A Guide to Broadband - Broadband Basics.
What is Broadband?
Broadband is the name commonly given to an internet connection that supports a data transfer rate (or connection speed) of 512 kbps (kilobits per second) or more. Broadband is accessed through either the telephone line, satellite transmissions, cable or radio signals. In contrast to broadband, a dial up internet connection is typically 56kbps.
Broadband speed is often refered to in terms of Mbps or Mega Bits per second. The higher this value, the faster the broadband connection will be. The ‘broad” in broadband refers to the range of frequencies (or channels) that can be transmitted via a phone line, fibre-optic cable, satellite or radio transmission.
The telephone line entering your house is capable of handling much more than just phone calls. Broadband technology basically unlocks the unused bandwidth and increases the amount of data that can be moved through the phone line. This is why you can use the telephone at the same time as using the internet in your home.
In simple terms, the telephone will use up one channel whilst the internet connection will use another. It’s a bit like the difference between a country lane and the M25 - the traffic is separated into different lanes.
What about ADSL?
ADSL is just another name for broadband supplied via a telephone line as opposed to broadband supplied via satellite or cable. The majority of broadband connections are ADSL because they use the domestic telephone line.
What are the benefits of Broadband over a dial-up internet connection?
The most obvious benefit is increased speed. Web pages will load a lot faster, you will be able to download larger files a lot quicker and surfing the Web will become a pleasure rather than a chore.
With a broadband connection, you are able to watch video and listen to music and radio as it downloads (streams) from the host provider. Also, the growing popularity of live internet gaming has only been possible since the introduction of broadband.
Remember the ‘broad” in broadband refers to a broad range of channels? The telephone and internet are not competing for the same channel like they do with a dial-up connection so you’ll be able to use your telephone at the same time as surfing the Web. In addition, a broadband connection is always on so there’s no need to disconnect and reconnect each time you use the Internet.
The other major benefit of a broadband connection is that regardless of how long you stay online, you won’t get charged any extra. With some dial-up connections, you are charged by the minute.
Uploading and Downloading - What’s the difference?
Downloading is when you recieve a file (a digital photo or video for example) from somewhere else via your broadband connection.
Uploading is sending a file from your computer to somewhere else via your broadband connection.
The download speed of a broadband connection is nearly always faster that the upload speed because broadband uses most of the phone line capacity to transmit (download) to the user and only a small part to upload information from the user.
Modems Routers and Filters - what are these for?
A modem converts a digital signal to analogue and vice versa. This allows your computer (which is a digital device) to send and receive information via the analogue telephone line.
If you plan to use a broadband connection via the phone line, you’ll need a filter to split the data and voice portions of the signal. The filter allows you to use the telephone whilst connected to the internet. Without a filter, your broadband connection will not function correctly. It’s a good idea to install filters on all telephone points in your home. Most broadband service providers will supply a filter or two as part of their package.
A router allows multiple computers to access the internet via a single broadband connection. Routers can be either wired or wireless and most routers will incorporate a built in modem.
See our Broadband Glossary for an explanation of broadband related jargon.