'Broadband' can seem like a totally different language - MAC codes, line speed, capacity, routers, modems, LAN, WAN - does anyone really understand what all these mean? Unfortunately, this is an area of heavy jargon and it's important that you are able to come to terms with these factors in order to understand when you're getting a good deal, and to assist you in making your broadband package selection. Additionally, the contract terms offered by some broadband providers are in themselves equally confusing, and making sense of what's going on can be a tricky process. So what should you look for in selecting a broadband package, and what does it all mean?

Well, luckily for you you don't really have to understand what they all mean. But you do have to have a rudimentary knowledge of what you can expect. The most common base line is maximum speed, which will be expressed as KBPS, or kilobytes per second. Alternatively, it's just cited as being '2 meg' or '8 meg', as in 'megabytes per second'. Whilst the speed you choose will depend on what you use your broadband for, it will also turn on the quality of your broadband access and some local areas are physically incapable of receiving some faster speeds as a result of their current infrastructures. That said, bear in mind when you're buying an expensive package to investigate whether or not you can actually receive the full benefits of your contract.

Another common thing that is a feature of broadband packages is router inclusion. Many providers run special promotions that give away routers in order to encourage sign up. What many customers don't realize is that routers are essential components of the broadband setup if you intend to use more than one computer on that package, and thus it may actually prove to be a good value proposition if you can get a router thrown in for no extra cost.

Where this is an issue, just be sure that you understand the terms of the contract you're getting into. Some providers have contracts on a rolling monthly basis which can be good for students or for those that move a great deal for business reasons. However the vast majority look to tie down customers for twelve or even eighteen months at a time, with heavy 'get-out' penalties which can be quite restrictive. What that means is that you have to take care to ensure you end up choosing the right provider to begin with to avoid encountering any problems with long contract terms.

Broadband packages can present the opportunity for good value for money. Whether you are a consumer or a business, it's a crucial service in modern life and understanding what it is you require is half the battle in getting on your way to a bargain. By understanding both the technical aspects of the package as well as the terms and conditions of the contract to which you are agreeing, you can be fully prepared for any nasty surprises that happen to arise later down the line.

For any short of issues related to internet speed, fix browser problems, email support, increase internet speed

While most people wouldn't know we have a national broadband policy in place.

The president claims that not only do we have a plan, it's working spectacularly welll. "That's the main conclusion of the just-released 'Network Nation: Broadband in America 2007'

Improve Internet Browsing Speed

Broadband speed varies widely across. The differences are based upon the location, type of broadband and the service providers, themselves.

Speed is based upon connection, download and upload of information. Speed also varies based upon individual factors. All the factors come together to help give a rough estimate of the overall broadband speed.

The following list explains all of the factors that goes into the final result of broadband speed.

- Type of Broadband. There are numerous types of broadband connections. ADSL and cable are the fastest. Other types like satellite are slower, but still faster than dial up. Even at the slowest rate broadband is still at least 10 times faster than dial up connections.

- Service provider. Some service providers can supply higher speeds. This can be due to better technology, equipment or location. Each provider will list their tops speeds for subscribers to see and this is an easy way for a person to ensure they are getting the best speed possible.

- Web Traffic. The internet is often referred to as the information highway. The reason for this is that all the information online travels through lines that work much like an actual highway. When there are a lot of people online these lines get crowded and the internet runs slower than usual. These times are referred to as peak hours. Peak hours usually occur after 7 am until 9 pm on weekdays and all weekend.

- Hardware. Hardware a person uses, from modems to cables can effect the internet speed. If a person is using outdated or damaged hardware then this will effect the efficiency and in the end, the speed of the connection.

- Personal computer. It is up to the individual to make sure that they optimize computer for running smoothly. Each person should make sure that they clean their web browsers history, temporary files and cookies on a regular basis. This helps the computer to be able to work quicker. Also older computers do not have as much memory and therefore need to be cleaned more often so the internet can run quickly.

These four factors all come together to make broadband speed hard to pinpoint. One location could get greatly different results than another simply because of the varying factors.

When looking at broadband access speeds and all the factors that can effect them it is easy to see why it providers can not guarantee a speed.

Many providers give a range of speed where the connection speed will fall.

Most users will rarely, if ever, get the top speeds, due to the factors above. Even someone will the best equipment, location and service may not see the top speeds because some factors, like web traffic, can not be controlled by anyone.

