Broadband Tips

As of January 2010, there have been no outstanding reports from people using wireless connections (via a USB key or dongle). In fact, Optus have admitted their local towers are overloaded. If you reading this after Jan 2010, check with us on the latest reports

If you intend only to use a connection to a desktop PC for the length of your plan (12 or 24 months), you should question the need for wireless. These services will improve in time but can be either expensive or unreliable at present. If on the other hand you have a laptop and expect to take it on holiday and use somewhat sparingly, then a wireless 'connection should be considered.

Do not confuse a wireless modem connection to a PC or laptop - this replaces the wire from the modem to computer so you have the freedom to sit anywhere in your house and be connected - like a portable phone inside your home. Wireless computing allows you to go anywhere and be connected - just like a mobile phone.

If you are a new user viewing this from the Library or a friend's PC and haven’t got an ISP organised yet, contact John at 229 or Brian 163 and we can offer you some advice -or at least get you to ask the right questions! (see 'bandwidth issues' below)

Whirlpool is a useful site showing different plans. These change almost weekly and what is right for you will depend on a combination of your requirements for home phone, mobile phone and internet speed and bandwidth.

The slowest broadband speed is theoretically 256 kbps kilobits per second (5 times faster than dial up). It is still not quite adequate for viewing video-clips which are now used increasingly on news websites for example. 1500 kbps is what is used for the Library PC's if you want to see how well it responds.

Bandwidth issues: Choose a plan that has at least 1 Gigabyte bandwidth per month. Speed is relatively unimportant to many users, but the amount you can use the service without incurring extra charges is important. Some ISPs charge if you overrun your allowance, others will merely slow down your connection speed (this is called a 'shaped plan).