Hey, are you sick of navigating broadband packages? Are you fed up with all the jargon? Then here is everything you should know about the speeds, and the packages, you’re actually going to need.

Let’s get real here: you’re probably one of these three types of internet user.

Casual Surfer

Browsing the web, sending the occasional email, scrolling Instagram, and ending the day with some Netflix? I mean we’re not all gamers, right? Well, you certainly shouldn’t put your money out for anything more than you need.

And you probably already have what you need: copper (the stuff used for phone lines). Let’s throw some numbers in, but only for perspective: a standard copper (or ADSL if you want to be technical) package typically runs up to 10Mbps a second for downloads, while video streaming (the most download intensive thing you will be doing), on HD(!), only runs at around 5Mbps. So that’s more than enough!

And, seriously, don’t worry about upload speeds. All you’re doing is sending emails, or the occasional story update.

If you’re far away from the exchange (the hub that receives connections, before splitting to local cabinets), then perhaps upgrading to Fibre to the Cabinet is a good idea. But otherwise, leave it alone!

Family Provider

You’re not just a Casual Surfer, you’re in a house full of them; and this includes gamers, and even multiple video streamers. You need to provide a connection for everyone in your family.

If that sounds like you, a fibre broadband connection is the way to go.

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) connections use fibre-optic cables (which are much faster than copper) to connect the exchange to the cabinet (the place before all of the connections split to individual houses) in your street. It then switches to standard copper for the final leg to your house.

Like copper, you will be given options of speed; 30Mbps should be plenty for a family of three.

Power User

You’re no Casual Surfer. You’re data hungry. You run multiple applications at once with big data demands.

Creators, working in photography or web design; businessmen, balancing multiple cloud storage applications; gamers, who live-stream; this is you.

Whatever your reasons, you need to be looking at the upper end of FTTC (around 60+Mbps); or perhaps considering a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connection with speeds over 100Mbps. In the latter case, the fibre will go straight from the exchange to you. This should ensure great upload and download speeds.

Is your broadband not as fast as what you paid for?

There is an additional factor in play when it comes to broadband speeds, and it affects all of us. This is the network of the ISP (Internet Service Provider) that you have bought your connection from.

While the infrastructure usually remains the same, each ISP has its own network that you are paying to access. If an ISP has more traffic on that network, and the network itself has not been upgraded to deal with that traffic, you will never reach the theoretical maximum speeds quoted on your ISP’s package.

If you want to get the most for your money, you should take this into account. Many ISPs will be cheaper because they focus on getting money from as much traffic as possible; you don’t get the speeds you’re paying for.

Would you like your broadband from an ISP that never oversubscribes its networks? Then let me point you towards IDNet. We guarantee to be the best, and we’ll help you all the way through the process. We want you to get the most out of your connection.

Call us on 01462 659 350 or visit www.idnet.com.