Shooting the Breeze: Going online faster
A growing number of people are using the internet at home and at work.
There is a wealth of information available on the internet. Modern computers and fast internet connections are making it possible to do a lot of things via the internet today.
Who would have imagined that it would be possible to watch entire archive recordings of Newsnight or The Sky at Night from the BBC website along with thousands of other audio and video clips updated on a regular basis?
A few years ago, nearly everyone connected to the internet using a modem – a simple device which plugged into the phone line from your computer and allowed it to access the internet at speeds of up to 56k/second.
Nowadays, there are even faster ways of accessing the internet. ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) uses new telecommunications technology to increase the speed at which we access the internet. NTL offer fast internet access via their cable network.
Connection speeds of 512k/second or faster are now commonplace thanks to faster internet products commonly categorised as ‘broadband’. Ordinary modems have been categorised as ‘narrowband’.
Placing a pre-order for ADSL in a non-broadband area, for example, will speed things up.
Here is just a short list of things that people on broadband can do:
1. Access the internet up to 10 times faster than a normal modem.*
2. Use the phone to make and receive calls while online.
3. The internet is always on for a flat monthly fee, unlike pay-as-you-go modem deals.
* This allows internet users to listen to internet radio, watch movie trailers, and browse the web even faster.
Pay as you go usually costs normal local call rates (as little as 1p per minute on evenings and weekends), heavy users (1 hour or more per night) should consider purchasing a flat rate monthly contract at roughly £13 per month.
If you can upgrade to broadband you will find pricing beginning at under £20 per month (averaging £25 per month at the moment) although there are setup fees and the purchase of an ADSL or cable modem to consider.
Comparatively speaking, broadband is a bargain if you use the internet for more than 1-2 hours a day.
