If you’re looking into a home broadband provider, you’d be well-advised not to be taken in by the first offer you come across. Many offers look like great money-savers at first glance, whilst not meeting your needs in the long term. This can apply particularly to people who might work from home as a freelancer, and are unsure whether to get a business-oriented service or a standard home broadband provider. Here are some FAQs – and their As – to help you make the right choice.
Home or business broadband – what’s the difference?
Apart from the obvious answer that one services households, and the other offices, how much do you really know about the difference between home broadband and business broadband? The most practical difference is that business broadband restricts the number of customers using one server at the same time. Consequently, you are less likely to experience the slow service that can be such a drag with home broadband during peak times. Of course, splitting the cost of the server between more people keeps costs down, so home broadband is considerably less expensive than a business provision.
Do I want line rental and cable?
Many broadband providers offer phone line rental and satellite television as part of their internet package. If your household already has these services, you could save money by switching to a bundled package. Sky is one provider currently offering broadband deals as part of a bundled package. Before you commit, though, make sure you’re happy with all the individual elements of the package.
How much bandwidth should I get?
If you download a lot of music and films, it makes sense to get a lot of bandwidth, so you don’t need to worry about frustrating stoppages. Equally, if you’re in a house with 4, 5 or more people, the bigger package makes a lot of sense. Same applies for people who do a lot of work from home, especially if you host websites. If, however, you’re just a single user who primarily uses the web for email, shopping and browsing sites, you’ll only need a small amount of bandwidth – so don’t fall into the trap of paying for more than you use. The aforementioned Sky does an excellent ‘Unlimited’ package for the heavy internet user.