This tip is designed for increased BROADBAND speed in Windows XP while using standard Network Interface cards (NIC) that are connected to ADSL modems, or when using any directly-connected USB ADSL modem.

To speed up the Internet connection speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the NIC or the USB modem.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Step #1 - Identify the IRQ used by the NIC/USB modem

Follow these steps:

1. Open the System Information tool by running MSINFO32.EXE from the Run command.

2. Expand System Summary > Hardware Resources > IRQs.

3. Look for the listing made for your NIC (in my case - a Intel(R) PRO/100+ Management Adapter). Note the IRQ next to the specified line (in my case - IRQ21).

In case of USB modems you will first need to find the right USB device used by your modem. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Device Manager tool by running DEVMGMT.MSC from the Run command (or by right-clicking My Computer > Hardware tab > Device Manager button).

2. Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it.

3. Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties. Note that you might need to do so for all listed USB Root hubs (if there are more than one) in order to find the right one.

4. In the Power tab, look for your USB ADSL modem.

5. In the Resources tab look for the assigned IRQ (in this case - IRQ21).

6. This is the IRQ we're looking for.

Lamer note: IRQs and modem names might vary...

Step #2 - Modify the system.ini file

Follow these steps:

1. Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.

2. Expand the system.ini file window.

3. Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].

4. Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type IrqX=4096

where X is the designated IRQ number we found in step #1, in my case it's IRQ21.

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

5. Click on the File menu, then choose Save.

6. Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

Update: The most speed improvement is visible with USB A/DSL modems, however there are reports that this tweak also does good for regular NICs. In any case, it won't harm your system, so why not try it yourself and let me know what you find.

Broadband services are available from a large array of providers. There are many types of services out there so deciding on the right product for your business may be difficult.

Broadband is a term that is used to describe high-speed connections for voice or data. Broadband connections allow for large data transfers and the ability to run applications such as streaming video easily. And therefore requires a frequent computer optimization

When choosing an Internet service for your business one consideration is the speed you need. Various services offer different speeds. For example, a T1 is a high-speed digital connection that transmits data at a speed of 1.544 Mbps. A T1 has 24 channels. The T1 is an engineered circuit that is monitored at the central office. The circuit is brought into the customer premise on fiber cable that allows it to transmit at this high speed. Once on premise, the T1 is then connected to the customer's data equipment.

A T3 line is a larger, faster T1. The T3 Internet line can transmit data at a rate of 43.232 Mbps. This speed is sometimes needed for large applications such as large data file transfers along with other bandwidth intensive uses such as web hosting and streaming video. The T3 is equal to about 28 T1s and is used for large business applications, campus environments and network backbones.

A DSL is another type of broadband connection. It is slightly slower than a T1 - the speed is based on distance from the central office to the customer premise. An advantage of the DSL is that it can typically be brought into smaller locations, sometimes even residential. However, pricing is not much less than the T1, which is also a more stable connection.

Some companies also offer OC lines. These optical carrier lines run over a SONET fiber network and can transmit at speeds of about 51.84 Mbps. There are larger OC lines also available with configurations such as OC3, OC12, OC48 and OC192. The number indicates the size of the OC circuit. OC192 lines are the largest and fastest connections available. An OC192 has transmission speed of up to 1976.64Mbps.

The choice for your business connection should be based on current and future needs as well as price. For the money, T1 circuits are typically the best buy for the small business. They provide fast transmission speeds to allow most applications as well as the ability to accommodate future applications. The T1 is a leased line so monthly charges will apply. Most companies see an immediate savings over standard line connections. The T1 is a reliable circuit. It is monitored from the central office so if a problem is detected it can easily be corrected, sometimes remotely.

It was not that long ago when it took longer to dial-up your Internet connection than it did to read your email. With the growth in broadband high speed Internet, you do not have to wait for a connection because the Internet is always on.

At its onset, broadband high speed Internet was offered by very few companies and was out of the price range for the average user - only used only by large corporations and few gadget geeks who could afford it.

Soon, several companies were jumping onto the broadband high speed Internet bandwagon, increasing competition and driving prices down to be affordable for just about everyone. It proved to be the quickest way for companies to network their different locations. In addition, as new lines were installed, it increased availability and allowed people to be on line, just about, all the time.

Broadband High Speed Internet Keeps You Going

It was not that long ago when it took longer to dial-up your Internet connection than it did to read your email. With the growth in broadband high speed Internet, you do not have to wait for a connection because the Internet is always on.

