Keith Shirley

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I always get asked which broadband connection is the best – and I always answer I don’t know. I don’t use them all. The only thing I can do is offer some advise on what to look out for. I keep meaning to write them down but now Maeve Kneafsey has written a post Don’t get broadsided by broadband – quick guide which means I don’t have to.

A couple of points I would add

- If you are planning to play games online – the time delays when sending & receiving commands via a satellite Internet link could cause you trouble.

- If you are getting ADSL installed there is a limit on how far away from the telephone exchange that you can be. Even if you are within range the line has to pass a quality test. Multiples connections (eg the extra phone in the bedroom) as well as devices such as fax machines or your sky box can disturb the line. Sometimes it’s worth cleaning things up before they run the test.

- The speed that you can send things to the Internet is much slower than the receive (download) speed with ADSL. If you are going to be sending lots of big mails or videos then you may be better off with the wireless options which often have the same speed in both directions. Most “normal” people are perfectly happy with the slower upload speed as normal web surfing involves data coming in the other direction.

- If you are having stability problems with a fast link – try slowing it down. It often ends up consistently faster.

I’m sure I’ll thing of more.