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Editor's best broadband Deals / December 2008

Provider	Price	Contract	Downloads	Popularity
O2 Standard	£12.50 per month £5 off for O2 mobile customers	12 months	UNLIMITED	5more»
Tiscali Broadband & free calls	£4.49 per month (£12.99 after 3 months) Offer ends 11 December 2008	12 months	UNLIMITED	5more»
Virgin Size M + Phone	£4.50 per month (+ line rental £11/mth)	12 months	UNLIMITED	4.9more»

Broadband in 60 seconds!

• What is Broadband Genie?
• What is broadband?
• How much does broadband cost?
• How do I compare broadband providers?
• What types of broadband are available?
• How do I change broadband provider?
• What are modems, routers, wireless networks and dongles?

What is Broadband Genie?

Broadband Genie provides a place on the web where consumers can learn about broadband and how to compare broadband in an unbiased, independent, plain-English environment. We maintain reviews and price data for all the leading broadband ISPs, and many of the smaller ones too. The guide below provides some introductory help which is well worth a read if you're just starting to compare providers, or our broadband help section contains bags of guidance and advice. When you feel like you've got it sussed, dive into our broadband price comparison service to find the best broadband provider for you.

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What is broadband?

Broadband is a technology that allows you to access the internet (email, World Wide Web, remote access to office PC, and so on) at high speeds. Similar technologies include dialup internet (now outdated, but was the first technology to allow mass internet access) and 3G/HSPA internet (also known as mobile broadband), which allows internet access through mobile phone networks via your phone or laptop). Broadband itself comes in two main and quite different forms: ADSL (broadband internet down your BT phone line) and cable / fibre optic (delivered in the same way as cable TV).

But you don't need to worry about all that yet. The important point about broadband is that it allows you internet access which is fast (and getting faster), continuous (doesn't need to be turned on and off) and independent of your phone calls (so you can use phone and broadband at the same time). Very often, broadband is also wireless, which means you can wander round your house with your laptop and access your broadband connection wirelessly.

The companies that provide broadband services (BT, Tiscali, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, and so on) are known as ISPs: internet service providers.

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How much does broadband cost?

The cost of home broadband varies greatly according to factors like length of contract, download speed and download caps. You may also find that you get a better deal if you sign up to a broadband service that bundles in a television or phone call service. We would certainly advise carrying out some research and shopping around before signing up to fixed broadband service – especially as you could be signed into the contract for anything up to two years.

Your average home broadband product probably comes in at about £15/month, and a little more for business or mobile broadband. However, if you shop around and take multiple services from the same provider then the price can come down to as cheap as, well, free. For many cheaper subscriptions you could be obliged to pay a one-off set-up cost; these average at around £30 for those providers who impose them.

Keep an eye out for special offers and introductory rates. Now and again providers launch cheaper deals, encouraging customers to sign up to them with the promise of around several months' broadband service at a reduced rate. This can represent a significant saving, but make sure you do realise that the price will go up!

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How do I compare broadband providers?

OK, so searches for broadband providers in your area (use our free availability checker to see what broadband is available where you live) that are within your budget may have thrown up a huge list of ISPs and packages. You probably want to know how to choose the best provider for you. To get you going, heres six different factors that you should base your decision on:

• Brand. It's important to some people to go with a trusted brand. You can use the ISP profile pages on Broadband Genie to read our expert reviews plus the reviews of real customers.
• Speed. Start by thinking about whether speed is important to you. If you are only a casual internet user and simply want to do things like check your email, read the news and do your banking online you can probably make do with a standard service – up to 8Mb (Megabits per second) is ample for tasks like these. However, if want to use your broadband connection to carry out more bandwidth-intensive tasks like downloading missed TV programs on BBC's iPlayer or online gaming then something faster like a 24Mb service will make the experience much quicker and enjoyable.
• Download limit. Broadband providers normally impose a 'download cap' on customers, so you also need to think about the volume of data you will be downloading. Even checking your email or visiting a web page requires you to download data. For occasional users only, a download cap of 5GB-10GB/month should be plenty. However, you will be charged for any additional data you download outside of your cap (rates vary according to your provider). If you are a heavy user or do not want to worry about going over your download cap then an 'unlimited' service is a perfect option. These generally cost a little more than capped services per month but you shouldn't need to restrict your usage at all. Even unlimited packages are generally subject to a 'fair use policy', though, so you shouldn't keep your laptop downloading films all night, every night.
• Contract length. Contract Lengths generally vary between 12-month, 18-month or 24-month terms, although there are some pay monthly and shorter 3-month contracts starting to appear. When you sign up to a broadband package you are obliged to stick with that service for the stated time. This means that you can't cancel within that period unless exceptional circumstances occur and you are contracted to pay the subscription fee every month by an agreed date. Longer contract terms offer better value for money, but you should be completely happy that you would be tied into a contract for the stated period before you sign on the dotted line.
• Price (obviously). Before you search for a broadband provider it's a good idea to sit down and work out how much you want to spend every month. Generally (but not always, of course) if you afford more then you'll get a better service and more bells and whistles. Don't be drawn to a deal simply for the offer of a free gadget or bundled service unless you are absolutely sure you can keep up with payments for the total term of your contract.
• Extras. Rather than seek out a solitary broadband deal you could drastically cut your household's monthly bills by seeking out a bundled broadband package that includes services like free phone calls or digital TV subscriptions.

