1. What's broadband?
There are two types of internet connection: dial-up and broadband. Dial-up connects through your phone line. It's slower, ties up the phone line, and must be reconnected each time you use it. Broadband is a fast internet connection. Broadband can involve a range of different technologies to connect to the internet. It is much faster than dial-up, doesn't tie up your phone line, and is always connected.
2. Why get it?
- It's fast.
- It lets you do better things.
- It doesn't tie up you phone line.
- It's always connected.
People that have dial-up or haven't experienced the internet are sometimes unaware of all the benefits the internet offers. Here are just a few that people already enjoy:
| Farming | Business | Family |
|---|---|---|
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3. How fast is it?
The graph below compares times taken to email a large photo (1MB) over three different connections: entry level broadband, dial-up at its maximum, and a slow dial-up speed similar to those experienced in rural areas.
| Entry broadband (256 kbps) |
| |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest Dial-up (56 kbps) |
| |
| Slow Dial-up (25 kbps) |
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To compare your current connection speed with the ones above, try testing it. There are lots of sites that offer free tests, for example consumerspeedtest.org.nz. Simply compare the test result with the speeds stated in brackets above.
4. What affects speed?
Three main factors affect the speed of a connection:
- Bandwidth
- Bandwidth is a connection's capacity to carry information. It can be thought of as the number of lanes on a motorway. The more lanes a motorway has, the more traffic it can manage.
- Data
- Data is the information being carried. It can be thought of as vehicles on the motorway. Large, slow vehicles (huge files) can cause congestion.
- Throughput
- Throughput is the amount of information being carried at a certain time of day. Throughput can be thought of as traffic on the motorway, with congestion occurring at peak times of the day.
- Other factors may include:
- The length and quality of the wiring in your house (for phone line connections).
- Your computer and broadband equipment.
- How many people share your connection.
- The programs you use (some programs use your connection).
- If you have viruses or spyware.
- Websites you visit (some international websites and websites with a lot of photos may load slowly).
