‘KBPS’ stands for Kilo Bits Per Second and is a measure of how fast your internet connection is. The higher the KBPS value is, the less time you will have to wait for web pages to load or files to download. To give a comparison, dialup runs at 56 KBPS, whereas an average broadband connection is 512 KBPS (i.e. over 9 times faster meaning 90% less waiting time!). If multiple computers are going to be accessing the Internet at the same time, it's important to get a fast connection because this speed is shared.

What is broadband?

Broadband = high speed, high capacity transfer of data/ information at greater speeds and capacity than the typical dialup connection.
Broadband Internet delivers speed and that reduces the amount of time you need to wait to download large emails, music and videos, etc.
Broadband access is delivered by various mediums including ADSL, Cable, Satellite & Wireless technology.

What are the different types of broadband?

The connection type is the way you physically connect to the Internet.

ADSL:

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is the most common broadband technology. It delivers high amounts of data/ information (web pages, email, music, etc) using your existing copper telephone line and also allows you to make phone calls while surfing the internet. Most commonly delivered at speed ranges of 256kbps, 512 kbps, and 1,500 kbps.

ADSL2:

Similar in delivery to ADSL, however download speeds can be delivered up to 24,000 kbps (around 428 times faster than dialup). ADSL2 is a new technology being deployed by some ISP’s currently.

Cable:

Cable is a broadband medium delivering high bandwidth data at speeds up to 17,000kbps. Cable broadband internet availability is dependant on your physical property address (as cable is not available everywhere, even in the major cities). Chances are if you have digital pay TV such as FOXTEL you can get Cable Internet.

Wireless:

Wireless broadband connectivity is the ability to access broadband internet without wires. Typically speeds are much lower than traditional broadband mediums. Great for people travelling with laptop computers.

Satellite:

Satellite broadband connectivity is the ability to access broadband internet using satellite technology. Very much the last option if you can’t get ADSL as it is much more expensive. The primary customers are people living in rural areas. Satellite can come in a variety of ways. For more information, check out the FAQ.

One-Way Satellite: Uses Satellite technology to deliver data/information to your computer which is called downloading and uses a dialup modem connection to upload data requests, such as when you send emails.
Two-Way Satellite: Uses Satellite technology to deliver data/information in both downloading and uploading, whereas One-Way Satellite uses your phone line to upload. Two-Way Satellite is for users who are geographically unable to access other broadband mediums such as ADSL or who don’t have a telephone line connected at the property.

What is an ISP? (Internet Service Provider)

An Internet Service Provider is a company that provides the ability to have access to the internet. Wotplan.com.au searches broadband plans from the top ISP’s in Australia and enables you the end user to signup online to the plan that’s right for you.

What is DSLAM?

DSLAM stands for Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer. DSLAM enables your computer to connect to the internet service provider if you are accessing the internet using ADSL technology. This is not a huge worry the end user as the Internet Service Provider you signup to will advise if there are enough connections in your local exchange.

What are megabytes and gigabytes and what do they mean to me?

KB, MB and GB are all measurements of data size.
The bigger the number of KBs, MBs, etc the longer it takes to download or upload (and more of your quote it chews through!). For those interested the table below shows how each unit measurement relates to the others.

KB is short for Kilobyte
MB is short for Megabyte. A MB is about 1000 KB
GB is short for Gigabyte. A GB is about 1000 MB

To give you some context, a web page is about 10-50 KB (so quite small); a word document is about 1-3 MB; a song is about 3-10 MB and a movie is about 500-700 MB (so very large!).

What is a Download Limit?

Download Limit is the amount of data your allowed to download each month. Most broadband plans have download limits and if you go over that amount, the plan will specify if it is throttled or you pay more per MB downloaded. The broadband market is very much a get what you pay for service. Plans are priced according to the amount you download and speed at which you download data.

What does Shaped or Throttled Speed mean?

Shaping/ Throttling is when the maximum data speed for your broadband plan is deliberately slowed down to the plans shaping/throttling speed. This occurs when you exceed your monthly download allowance. Typically shaped / throttled speeds are either 64kbps or 128kbps. Often applied when you exceed your monthly download limit & removed at the start of your next billing month / cycle. Make sure you check whether your plan is either shaped or charged extra dollars for downloading as this can impact your end of month bill.

