There are two main types of broadband connection, a fixed line or its mobile alternative. Both have their strengths and potential weaknesses so you need to consider what suits your needs before you sign up on a lengthy contract.
Fixed line broadband is what most people have at home. It 's a fast internet connection delivered by telephone wire (ADSL) or fibre optic cable. As the latter is now capable of speeds in excess of 100Mb, an increasing number of homes have "superfast" fibre optic connections.
Mobile broadband uses the same technology as mobile phones to give you internet access wherever you go with your laptop, netbook, tablet or iPad. It 's slower and usually comes with a relatively low download limit, but allows you greater flexibility away from home.
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The type of broadband connection you should choose depends entirely on the way that you’ll use it. Think about your needs in terms of download allowances and connection speed as well as whether you need a portable connection when choosing a package.
Fixed line broadband, one of the main advantages of which is that it has a much more consistent connection than mobile broadband. While the speed of it does depend on where you live, it 's generally much easier and faster to download things as you get much faster speeds than with mobile broadband. It 's also becoming more widespread, which makes it increasingly cheap. Also, download limits are often very generous or don 't exist at all, so you 're much less likely to get charged for going over.
In terms of the disadvantages of fixed line broadband, one of these is that it can be more complicated to set up than mobile wireless broadband. Also, you 'll probably have to pay for a line connection so it can be installed and, after that, you 'll be fixed to using it in one place, meaning you 'll only be able to use the internet in your home. You 'll also find you may have problems if you want to switch provider partway through a broadband contract and may have to