At its onset, broadband high speed Internet was offered by very few companies and was out of the price range for the average user - only used only by large corporations and few gadget geeks who could afford it.

Soon, several companies were jumping onto the broadband high speed Internet bandwagon, increasing competition and driving prices down to be affordable for just about everyone. It proved to be the quickest way for companies to network their different locations. In addition, as new lines were installed, it increased availability and allowed people to be on line, just about, all the time.

Speed Difference is in the Bandwidth

To better understand how broadband high speed Internet works, think of it is as the flow of information through a funnel. Imagine a funnel with a four inch mouth and a quarter of an inch on the end. As information enters the funnel it flows freely but as it approaches the end, it gets compacted and slows down considerably. Imagine now, a funnel that is more like a cylinder. Four inches at the top and four inches at the end. Information comes out at the same speed in which it went in.

This is similar to information flowing through a broadband high speed Internet connection. There is little to slow it down except for the receiving capabilities of the computer. Broadband connections do not just allow for faster transfer of data, but also different data flowing to different points at the same time.

Direct Subscriber Lines (DSL) allow the line to be used for voice communications (telephone) and Internet access simultaneously, ending the need for a second phone line if you spend a lot of time on the Internet. With broadband high speed Internet you can also download movies and music about 100 times faster than was available through a dial-up service.

It has proven more reliable, as well, because telephone lines were subject to interference and "noise" if the line was older and cause the Internet connection to be lost. With broadband high speed Internet it is rare for the connection to be disrupted or fail to connect due to the fact the computer can always be on line.

Installed the USB modem but seeing flashing orange or yellow lights, rather than green lights. Why?

Sounds a little elementary. Make sure all the leads are connected to both the modem, the phone socket and the computer and then check the status again. Also ensure your phone connection is

working by checking for a dial tone. Make sure that you haven't accidentally placed a microfilter on your ADSL modem. If none of these solve your problem, then your drivers may not have loaded for some reason. Unplug your modem, reboot and plug your modem back in. If there's still no joy, the network may be out. Call your ISP for a

status report.

Can not connect, and my connection keeps dropping really quickly. What should I do?

Double check by using the right username and password for your Internet configuration. Make sure you have got a microfilter on all your phone-based appliances bar the ADSL modem. That includes the Sky box, the answering machine and the fax machine. Check with your ISP about burglar alarms. Also, if you've got a new fax machine, check the

manufacturer's site to see whether the unit is compatible with ADSL. Unplug your modem, reboot and plug your modem back in. 

Keep losing my ADSL connection. It seems to happen most often and if pick the telephone - the line seems to be very noisy, too?

The telephone should be connected to a micro-filter, which ensures the frequencies used by the phone line don't clash with ADSL (In fact, unless you place one on the master socket, you will need a separate micro-filter for every telephone extension in your home). If you are already using a micro-filter, then there is the possibility that it is faulty. Most ADSL modems comes with at least two, so check around before you buy more.

Get a PPP failure message and error 650, 718, 721 or 645. What to do about this?

Make sure line is working by testing for a dial tone on your

phone. Unplug, reboot and plug in again to ensure the driver has loaded. If there's still no joy, don't discount the possibility of a

faulty modem. 

Why does modem seem to run slowly and the lights just fade out after a few minutes?

If their is an AMD processor based computer, you might have problems based on a chipset issue. Some units use USB controllers that don't supply enough power to USB devices like modem. A fix on the Microsoft Web site may help, or else there is a need to get a PCI based

ADSL modem fitted into machine. Search the Microsoft downloads

site for chipsets VIA, SIS and ALi.

Asked for my CBUK number – what is this?

This is a special code that BT uses to identify your ADSL connection. If you move from one broadband service provider to another, you must get your CBUK number from your old ISP. Contact both ISPs well ahead of time to find out exactly what's needed besides the CBUK number to ensure a smooth change over.

An error that says Cannot Create Entry?

Running old system software with an obsolete version of Dial Up

Networking. Head to the Microsoft site to download DUN 1.4.

I get error message: RegDBSetKeyVAlueEX failed when trying to connect my modem.

Something is there on system that won't loosen its grip on a component in your computer's registry. One can try doing the installation as an

administrator.

Done everything correctly, but either my username and password are rejected, or my connection is very, very slow. Why is this?

