With the eminent recession in Britain now more a reality than a doom-mongering speculation, you're probably looking to save money wherever you can, and with a recent report that we could be spending £400 a year too much on broadband, you're surely in the mood to switch providers.

But when it comes to switching, are you going to research your choice online and then phone them up to place your order?

Well don't. Bite the bullet and sign up online instead. There are many advantages of signing up online and whole bunch of online deals awaiting those who eschew the telephone and opt for the mouse instead.

1. Applying for broadband online means cheaper prices

By signing up online, you will first of all find you save a great deal of money. This is because the providers themselves can afford to offer all sorts of special rates to online customers because they are able to cut down on other costs.

Virgin Media probably has the best deal of all, saving as much as £30 for just signing up online. They'll give you £10 discount for each of their media services that you take, so take TV, phone and broadband to get back the maximum discount of thirty pounds.

AOL gives you a good deal too when you sign up online with the first month of your contract absolutely free.

Lesser known broadband provider Demon forgoes their set up fee if you sign up for one of their online packages.

2. Applying for broadband online gives you free hardware and more

Some online providers have special offers and giveaways that only apply when you sign up online. For instance, AOL, O2 Broadband and Be Broadband all offer free wireless routers for customers who use the online form rather than the telephone to sign up.

Demon Broadband, on the other hand, includes a free router and free setup online. Not only that, but they don't even allow you to sign up on the phone, so an online sign up is your only way of joining Demon's excellent home-office broadband.

3. Applying for broadband online saves call charges

In some cases (where a broadband provider doesn't have an 0800 sales number) you will be expected to pay for the phone calls you use when signing up to a new broadband provider. Not all providers offer a free phone signup number and this can become an expensive exercise, especially if the signup process on an 0870 number starts to take a while. AOL and Tiscali are two providers that do offer a free phone number.

It should be remembered, however, that these numbers are only available through a BT landline, so calling from a mobile or even a Virgin Media cable phone will not be free.

Madasafish is a small, but friendly broadband provider, widely considered the best broadband for customer service. They are prepared to either email or call you back once you have completed their online sales enquiries form.

There are also cheaper ways to find out more about the service without having to make an expensive call. By logging onto Sky Broadband website for example, you will be able to chat freely with one of their consultants using an MSN messenger-type service.

4. Applying for broadband online can be done at any time, anywhere

You can't guarantee that a broadband provider has a sales call center open at 2am when you're in the mood to sign up. Online applications on the other hand can be done at any time.

What's more, you don't even have to be in the UK to sign up for broadband online. You can do it from the wi-fi zone on the beach in front of your hotel in the Caribbean, or from an internet café in Paddington Station.

5. Applying for broadband online lets you compare and apply in a single step

In summary, when signing up to a new broadband package, step away from the phone. It's cheaper, easier and so much better to click on the big 'Apply Now' button instead.

There is a big misconception when talking about internet speed for end users. You can have a 3 Meg DSL and it will not necessarily be faster than a 1.5 T1. Why is that?

DSL is a shared technology. This means that everyone in a 3 mile radius or so will be sharing the same connection. The bandwidth will range during the day depending on usage. You might be flying early in the morning then slow down just as the kids are getting home from school. Also, DSL has to be regenerated through a series of pops in order to get you out to the world wide web. This can slow you down which is referred to as latency. DSL is considered a "best effort" product and can experience long outages up to 2 weeks or more. The other difference with DSL is that it is "asymmetrical" which means the download speed could be 1.5Meg but the upload speed will only be 256k. This does not work when you are sending large files.

T1 is a dedicated circuit for you alone. The bandwidth will be constant. Typically, you would want to deal with a tier 1 carrier or an Internet Backbone Provider (IBP) instead of an Internet Service Provider or ISP. ISP's buy from IBP's. T1's are regulated by the FCC for maximum uptime. T1's are "symmetrical" which means you will get the same download and upload speeds. In most cases, you can find bundled packages where you can enjoy the benefits and not have to pay more money to get it.

High speed internet has been getting speedier over the last couple of years. It seems every couple of months there is a new report in the news about a new internet medium 100 times faster than ADSL. It's difficult to keep up. All these new mediums are not viable for the general public because of the practicality of the setup.

