All About Broadband

What is broadband?

Also known as ADSL or Cable Internet, Broadband is a new and exciting way of connecting to the Internet. The problem with existing Internet services is that they are based on a phone call. Every time you connect, it's costing you money.

Broadband eliminates this problem. Broadband is able to connect to the Internet without needing to call the provider. You can also continue to make and receive phone calls while on the Internet. This means no more busy signals, and no fighting over the phone.

Broadband also provides you with a greater increase in speed than dialup. Broadband can be up to 40 times faster than connecting through a dialup modem, allowing you to surf the internet faster, receive email quicker and watch streaming videos.

When you talk about a Broadband connection, it refers to both ADSL (through your existing phone network) and Cable (through optical cabling such as that for Optus Cable and Foxtel) Internet Services in Australia.

What are the advantages of broadband?

The main advantages of installing Broadband are increased speed at a reasonable cost.

Speed
The best way of explaining the advantages of broadband over dialup is to imagine you need to download a 5MB email, containing a few family photos. Using your dialup connection, it will take approximately 15 minutes for you to receive the email. Over a broadband connection it often takes less than a minute.

Download Speed Comparison
Connection Type Time Taken Speed
56Kbit Dialup Modem 14-16 Minutes 6 kb/s
256Kbit ADSL Modem 3.3 Minutes 26 kb/s
512Kbit ADSL Modem 1.5 Minutes 53 kb/s
1500Kbit ADSL Modem 30 Seconds 160 kb/s
Cable Modem 12 Seconds 400 kb/s

Broadband is also useful when there are multiple computers accessing the Internet, allowing many users to search the Internet and download email without affecting others.

Cost
Broadband can be very cost effective. The following table sets out basic charges for both dialup and broadband. (Please note that phone call charges to connect to the Internet are eliminated with Broadband.)

Internet Cost Comparison
Download Allowance
Line Rental Per Month
Internet Plan Per Month
Monthly Cost
56K Dialup (2 calls/Day
400MB
-
$24.95
$39.95

56K Dialup with Second Phone Line
(2 Calls/Day)
400MB
$26.50 (Homeline Plus)
$24.95
$66.45
256K ADSL
1000MB
-
$39.00
$39.00
Cable Modem
10,000MB
-
$69.95
$69.95

What defines what type of broadband I can get?

Cable can be installed into most residences and businesses that have a Foxtel or Optus Vision cable running in their street.

ADSL can be installed into most residences and businesses with a phone line.

What other costs are there?

Along with the monthly ongoing charges, other charges are as follows:

Setup costs

  • For ADSL, the connection cost is approximately $140, with the hardware needed an additional $100 to $150.
  • For Cable, the connection cost varies between $189 - $399, depending on the length of contract you select.

Usage charges

  • ADSL, Different providers offer different plans, which can be very daunting when choosing which plan is right for you. Most users are well suited to a plan which has an ample monthly download allowance with an excess charge if you exceed it. Unlimited plans usually charge a higher monthly rate.
  • For Cable, excess data is not charged, however your speed will be slowed (to 64Kbit) after your quota has been exceeded).

What is shaping and/or data slowing?

Once you hit your prescribed monthly allowance, further downloads will be shaped to a slower speed (although still 10% quicker than a dialup modem). The advantage of this is that you will not be charged for excess data.

What advantages can Coral Computers offer me if I have Broadband?

Coral Computers is able to offer remote support services. This will enable our technicians to eliminate most problems remotely without needing a callout. This saves you time and money.

For more information on Broadband Setup, Installation or remote support, please call us on (02) 9870 7777.

Planning is crucial.

Before you start building or redesigning your web site, you need to have a clear idea of what information the site will have, what links you’ll include and how you want users to interact with the site.

Some tips when creating or re-designing your web site:

- Plan the site before you write the first page
- Decide whether you’ll maintain the site yourself or will rely on contractors to do it for you, as this may affect the site’s design
- Make the site useful and easy to use
- Use a modern web authoring product
- Keep each page simple
- Check your internal navigation
- Regularly check the links you have other sites
- Promote your site


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