There may be a problem with firewall being set to 56K. Disable it,

reinstall your modem and check. If this is the case, uninstall and reinstall the firewall.

Why does my connection close if the computer is idle for a few minutes?

Your computer may be set to hang up if there's no network activity. Go

to control panel for 'Network and Dial-up connections' and set its 'Idle Time Before Hanging Up' to 'Never'.

Got the ADSL connected and working fine on Windows XP PC, but the Dial-Up Networking icon has gone missing from the System Tray. How to get it back?

Select Control Panel; Network Connections, then right-click on ADSL connection and choose Properties. Check the 'Show icon in notification area when connected' option, and the absent icon will reappear next time you're online.

Seen adverts for programs that claim to double, triple or even quadruple my download speed. ADSL is already great, but that kind of speed improvement would make it so much better. Is it really possible though?

Most of these programs work by changing network-related settings in your Registry. If your PC were set up poorly then running one of these optimising tools may make a difference. If you want to experiment then check your TCP/IP configuration 

Still need help?

Try the Internet Speed Optimization service by iYogi

So how fast is your internet connection anyway? Yeah, I know that many companies now are advertising speeds of upwards of a megabit or more. Well, what does that really mean? And how fast is 56K or 28.8 anyway?

I know this is hard to believe if you're relatively new to the world of computers or the internet, but back in 1978 modems were running at 110 or 300 bits per second (the technical term is baud). The table below is not precisely accurate but gives a rough idea of how the speeds have been working their way upwards for the past few years.

Speed Timeline

1978 100 to 300 baud

1988 1200 to 2400 baud

1993 14,400 baud

1995 28,800 baud

1997 33,000 baud

1998 56,000 baud

1999 1,500,000 baud

DSL and cable mode connections

In comparison, local network connections run at 10,000,000 bits per second at least and it is becoming more common for these to be running at 100 million bits per second.

But what does all this mean? Well, a character is eight bits (a bit is a zero or a one, and it takes 8 of them to make a single character). The letter K means 1,024, so a 28K modem is 1,024 times 28 or 28,672 bits per second (also called bps).

Now divide the 28,672 by 8 and you have the maximum number of characters per second that your modem can run at. This works out to 3,584 characters per second, which in today's world is considered pretty slow (you will understand why shortly).

Interesting fact: Modem speeds are all standardized by International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ITU defines 28.8K bps modems as v.32 and 33.6K bps modems as v.34.

All right, now you are getting 3.5 thousand characters per second, if you have a 28K modem, right? Well, not exactly. First off, the quality of your phone line may drop that down significantly. What happens is your computer sends some data to the "internet"; it is received but there was an error, so the internet computer requests that the data be resent. The worse the quality (you can hear how bad it is by the amount of static you can hear when you listen on the line) the more times the data has to be resent, the slower the line.

On top of that, there is a certain amount of overhead associated with each connection. This is "handshaking", which means the modem is asking the internet computer if it got the data and the internet computer is responding "yes" or "no". There is also a certain amount of data to define what is being sent (an email or a web document or whatever) which eats into the line speed.

Well, okay, let's assume you are actually getting 20K from your 28.8K modem. There's worse news to come. The internet has lots of things that actually have nothing to do with content. There are cookies, advertising banners, comments, web bugs, and a host of other things inserted into your web experience. A typical advertising banner is 7.5K, which in our 20Kbps example requires several seconds to load to your machine.

What can you do? First, if you can get a DSL or Cable modem connection to the internet. It will probably cost about the same or only slightly more than your dialup connection and will improve your surfing experience by many times.

Second (or if you cannot get a higher speed connection) get an ad blocker installed on your system to remove those ads before they are downloaded to your machine. Why even bother downloading banners that you are never going to look at anyway?

I hope that helps clear things up a bit.

Do you remember using the Internet back when you had to dial in using a modem. If you are unlucky enough to still be using dial-up Internet access, I feel for you. The internet is a growing and dynamic entity and everyone will have broadband sooner or later.

Naturally companies try to offer access to internet in growing number of ways. Assuming the user has the correct hardware, a wi-fi account, and is in range of the transmitters, the service allows the user to connect to the internet at broadband speeds without the use of cables. Users can log on to the internet at these hotspots provided they have an account with the broadband supplier and the necessary wireless equipment, such as a wireless laptop or broadband-enabled mobile phone.

