If you are new to broadband you may find choosing a broadband plan confusing. Once you know a few basics, you'll find it's not so hard at all. Let Nitro Net show you how.
Click here for Nitro Net broadband plans.
Click here for more information on Nitro Net dial up.
The internet is often known as the information superhighway. Just about anything you want to know is out there. Keep in touch with friends and family via e-mail. You can download the latest music and movies. Create your own personal website or start an on-line business. Then of course, there's on-line shopping. Want to find a special gift or just grab yourself a bargain? To enjoy the many benefits of an internet connection all you need is dial up or broadband internet access.
Broadband explained.
OK, so I have to tell you, we're not going into all the technical data here. This is just a simple description to help you understand broadband. It will help you choose a plan that's right for you. If you would like more information please have a look at our glossary.
To put it simply, broadband is just a high speed internet connection. It is usually connected to the internet using your existing phone line. In some areas this type of connection may not be available. If this is the case, other options for you might be cable, satellite or wireless connections.
Broadband has a wide or broad bandwidth, hence the name broadband. Dial up has a narrow bandwidth. The broader bandwidth allows information or data to pass more quickly. So a broadband internet connection means much faster speeds.
Common Terms
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a term related to the broadband type.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is the most common type of phone line broadband connection.
ADSL2 is at least twice the speed of regular ADSL.
Now let's move on to the numbers on a broadband plan. You know - the ones like 256/64k or 512/128k etc. What are they all about? These numbers are the upload and download speeds of the line connection. They are measured in kilobits (k). The top dial up speed is 56k. ADSL speeds start at 256k. You can see that the higher the number the faster the speed.
Download- is another word you will see on a broadband plan. Download figures are the monthly allowance your ISP gives you in your plan. You will choose a plan according to how much you think you will use your internet connection.
To give you an idea of usage - emails and general web browsing would generally be a low usage. Downloading some music and a couple of movies a month might be medium usage and downloading a lot of movies would be heavy usage.
Excess- is a fee charged for going over your monthly download allowance. This fee is not charged if you have a shaped plan.
Shaped - slowing down your internet speed to a normal modem speed, (around 56k or similar to a dial up connection). This occurs if you exceed your monthly download quota. It allows you to have full ADSL internet access but it is supplied at a much lower speed. The lower speed will continue until the start of the next month.
You now have the basic information to choose a plan. All you need to consider is what you need your broadband connection for. How much will you use it and of course, what you can afford? Do you only need to send and receive emails or do you want to download lots of music and movies? These things will help you determine which plan is right for you.
Benefits of Broadband
Broadband uses your existing phone line and is always on.
You don't need to dial in. There are no phone call costs
It is much faster than dial up.
ADSL broadband does not tie up your phone line. You can make and receive phone calls while you are online.
You can download music and movies and watch live TV shows.
Now you have the right information, you can check out our great ADSL plans. There's sure to be one to suit your needs. Of course if you are still unable to decide, please contact us, or give us a call on 1300 793 715. We will be happy to help.
Is ADSL available in my area? What can I do if its not?
To find out if ADSL is available just give us a call and we can quickly check it out for you. Some areas do not have access to an ADSL connection yet. If this is the case you may have to consider having a satellite, cable or wireless connection. Which one may depend on your location?
Click here for Nitro Net's great ADSL Broadband Plans.
Click Here to Sign Up Now, or call us on 1300 793 715.