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What types of broadband are available?

"Broadband" is such a general term – there are in fact several different types of broadband services that all work in different ways. Here are a few terms you may find when searching for a new broadband provider, along with a short explanation:

• ADSL. This stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, but all you need to know is that it's what transforms your standard BT phone line into a high-speed internet connection. Most broadband services are ADSL, so remember you'll need to pay BT line rental (currently £10.50/month) in addition to the advertised broadband fee for most service.
• Cable/Fibre Optic. Cable broadband (now generally known as 'fibre optic' after a re-branding effort to make it sound more impressive) works by a dedicated cable being provided to your home by Virgin Media (the UK's major cable provider, which was formed by the merger of NTL and Telewest). Telephone services and digital TV channels are usually provided over the cable too, which means you could save some money on a bundled TV and broadband contract. Not all areas are capable of receiving cable – this depends on your location. If you specifically want cable, then look no further than Virgin Media.
• LLU. LLU or Local Loop Unbundling is the sort of thing you hear them talking about on Radio 4; it's tremendously important to the industry but normal consumers don't need to worry too much about it. It allows multiple telecommunications operators (i.e. not just BT) to use connections from the local telephone exchange to a customer's premises. Broadband providers are given the opportunity to install their own equipment within the BT exchange. This means that customers can expect much faster internet speeds. Unfortunately, although LLU services are faster, there are drawbacks too – it can be trickier to switch providers and services can suffer more 'down time' than ADSL.
• Mobile broadband. And now there's mobile broadband. This is a broadband service that you can access away from home (in a cafe, on a beach, on site with a client, at your parents' house, and so on) on your laptop using a USB dongle or modem which gets a 3G/HSPA signal from a mobile phone network. Mobile broadband can be signed up to separately from your home broadband service – either as a fixed-term, pay-monthly option, or Pay As You Go. However, more and more joint home and mobile broadband contracts are beginning to spring up. As with all broadband services, the quality and reliability of your mobile broadband service very much depends on your location. If you live in an inner-city area you can expect to receive faster speeds and an improved signal than a customer who is accessing the internet from a rural location. Speeds and reliability depend heavily on the provider's network coverage. Broadband Genie has a complete mobile broadband comparison service if you're considering this option.

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How do I change broadband provider?

It's very unwise to stay settled with a broadband provider after your contract ends without at least exploring the possibilities for switching ISPs. You could save yourself money changing your provider, or get yourself a faster service with a more generous download cap.

First of all you need to check the date that your contract ends. If the date has passed or is fast approaching you can get in contact with your current broadband provider to obtain a MAC code. It's now much easier to get a MAC code from your provider, especially if you give them a call – they are now obliged to pass it over to you swiftly. You may find that they try and convince you to stay by offering you a better deal, but if you still want to switch then that's your choice! When you've found the provider and package you want to sign up to you should provide them with your dedicate MAC code. They should go out of their way to make the switch as easy and as pain free as possible. Your new provider should keep you update with the switching progress and when you should expect to be able to carry out the installation for your new ISP service.

It's worth noting that switching from an ADSL provider (e.g. BT, Tiscali, TalkTalk) to a cable provider (Virgin Media), or vice versa, is simpler because you don't need a MAC code - you simply end the contract with one and start with the other.

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What are modems, routers, wireless networks and dongles?

There are a few gadgets and gizmos that you will may to contend with to get up and running with your broadband service. From personal experience, the trick to getting your broadband hardware working is to follow the instructions and, what seems to be most important, switch everything on in the right order.

The first essential for home broadband is a 'modem', the magic box that receives the broadband signal in your home. Then you need a 'router', which is another magic box (or is sometimes combined with the modem into one very magic box) that distributes the broadband signal to your computer(s) and allows you to connect two or more computers to the internet through one line. Many routers are now 'wireless routers', which means they create a sort of broadband cloud in your house which your computer can access via its wireless receiver (provided it's got one; pretty much all laptops do these days). Most home broadband providers now supply a wireless router as part of their starter pack and will sent this out to you once you have signed up to a contract.

A 'dongle' is a term you only need to worry about if you want to use a mobile broadband service. A dongle is a USB device that you plug straight into your computer's USB port. It works in the same way as a portable modem and picks up a signal to connect you to the internet. Your mobile broadband dongle makes it possible to access a broadband service whilst you are on the move and away from home.

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