What is Bundling?

Bundling enables savings to be made by combining telecommunication services with one supplier. Most ISP’s these days also offer fixed phone line & mobiles services as well as broadband internet. Wotplan.com.au will show if a particular broadband plan can be bundled.

What is a Contract Length?

Some ISP’s broadband plans offer monthly contracts of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months in length. There are normally benefits or savings to be made by committing to such contracts. There are also ISP plans out there who don’t have any contract length required. Be sure to check if you are locked into a contract before changing ISP plans as you could be charged exit fees. Some ISP plans have no contracts but may charge a fee to exit in the first 6-12 months.

Why do I need a Modem?

Broadband Internet requires a broadband modem to connect to the ISP for the specific broadband medium you choose (ADSL, CABLE, Wireless, Satellite). A dialup modem cannot be used. Each ISP will normally recommend a specific type of modem, however they are not an absolute necessity. If you already have a broadband modem just check with the ISP beforehand if your modem will work with them. Some ISP plans enable a modem to be included in the subscription if you sign up for a contract length. Be sure to check when signing up as this could be an additional once off fee above your subscription fee.

Why is Service Qualification Important?

Service Qualification is simply to see if you are eligible for that broadband service. Mostly checked by your phone line, physical property address or coverage maps. Full service qualification is ultimately in the hands of the ISP. Wotplan.com Pty Ltd has no responsibility, liability or guarantee about the availability of a specific broadband medium. Only the internet service provider you signup with will be able to tell you if your broadband plan is able to be provisioned to your property.

What Methods of payment are available?

Credit Card- use your credit card to pay for your broadband account.
Direct Debit- use direct debit from your bank account to pay for your broadband account.
Invoice- Have a tax invoice sent to you to be paid.

Why do I need Webspace?

Webspace is the amount of Megabytes your ISP allows you to have free with your plan. Webspace is space on your ISP’s server whereby you can store your homepage, etc.

What is Rapid Transfer or Churning?

Rapid Transfer / Churn is the ability to quickly change ISP’s/ ISP plans without the expensive full installation costs associated with joining in the first place. The requirements are that you must already have ADSL hooked up & active and both the ISP your leaving and the ISP your joining both must support rapid transfer. To do this you only need to signup to the new plan you want and that’s it, the new ISP will do the rest, you don’t need to tell your current / old ISP.

What's the difference between Static and Dynamic IP Addresses?

Dynamic IP Address: an address which your computer is known by when it connects to the internet that changes every time you connect. For almost all Wotplan.com.au users, this is fine.
Static IP Address: an address which your computer is known by when it connects to the internet that does not change. This is usually only required when you are going to be hosting.

What are Email Accounts?

Email Accounts is the number of email addresses supplied by the ISP for the selected plan. Your username is usually your first email address, example: info@internetserviceprovider.com.au with ‘info’ being the username and “internetserviceprovider.com.au” being the ISP in this case.

What is Download Speed?

Download speed is the rate at which data is transferred from one computer to another. BPS/KBPS is a measure of the speed at which it takes your ISP to send data to your computer. The higher the number of ‘kbps’ the faster you can download and view websites!
Common broadband speeds compared to a typical dialup connection speed.
256 kbps is approximately five times faster than dialup.
512 kbps is approximately nine times faster than dialup.
1,500 kbps is approximately 27 times faster than dialup.
17,000 kbps is approximately 304 times faster than dialup.
24,000 kbps is approximately 429 times faster than dialup.
The higher the speed of your connection normally reflects in the plan price.

Does signing up through Broadbandplans.com.au cost more?

No, we provide a free service to you the end user enabling you to make the best broadband plan choice. To enable Broadbandplans.com.au to maintain this free service and to keep the big ISP’s competitive we receive a small commission from the ISP you signup to from this site.

So to make sure you receive the best broadband deal, make sure you use Broadbandplans.com.au and keep your friends & colleagues informed as broadband plans change frequently. There’s always an ISP trying to do deals and we will have them here for you. The best bet is to check back every couple of months to check if your plan is still the right one for you.

Wednesday 07 Jan 2009