Probably you wished to have a faster internet access, like a broadband connection, but what is it? At the next step,. you found yourself asking "What am I going to get at the end?" and "What does this mean for me?"
Let’s take it easy, and we shall understand better what means a faster internet connection. We shall see what we shall understand through the "broadband" and "high speed internet" access.
For reaching this target, you don’t need to be a guru of computers. All that you want to know is to have some advantages of the fast internet access, because you have a computer that is always connected, and it allows you to surf the web faster than you do now.
What do I need? DSL or cable?
All the people working in the information technology domain will only tell you how they are working, and they will give you performance details and how to set them up. But the differences are between technologies, and we shall investigate them right now.
For somebody that needs a simple answer, the answer I that it is not as important to have the fastest connection. It is like choosing an automotive. The driving addicted people will talk only about acceleration and power, the things that are more important to show out, rather than the usefulness. As an example, if you need a car to come reliably at work, you are interested in gas consumption, and often you need at hand a contact of a good mechanic. And it has to be at the price that you can afford.
Related to high speed connections, the following aspects are extremely important:- do you have any choice?- do you trust your provider?- do you have package options?- does the provider ensure the installation, or you need to find a buddy?- think of price as only a partial aspect of the deal
Do you have any choice?
Very often, despite that most of the people in the developed countries are connected (or better said connectable) to the internet, you have no choice in choosing the provider. The reason is that still, in many countries, the internet infrastructure is still dominated by government, most of the times having not the best offer, but the only.
Do you trust your provider?
Did your mobile phone or the land line telephony providers disappoint you in deadlines, commitment, or simply the quality of service? Did your friends regularly complain about specific internet providers? Better - ignore them. After removing the internet providers that do not raise to a satisfactory level, you may end up with an empty list of trusted providers; you may choose the least worse of all.
Do you have package options?
Let’s think about it. We were talking about the governmental communication companies as internet providers; they knocked already to your door, and you have a landline commitment with them. They may give you internet access together with the landline, and overall, pay less. They don’t need to draw a second cable from the telegraph pillar up to your living room. Other content providers might offer you television packages, wouldn’t it be wonderful to give up paying separate bills, but have all of them aggregated in only one?
Does the provider ensure the installation, or you need to find a buddy
That’s a good question. Nowadays, most of the providers offer the installation, but seldom they do it for money. In this case, if you have a cousin that had experience in setting the connection up, and he is comfortable with it - you may try it. But don’t forget, you do it on your own, and the provider might not want to support your set up in case of necessity, but for an overcharge. It’s, again, like in the automotive industry - take the car, but if you open too many lockers - you may break it. And it is expensive to repair it.
Think of price as only a partial aspect of the deal
The market economy applies also in the internet providers’ industry. You may get a cheaper connection, but worse. Or a better one, for more money. It’s like cars. You would like a very powerful car, but is it worth paying lots of your salaries - only to have a huge engine only to take your children to school and back?
Overall, you don’t need to choose between technologies, but between necessities, convenience, and return of the investment.