ADSL 2+ runs at around 24 mega bit a second. I cannot see how anyone would need a faster speed than this. The average internet user will use the internet for simple browsing or to use their email. 5 mega bit a second is more than enough to do all that in a timely manner. So why do we need faster internet? Mainly for commercial purposes and the die hard internet geeks that can' wait that extra millisecond for their page to load up.

With high speed internet the main restriction is the download limit. When you give users that kind of speed they will be downloading a lot more data hence download limits need to be raised. When you raise the download limit the price of the service goes up dramatically. There has to be a middle ground in between download limits and pricing.

Cable internet is also a good broadband connection. Cable internet runs on a separate cable, as the name suggests, rather than running on a phone line. This increases reliability because it is not running on the same lines as land line phone services or pay tv.

High speed internet is good to have, but anything more than the current speed is a little over kill for our present needs as consumers.

Broadband has become an essential part to every business and household and it's easy to see why. Traditionally, most people had dial-up but the download speeds were extremely slow, however, the introduction of broadband has been a technological revelation and has provided customers with the ability to download everything from films and music to vital PC updates. Business' have seen major improvements and are able to connect their entire workforce using one network. Other advantages of broadband are free VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which enables initiatives such as Conference calling, call forwarding and caller ID. The recent innovation to hit broadband is Skype which enables 2 people to talk to each other over the internet using a headset; this saves money on long distance calls that can normally take place.

So how do you go about finding the right broadband deal? The best place to start with is by taking the broadband speed test. You simply enter your postcode and the test calculates the speed you should expect for the area you live in. This will give you a good starting point and when you come to comparing prices you know what to look for. There are a few things you need to be aware of when searching for broadband;

1. Download limits- Some providers specify a limit when you sign up and if you go over that limit; you can be heavily penalised.

2. Contracts- Providers will often look to tie you down to a long term contract and will charge you should you wish to move on. 12 months contracts are normal but anything more then double check the fees for moving on because there is likely to be a better deal around the corner.

3. Rising fees- Before signing up for any deal ensure you know all the details because deals look great and then you find the hidden costs and all of a sudden they don't look too impressive!

Read more about Why You Need Broadband

There are always internet viruses about and the best way to protect your computer against these is too have the latest anti-virus programmes that can be downloaded extremely quickly with broadband. Firewalls are a great way of stopping untrustworthy sites from opening, which is normally the way viruses are caught, you can set rules or criteria and if certain websites conflict with these then the firewall will block it. This will reduce the chance of your computer catching a virus.

The advantages for businesses are clear but there is also a definite advantage for people looking to set up the internet at home. In the past, a family of 4 would all have to fight for the computer to get onto the internet but you can connect all computers and laptops to the same network using a wireless router. The router connects all computers within a radius to a network. To prevent the wrong people accessing your network, you can apply a network key so no unauthorised person can access the internet through your network.

Switching providers can be a tricky thing but thanks to Ofcom (the telecoms watchdog), this is becoming easier. Check the terms of your contract because the money you have to spend cancelling your existing contract may outweigh the savings you can make by switching.

There are four common problems that customers have during and after the broadband buying process. Here is a rundown on the four so hopefully you will not come a cropper to them.

The first and most common problem is the set up fee. Also known as the installation or connection fee, and is the amount the broadband provider charges you for the activation of the service. The fee varies but can be significant on occasion, £30 is often the charge but the annoying thing is there is minimal effort and work required by the provider but it's a fee that is hard to avoid. Not all providers charge a set-up fee so make sure you understand what you are signing up to before you put pen to paper.

The next problem that people find is the rising monthly fee which common amongst some providers. A deal looks to be cheap but after a certain period of time (normally 3 months) the fee can double or even triple. This happens often so make sure you budget this into the fees.

There are cheap broadband deals appearing all the time and sometimes customers want to switch. However, the cancellation fee can outweigh the savings you can make by switching providers. Some providers will have a set fee for cancelling your contract whereas some companies will require you to pay out the rest of your company; this could mean you might lose hundreds of pounds.

The fourth and final point to be aware of is the one that angers customers the most. When you sign up for a broadband package, you expect everything needed to hook up to the internet will be included. This unfortunately is not the case with every provider. A router is the most common omission from a deal and can cost up to £50, this shows that you need to check what the deal includes so you know what will need to be spent before everything is set up.

To conclude, calculate the total cost of setting up a broadband package before selecting the best one for you. Check the speed you are entitled to by taking the broadband speed test so you know what the minimum speed can expect.

