If you are still stuck with dial-up and other slow internet connection speeds, then it is time to go broadband. Broadband internet access or simply broadband is any connection that exceeds 768 kilobits per second. This threshold was raised as a result of faster internet speeds hitting the marketplace. In general however, broadband internet access is any speed that is 256 kilobits per second. This lack of marketing standard of broadband means that broadband internet providers determine for themselves what speeds to offer as broadband. Thus, when selecting a broadband internet service provider, consider the policy of the provider and what definition broadband is offered in terms of speeds, downloads and upload times.
Consider also the number of people that will be sharing your internet connection. Thats right, some broadband internet providers will share your connection in a neighborhood access network under the assumption that you will, in most cases it turns out to be true, not be using the full capacity of your connection. In fact, it will almost be impossible to know that you are on a shared broadband connection unless you are using a peer-to-peer file sharing system that requires extended high bandwidth usage. However, as long as you are not a regular P2P file sharing system user or are not a video streamer, then broadband internet providers that offer shared connection may work out for you just fine.
Broadband internet providers have a variety of ways to offer broadband speeds. They may use ADSL, fiber-optic, Wi-Fi or WiMAX. The kind of technology used will usually depend on what is available in that particular areas as well as the overall cost of deployment and maintenance. Another way is by offering broadband speeds on slow connection like the dial-up. This is done by multi-linking modems in what is called load balancing. 2 internet connections are fed on the same network offering double data rates. This however will require one to have 2 dial-up internet connections, 2 modems and a special software that supports multi-linking. The advantage of this is that one gets to choose 2 internet service providers and gets to always have a connection because if one fails, the second line can take up the slack and offer the same services without a hitch.
Broadband speeds have continued to improve and the widespread use of fiber-optics means that more people will have access to broadband at affordable rates. While making the switch to broadband is important, it is equally important to select broadband internet providers that will offer those services under fair policies.
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