Setting up broadband in your home can be a daunting task. What speed do I need? What are download caps? What equipment do I need? The list goes on. Here are the top ten tips on getting the best broadband deal:

1) Shop around: It is pretty obvious, but most people fail to shop around for the best broadband deal. Do not just go with the most well known broadband provider or the broadband provider that your neighbour uses. Chances are it is not the best deal for you.

2) Do not pay for super fast broadband: Broadband speeds have increased substantially in the past 18 months. You can get a broadband package with a fast enough speed for you at low prices. Do not be tricked into going for a super fast 8Mb, 10Mb or 24Mb service if you do not need it as you will pay extra for it. The average user should be happy with 1Mb or 2Mb.

3) Think about your usage: A lot of services have a download cap. If you go over the cap, you may be asked to pay extra.

4) Consider combining multiple services from the same provider: Some broadband providers will offer you an excellent deal if you take multiple products. Often this includes broadband, home phone, mobile and/or digital television. Some will even throw in broadband for free.

5) Look at the total cost for the first year: Do not just look at the monthly cost. Some providers will charge for equipment and activation and some will not. Look at the cost of 12 months’ subscription, equipment and activation to get a true reflection of the cost of the package.

6) Contract length: Most broadband providers will expect you to enter a 12-month contract. A few will be as long as 18 months or as short as one month. If you want to leave within the contract period, you will normally be expected to pay a cancellation charge.

7) Switch providers: If your broadband provider is not giving you the best deal, switch to an alternative provider after the initial contract period.

8) Internet security: You will need some kind of Internet security software, such as firewall and anti-virus. A firewall will block unexpected attacks on your computer and anti-virus protects you from nasty viruses that can damage your system. Some providers will offer this software for a limited time when signing up. Otherwise, you can buy it from companies such as McAfee and Norton.

9) Customer & technical support: Hopefully you will not have any problems with your broadband connection. But if you do, you will need to contact the broadband providers technical support line. The charges for this do vary from being free to a premium rate, so beware of the cost before you call.

10) Enjoy your broadband connection! It will open up a whole new Internet experience. You will be able to enjoy super fast internet surfing, downloading music and films, watching TV online, online radio, making phone calls over the internet and much more.

It has take a while, but at least BT has come out with a highely competitive broadband deal. So competitive in fact, that one of its products comes out second on our broadband comparison matrix

BT has slashed the cost of its entry level broadband product, Broadband Total Option 1, to just £9.95 for the first 6 months. It is £17.99 per month thereafter.

So what does £9.95 buy you?

• Super fast 8Mb broadband with a 2GB cap
• A free BT router, allowing you to connect more than one computer to a single connection and make voice over internet calls via BT Broadband Talk.
• Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines with BT Broadband Talk.

BT are also offering its new BT Home Hub for free on its two more expensive broadband packages. BT Home Hub is a wireless router that allows you to connect multiple applications wirelessly to your broadband connection.

To get the free Home Hub, you will need to sign up to BT Broadband Total Option 2 or Option 3.

BT Broadband Total Option 2:

• £14.99 per month for the first 3 months
• £22.99 per month thereafter
• Super fast 8Mb broadband with 6GB cap
• Free Home Hub - connect multiple applications & phone calls
• Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines via BT Broadband Talk
• Free Norton Anti-Virus and Firewall

BT Broadband Total Option 3:

As above with except:

• £22.99 per month for the first 3 months
• £26.99 per month thereafter
• Super fast 8MB broadband with 40GB cap

» Order BT Broadband Total

Who would have thought two years ago that we would be able to get broadband for free? Those were the days when it cost on average £25 for a 512k (per second) connection. Broadband was reserved for “cyber geeks”. The rest of us were happy enough with our super slow dialup connection.

A broadband revolution has been sweeping the nation ever since. Broadband speeds have increased dramatically and prices have plummeted. Now 512k is considered slow. Anything under 2Mb (per second) won’t do. The “cyber geeks” are really moving into the fast lane, with download speeds of up to 24Mb available.

Prices for broadband fell significantly during 2005 and continue to do so. This led to more people signing up to broadband as it became more affordable. This, in turn, lead to more companies offering cut price broadband to attract those customers, which led to even more customers becoming interested. And the cycle continued. About 80,000 per week now sign up to a broadband package in the UK.

It has gone so far that you can now get broadband for free. If anyone mentioned free broadband 2 years ago, they would have been branded as being insane. Now it is a reality with TalkTalk offering free broadband to its Talk3 customers and Orange to its mobile customers. Cynics argue that it is not free, as you have to buy another service to get it. But even then, it is a damn good deal.

So where is the market going to go?

The rapidly changing world of telecommunications is going to force many of the smaller players out of the market. They simply will not be able to survive as margins are squeezed. Even the big players are finding the going tough. Telecom giant Cable and Wireless announced this week that it is broadband subsidiary, Bulldog, will no longer be offering broadband to residential customers.

Packages that include 2, 3 or even 4 products will become commonplace. Broadband providers have realised that they cannot make enough money from broadband alone to survive. So they are bundling broadband with other products, such as home phone, digital television and mobile. Market leaders such as TalkTalk, NTL and Telewest have been doing this for some time.

Broadband speeds will continue to rise as the technology moves forwards. This will lead to broadband becoming the centre of home communications. Your digital TV and home phone will be transmitted over a broadband connection.

The world of broadband has certainly come along way in the past 2 years, from a geeks product to mass market. The next 2 years will just as interesting, as broadband becomes the main communications platform in your home.

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