It was not long ago, that the term internet made its entry into our daily life. The arrival of this technology really transformed the world of communication around us. Internet is a series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard internet protocol. Generally known as a "network of networks," it consists of millions of smaller, domestic, academic, business and government networks. The first TCP/IP-wide area network became operational in 1983. But it took another seven years for the commercial usage of the same. As per the latest statistics, there are 1.319 billion users of the net around the globe.

The emergence of internet as a strong medium of communication has taken the world miles ahead. The high speed technology has made the lives easier and comfortable. Gone are old days when we had to wait in long queues in front of post offices for receiving and sending mails. Sending and checking of mails or downloading the favourite tracks has become quite a regular feature. The restrictions over the usage of dial up connections no more exist. They are now replaced with broadband services. For those who stay at locations where DSL connectivity is not available, the broadband access often becomes the next logical option. The accessing of the net through broadband is ideal for taking up gaming challenges as well.

Browsing the net through broadband is possible from anyplace. For this purpose, the downloading or setting up of dedicated software is not compulsory. It just needs a simple cable or DSL modem with potential for accessing the World Wide Web. The installation procedure is trouble free and the costs of setting up are quite nominal. All these factors contribute to the growing popularity of these services. Until a couple of years, the broadband installation was an expensive affair. But now, with the changing scenario, it has become an affordable business. The process of "logging in" to this world wide network has a long list of merits, which in turn make it popular among the masses.

Internet - by offering a variety of services - has touched each and every strand of our lives. It acts as a mode of connectivity at every hour of the day. Be it shopping, entertainment or business, a world without the net is unimaginable. In the era of online shopping, when a large share of the business is done online, it is impossible even to think of a world without the same. Due to the extensive use of broadband, it becomes necessary to have reliable and fast connections. Broadband internet plans play the role of an alternative to the conventional dial up access where the data transfers are not fast. It provides reliable and dedicated high speed net connections that offer a higher data transmission rate.

The Broadband Internet plans make it possible for the users to download a host of files, videos, photographs and other bulky data at a faster rate and that too at affordable costs. It is efficient and effective. But proper care should be taken while selecting broadband internet plans. These plans arrive by offering a variety of offers including free surfing hours, low rates and broadband services. It could be selected as per the convenience and requirements of the users. With a lot of service providers available in the market, it becomes easy for the user to select the best plan available.

If you are in a situation where you think that you need to get a professionally fast and stable internet connection, then ADSL might be exactly what you are looking for.

You'll find that having an internet connection that is both fast and efficient is something that you can turn to a great advantage when you are working and whether you are a large business or a small one, this is vital.

Take a look at a few tips when you are getting ready to order an ADSL.

1.Find out what is available

You'll find that by taking a look to see what your area has and what you can get might be a little different. Some areas are not covered and some will restrict you to certain services. Make sure that you know what your choices are.

2.Look online

When you are looking for ADSL rates, you'll find that you can do a lot of good by checking the rates online. You might be able to find rates that are limited time only offers made on the internet.

3.Take advantage of the firewall

When you take a look at ADSL services, you'll find that there is a high priority put on protection of data and security. Make sure that you take the service up on their high security, ICSA-approved firewall.

4.Think about email

When you are thinking about ordering an ADSL line, make sure that you think about how much you will use your email. You'll be able to run your own public mail and web server, and you'll find that you want to be ready for this.

5.Ask

When you are speaking about rates with a person on the phone, make sure you ask if there are any discounts or deals.

6.Decide on your networking

When you decide to put a small business online, you'll often find that you have need for a number of computers to be hooked up. Decide on what router you want to use and speak with the representative about how to get it hooked up.

7.Make a good appointment to have everything set up

There's nothing worse than playing phone tag, and you'll find that the more easily you can make contact with the person doing your installation, the more easily everything will be in place and you will be operational.

8.Self-install

Self-installing your ADSL line is easier than you might think, show you are willing and able to take responsibility for the set up of the line and can read directions well, this might be the best option for you.

9.Advertise

If you are a small business, let them know about ADSL's promise of stable service and let them know that you share that reputation. You'll find that the more reliable your service, the better it will be for you!

10.Keep your documentation

You'll find that you have plenty of contracts and paperwork sent to you, so make sure that you keep it all. This is the best way to keep your billing straight and to make sure you know exactly what your service covers.