-up for their contract.
Changing supplier
You will often have to pay a transfer charge if you decide to change your ISP provider, but some companies are now offering reduced or free connections to lure people away from their existing ISPs. Always keep an eye on what the market is doing, and if you see a better deal elsewhere, contact the new ISP to see how easy it would be to make the change. Keep in mind that you will not want to do this before you have completed the minimum contract term with your existing ISP.
Support
Most ISPs will offer support by telephone, in addition to free email email and sometimes online support. It is usual for the telephone support to be at national or local rates, although some ISPs will charge a premium price for their telephone support so this should always be considered. You are most likely to require support when you first get connected – after which, one would hope that your broadband experience will be smooth sailing – you might need further support if you change your computer or if your broadband connection runs into problems – but is not likely to happen very often. If you are dependant on your broadband connection for time critical tasks, you may want to find a service that offers our of hours support.
Perhaps the most important thing to consider on the support side of things is the helpfulness and time it takes for a company to respond to a request – for this you should check what other customers have to say about their ISPs in online reviews and also call an ISP to talk to their staff before you decide which company you prefer.
Extras – email, web space, virus protection, firewalls, spam protection, pop-up blockers, web hosting
A whole host of ‘extras’ are often thrown into a broad band package to try to tempt you into choosing one ISP over another. Don’t be too won over by these – some of them are not actually worth that much.
If your ISP offers one or more internet addresses with your broadband access, check to see whether you will be able to continue using these email addresses even if you one day decide to change ISP – if you won’t be able to, you may not want to start using them in the first case else they may tie you to your ISP. Instead have a look at other independent email services that are available on the net. Any web space that you use with your ISP also comes with this problem. In addition, it is unlikely that you will be able to register a domain name to use with your webspace, making the space completely ineffective for any use other than personal, as the ‘www’ address that you will have to type in to access the page will be quite long and unprofessional. The best option is to register your own domain name that you can then use to point to any email account or web address, therefore not tying you to any one ISP provider. You can find out about domain names here.
Email virus and spam protection is useful, but is now available with many of the independent email services that you can subscribe to online. Virus protection and any firewall software that maybe available with your broadband connection to actually install on your computer is worthwhile, but you are likely to pay extra for it, so first shop around to make sure that you can’t get the same software cheaper if you purchase separately.
Pop-up blocking software is useful but is available for free on the internet anyway. Here’s one such program available to download:
Pop-up Stopper
Any web hosting space that comes with your ISP for business purposes, where you can register your own domain name, is likely to come at an expensive premium, and again probably tie you to your ISP for much longer than you would prefer. Powerful web hosting services can now be purchased for as little as $4.99 per month (or even less), so even though you think you might prefer the ease of buying your broadband connection, email service and web site through one supplier, for simplicity, doing so will likely cost you a lot more and leave you stuck if you become dissatisfied at any point with part of the service.
IP Addresses – servers, fixed/static
One last thing that you may need to be aware of, if you are thinking to run your own web server at any stage, is IP addresses. This is probably not required by most users because even if you want to run your own website, web space can now be purchased for such a low price that to run your own server would probably not be cost effective. However, for those of you that do want to try this out, you will need to make sure that you get a fixed, or ‘static’, IP address.
An IP address is a series of numbers that uniquely identifies your connection to the internet, which can then be registered against a domain name so that when you type in a ‘www’ address, the internet can connect you to the right computer by looking up the corresponding IP address. Most broadband services share a pool of IP addresses between its users, so that each time you connect to the internet you will get allocated a different IP address, known as a ‘dynamic’ IP address. To get a static IP address you will probably have to pay an additional charge and not all ISPs offer this service. You would also need to make sure that your ISP allows the use of an internet server on the broadband connection – some ISPs will use technology known as ‘port blocking’ to stop the use of servers.
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