To see if you are actually getting High Speed Broadband Access. More and more businesses and homes are moving away from dial-up internet access to some form of Broadband Internet access. Broadband Internet access is much faster than dial-up access, but it is also more expensive.
Broadband Internet, generally known simply as Broadband, is the name given to high speed internet access. Standard broadband is 512kb and is 10 times faster than dial-up that is just 56k. In addition, dial-up access requires disrupting your telephone service whereas Broadband does not.
Broadband can be delivered in a number of different ways. The three most popular ways are DSL Broadband, Cable Broadband and Satellite Broadband. DSL is currently the most popular delivery method for Broadband. Cable Broadband is the next most popular method and Satellite Broadband is the least popular method.
DSL and Cable Broadband are generally the least expensive and most effective forms of Broadband. Satellite Broadband is generally the most expensive form due to the equipment needed. It is also the slowest due to the 35,000 miles the signal has to travel to reach the satellite. It is generally used in rural areas where DSL and Cable Broadband are not available.
One of the most important factors when choosing a broadband delivery method is the amount of bandwidth available. Bandwidth is the amount of data that you are allowed to download/upload at any given time. All Broadband ISP providers publish their bandwidth capabilities which aregenerally what people use to determine which plan is best for them. However, the advertised Bandwidth is not always accurate. ISPs often allow a greater number of users to operate on their network than their network can handle at the download speeds published. ISPs assume that not all users will be on the network at once and not using the maximum download capabilities available. Therefore, your Broadband download speed can vary significantly by time of day and day of the week depending on how busy the network is.
That is why it is important to test your Broadband connection at different times. Your ISP may advertise a high Broadband Bandwidth, but you may only get that advertised Broadband Bandwidth at certain times of the week.