What is broadband?

What is broadband?

Simply put, broadband is a high-speed internet connection that’ll allow you to use the world wide web far more effectively than ever before. If you previously used its predecessor, ‘narrowband’ dial-up internet, you’ll be astounded by the difference in speed and quality.

With broadband in your home, you’re able to tap into the wealth of entertainment and information that it provides. Using a router, you’ll also be able to connect your devices such as laptops, tablets, games consoles, smart-speakers and phones to the internet, which increases their usability massively.

A few of the terms that you’re likely to encounter can be baffling at first, so we’ve given a brief, jargon-free breakdown of those here to get you up to speed:

• ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): This sounds very technical, but when explained you’ll be sure to recognise the concept. This technology uses a standard telephone line to communicate data at a high speed. The voice and data channels can be split, allowing you to call and browse at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about causing interference like the dial-up packages of old. With copper-wire ADSL services, expect download speeds of up to 20Mbps. ADSL broadband is often referred to as the ‘standard’ broadband package by most providers.
• Fibre: This refers to broadband packages that use fibre optic cables to transfer data, as opposed to the traditional copper wire. In a fibre optic cable, data is transferred using pulses of light that are sent along a glass or plastic tube - this works faster than copper wire and is less likely to encounter interference.
• Download Speed: This quantifies how fast your broadband connection can receive data, and will usually be displayed in Mbps (megabits per second). The faster your download speeds are, the faster you’ll be able to load data.
• FTTC: FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet) is a form of fibre optic broadband that uses fibre cables up to the cabinet on the street - from the cabinet to the street, it is most probably copper wire or coaxial cables, which may reduce the speed slightly from that of true fibre.

• FTTP: Fibre To The Premises (also known as Full Fibre) is the fastest broadband setup you can have access to. It utilises fibre optic cables directly into your home, meaning less speed is lost unlike those using copper wire. This will offer your home the fastest broadband currently available in the UK

• Openreach: Openreach is the company who are responsible for ensuring that the UK’s telecoms network is in top shape all year round. It is a division of BT, but is responsible for most broadband companies as most UK providers operate using the Openreach circuit to offer their service to a wider area. If you need anything installing or repairing, it’s likely that this work will be done by an Openreach engineer.
• Line Rental: This is the charge that you need to pay in order to have access to the phone lines that your broadband is delivered through. If you’re on an Openreach network or are signed up to a deal that includes home phone use, you’ll need to pay a line rental fee. There are exceptions to this rule, the largest of which is Virgin Media. SoGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access) is the latest development looking to combat the need for a phone line, looking to provide homes with JUST broadband, no phone. This system is still in its infancy at this stage, but could become more prominently used as time progresses.
• WiFi: WiFi is wireless broadband using radio waves that are transmitted from a router. Your wireless devices can connect to your broadband using these waves, allowing you to access the internet from almost anywhere in your home. 

What will you use it for?

There’s very few things these days that aren’t improved when you have access to the internet - whether you’re cooking a hearty meal using a recipe from your favourite chef’s website or streaming a blockbuster on a platform such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, you’re sure to be able to make use of your shiny new broadband package. What’s more is that it allows you to make more rooms in your home suitable for keeping people entertained - rather than having a television package such as Sky, Virgin Media, or BT signed up to each room, you can simply connect your TV to a Fire Stick, Apple TV or Chromecast device and watch on these streaming platforms instantly.

Furthermore, home broadband can really start to make your life more flexible, with reliable internet connections at home actually allowing many people to work from the comfort of their own homes, meaning the morning commute is a thing of the past. By eliminating the need to travel to a physical location each and every day, you give greater flexibility to your life - you’ll always be around to sign for important packages, you’ll never have to miss a doctor’s appointment, and it’s so much easier to pick the kids up from school.

What options are available?

When you’re choosing a WiFi package for your home, you’re likely to come across a few common words and phrases that define the package - the two main things to look out for are ‘superfast’, and ‘ultrafast’. You can learn more about each of these below:

• Superfast Broadband: This is the standard level of fibre-optic broadband that’s available in the UK. It is an upgrade on the older copper cable broadband that is still available, however we’d advise against copper-cable due to the high price and low speeds when compared against basic fibre options.
• With Superfast broadband, you can expect speeds in the region of <30 Mbps, which should be more than enough for the average household with low-medium internet usage.
• Ultrafast Broadband: This type of broadband is capable of offering substantially faster speeds to your home, with certain providers being able to achieve speeds of up to 900 Mbps! Speeds as high as these will easily allow you to utilise the internet at lightning-fast pace; downloads will take a matter of seconds (or minutes for larger files), whilst uploading will also be much quicker than you will have previously experienced. These packages are ideal for those who enjoy streaming in 4K UHD, online gaming, or uploading/streaming content on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.

You can find the Zen Internet packages available in your area by entering your postcode into our handy coverage checker!