Broadband comes from the words "broad bandwidth" and is used to describe a high-capacity, two-way link between an end user and access network suppliers capable of supporting full-motion, interactive video applications and high data transfer rates.

Definition of Broadband

The use of cable to provide data transfer using analog (radio-frequency) signals. Digital signals must be passed through a modem and transmitted over one of the frequency bands of the cable. Multiple channels carry data on a single physical cable. Cable TV is an example of broadband transmission. The term is commonly associated with high speed data transfer connections.

For many internet users, broadband speeds can be a source of great frustration. They pay more to secure a high-speed connection but don’t necessarily receive the upload and download speeds they had expected.

Broadband Speed Guide

So what factors determine the broadband speed you receive and why do you not necessarily get the speed you expect? How can you perform a broadband speed test? And how can you secure download speeds at the pace you really want? This broadband speed guide will attempt to answer all of these questions.

What are broadband speeds?

Before you carry out a broadband speed test it helps to know what broadband speeds are and how they are measured.

There are many advantages to broadband over a dial-up connection. For one, your phone line is free when you have broadband. However, the main reason that most users made the switch from dial-up (narrowband) to broadband is that it provides faster speeds

This means that with a broadband connection you can download web pages much faster than with dial-up. You can also download emails much quicker too. So instead of wasting time waiting for the information you require to appear on your screen, you can now view it almost instantly.

Broadband also allows you to upload information much faster than with dial up. Your upload speed is the time it takes to upload information from your computer on to the internet. An example of this would be ‘uploading’ a video on to YouTube, adding your C.V. to a job site or uploading pictures to social networking sites. With the increasing popularity of social networking sites upload speeds are becoming increasingly important as people are personalizing their accounts by uploading pictures, music and videos.

The high speeds of broadband have other advantages too. You can now listen to music and watch video footage online without the quality suffering. Broadband is also great for online gamers who should find that their ‘ping’ lasts much longer.

Broadband is fast enough to allow several people to use the internet at once as long as they have a networking device, meaning you save money too as you don’t need to install a separate connection for each PC/laptop in your home. Broadband speeds are the key to making the most of the internet.

How are broadband speeds measured?

The speed of the broadband connection you receive differs depending on a number of factors which we will examine later in this guide. However, speed is measured in kilobytes per second (Kbps) and Megabytes per second (Mbps). The higher the number of bytes you are able to download per second, the faster the connection.

For example, a typical dial-up connection has a speed of 56Kbps. A basic starter broadband package will offer a speed of 512Kbps – ten times faster than dial-up.