Value of broadband

[manek]

To everyone on here who has a broadband connection at home, I'd like to run a straw poll with this simple question as it might help with an article I'm writing:

What to you are the main benefits of a broadband connection?

Thanks for your help.

[nick heppinstall]

Fast downloads

[daydreamer]

All good. Always on (so you don't worry about the cost / lack of 'phone line), fast downloads, can run VPN over it if you don't feel like going into work and its 'kin quick.

[filmidget]

As daydreamer said

But with the addition of online gaming

Cheers, Phil

[ultimasimon]

Key benefits are:-
1)Permanently On connection. (nb some ISP;s disconnect after about two hours idle (no use) time).
2)You can use your phone at the same time as surfing.
3)You can download virtually anything from software, music, and films!! I have 75 films on my hard-disk and 7500 tunes courtesy of Napster (now gone) and Kazaa. (excellent!!)
4)Most emails arrive at real-time instead of dial-up modem which gets them when you connect.
5)No hidden charges - you pay a flat fee for your monthly connection.
6)Speed - 1/2 meg (BT and ADSL etc) is 10 times faster thana modem. Blueyonder (mine and excellent) is 1mb/sec and twenty times faster. A 4 meg mp3 file would take approx 15-18 minutes on a modem. 1/2 meg broadband about three minutes, 1meg broadband - half again. Also get loads of email addresses with broadband and about 30meg webspace.

If you use the net a lot - broadband IS the only way to go. Subject to it being available in your area. I have had it now for over 4 years and could never go back to a dial up 56k modem.

Edited to say I forgot to mention about the on-line gaming which is the reason I got it Wolfenstein anyone??

>> Edited by ultimasimon on Friday 29th November 18:35

[tuffer]

Just try it for a week then go back to a dial-up.....you will have all the info you need!

[jeremyc]

Cost effective way for me to:
- be permanently connected for email & web browsing.
- have a VPN connection to our corporate network.
- be able to efficiently handle the swapping of large amounts of data (everything from PowerPoint presentations to software updates).
- easily communicate with customers and third parties outside of my company; I can (if required) present an 'always on' impression as if I was working at the corporate offices.

It eases the 'disconnectedness' of working remotely from my colleagues.

Oh, and I can get my daily PH fix easier.

Manek - I'd be happy to talk to you more about my experiences if that would help: email me off line.

[alan_driver]

because its better than AOL, i hope they go bust.
The best bit is the speed pages load.

[Rosso Paul]

I've gone from a modem connection to a 2-channel ISDN connection to a 512 Broadband connection. I think Broadband is terrific value for money (£29.99 a month with BT500), online all the time, doesn't tie up your phone line, instant access to email/internet.
I work in graphics and send and receive some pretty large files (20-30mb) via email and haven't had any problems with the ISP coping/allowing file transfers this size. Also being able to download software updates of 40mb+ in a few minutes is brilliant. Broadband Rules!
Paul

[Rosso Paul]

I've gone from a modem connection to a 2-channel ISDN connection to a 512 Broadband connection. I think Broadband is terrific value for money (£29.99 a month with BT500), online all the time, doesn't tie up your phone line, instant access to email/internet.
I work in graphics and send and receive some pretty large files (20-30mb) via email and haven't had any problems with the ISP coping/allowing file transfers this size. Also being able to download software updates of 40mb+ in a few minutes is brilliant. Broadband Rules!
Paul

[manek]

Thanks for the responses guys (incidentally I have ADSL myself and I know what value I get out of it -- I'm just keen to get the views of others).

Keep going...

[flasher]

alan_driver said: because its better than AOL, i hope they go bust.
The best bit is the speed pages load.

What's your problem with AOL? I use them, have never had a problem with them and was thinking of getting AOL Broadband.... any reason why I shouldn't use AOL?

[soulpatch]

IMESH and Kazaa.

Kings of the highway

[Graham]

Instant connection when pc on.
always on connection
Download speed
upload speed ( could be better)


I've also started using it in small businesses for e-mail servers makes em dirt cheep.

also VPN connections into client systems are cool, so much better than a modem and pc anywhere...

G

[beano1197]

Apart from the general speed of things, the things where you notice a real difference:


Up/downloading photos
downloading drivers and software
radio shows (esp Archers and ISIHAC)
news clips (no telly in this household!)and other BBC special broadband content


and the fact the 'phone's freed up is brill!

[beano1197]

....but before Broadband I didn't know the meaning of the word "contention"

[PetrolTed]

I've had to go back to modem connection for the last month whilst doing the moving thing.

It actually stresses me out. Waiting for pictures to download, waiting for overcomplex flash sites to download, waiting for large emails to download, waiting to take copies of large files off the server, waiting, waiting, waiting...

I know what I'm missing which makes it worse! Back to ADSL next week!

[sadoksevoli]

Broadband makes the Internet so reactive and responsive that it actually revolutionises (yes, revolutionises) the way you can access and assimilate information - certainly makes using PH a doddle

[alan_driver]

flasher said:

alan_driver said: because its better than AOL, i hope they go bust.
The best bit is the speed pages load.

What's your problem with AOL? I use them, have never had a problem with them and was thinking of getting AOL Broadband.... any reason why I shouldn't use AOL?

Using the dial up, i could never connect, when i did it often disconected as a very large files has nearly finished, or in the middle of an important conversation. Also it was very slow, however, the 1st few months were fine (till the trial ended) i had to mess about with the numbers and settings for ages to get a connection.
It might be fine for you, i think it depends where you live because each area has its own number and your might not be a popular maybe. or they might have simply just improved.
is AOL the best option for broadband? As far as i remember its not that cheap, My advice would be to have a look at bt or ntl, depending who provides your phoneline, then make a descision.
alan

[tuffer]

Just out of interest how many of you secure your "always on connection" and what do you use. I know we have had all the "What Firewall to use" threads before. Im not asking that. I want to know how many people bother and if you are aware of the threat or how easy it is to access most PC's that are connected to the Internet.
All you Kazaa/Limewire/EDonkey users beware, there is an awfull lot of trojaned software out there.

PS. this is not a sales pitch !!!