An extra phone is the only way to get calls that cannot be received due to the dial up connection. Fixed line operators are now incorporating wireless with their traditional phone services providing ease of having one device and one bill for both mobile and fixed line calls. You can take it out of your phone bill.

Broadband phone actually uses voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to carry phone calls through the internet. There are also a number of companies that has VoIP as a free service.

Digital Subscriber Lines, or DSL uses the existing customer phone lines to provide internet or intranet access to businesses and homes using high-speed broadband technology of varying levels. But even with all the technology that has gone into the making of the Internet, there seems to be more to be expected than has been seen. It's easy to understand why; the technology industry defines it in different ways as well.

Just be sure you do not choose an ISDN line (because it is getting obsolete) or power line (because the technology is not mature, and it will be some years before the bugs are ironed out). The cheapest broadband deals allow for such technology to reach our homes for less than $10 per month. Ok, on to the two major broadband access methods, cable and DSL. There is cable access, DSL access, satellite access. Although cable broadband internet is a whole lot faster than dial-up, I usually experience a slight delay when opening a webpage.

Perhaps most people do not notice the latency associated with cable internet, but it got my attention right away. So are cable television modems, which have similar speeds. Approximately 4 million people in the UK use ADSL with an extra 2 million using a cable connection, meaning 6 million people in the UK have an always-on internet connection.

The fact is that anything less than the speed supplied by a broadband cable has become inadequate for today's internet users.

Providers
However it has emerged that broadband providers touting such products are not revealing the full story to their customers. The key will be for broadband providers to develop the services that broadband allows for, and to deliver them to as many households as possible. High-speed Internet services are growing in popularity because intense competition from broadband providers is continually driving the product exposure in the marketplace to new highs, and prices to new lows. Connecting to the Internet for the first time in your home or office is as easy as securing a fixed telephone line (which you probably already have) and signing up to one of the dozens of Broadband Providers, like AOL and others.

Satellite
Bummer indeed, but you still have broadband Direct PC by satellite and it seems to make it through those clouds and so you can surf the NOAA website and get the latest results or watch video streams of the local TV station right. Broadband Internet by Satellite is about the coolest invention in the World and indeed it has helped the unconnected become connected even if they live in the middle of nowhere. Did you know you can get a special satellite antenna hooked up on your motor home or recreational vehicle that will enable you to get the Internet anywhere in North America.

Television
So they are bundling broadband with other products, such as home phone, digital television and mobile. The acronym is used to describe services which broadcast on-demand television programming to consumers, delivered via a broadband connection on normal telephone line to TV screens. Broadband television is a means of providing TV programs via the Internet. Broadband Television is being hailed as the biggest change in the way we watch television since it was first invented.

With the advancement of technology and new innovations in the field of communication, high speed Internet connection is slowly emerging as the most preferred means of Internet access today. High speed Internet connection has not only entered our offices and houses, but the local Internet service provider also offers various Internet access packages and cheap prepaid Internet plans for accessing high speed Internet services.

Modern day people are very busy and also much inclined towards instant gratification. They hardly have time and patience to wait for anything, so naturally in case of accessing the Internet also people do not approve of a very slow process. That is why high speed internet connection is gaining more preference in comparison to dial-up connections.

Now, what exactly high speed Internet service is? High speed Internet service is a fast Internet service that transfers data much faster than the 56K telephone modem.You can access high speed Internet service with the help of standard telephone dial-up modem which ties up the telephone line. Most notable advantage of high speed Internet is that it is almost five times faster than the standard dial-up connection, and is also cost effective. Today many of the Internet service providers, including AOL and Netscape, offer high speed Internet access without even charging any extra amount.

In case of broadband service, you can avail as high a speed as 70 times than the standard dial-up connection. Moreover, broadband uses Digital Service Line, cable, satellite, or radio towers to access the internet and does not tie up the telephone line while you are on the net. In broadband connection, to access Internet anytime he wants, the user does not require to wait for the modem to dial.

With a high speed Internet access you can certainly find innovative and innumerable ways to enhance the speed of your work. Further, the cost factor also hardly matter, because with various service providers, like AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon offering multifarious access packages featuring Internet speed range, cost and facilities the users can avail advanced Internet access in a quite affordable price.
So, downloading videos or a 400MB file, listening to radio in few minutes is no longer a distant dream. With a myriad of prepaid Internet packages and cheap plans you may even expect a lot better performance from your high speed Internet connection.

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