Guide to Broadband Speed
If you’re in the market for a broadband package, speed is just one of the factors you should consider. However,
the faster the broadband speed the more money you are likely to pay on a monthly basis. So what broadband speed
should you pay for? This section of the broadband speed guide will examine your needs.
To find out your current internet speed, use the moneysupermarket.com
broadband speed test
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What broadband speed do you need?
It’s important not to be persuaded by advertising slogans and “can’t miss” deals and think about what type of broadband user you are.
Just because super-fast speeds are available, it doesn’t mean that you should necessarily pay for them if you use the internet
infrequently.
Here are the speeds we recommend at moneysupermarket.com based on your internet usage:
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Light broadband internet users: If you have just come off a dial-up connection and use the internet rarely, perhaps
just a few times a week to check emails and briefly surf the web, there’s little point in paying for high-speed downloads. There are
many packages available at 512kb – that’s 10 times faster than dial-up, which are cost-effective starter packages and should be suitable
for your needs. You can always upgrade to a faster connection at a later date
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Medium broadband internet users: You are considered a medium broadband user if you use the internet on a daily basis to check emails,
surf several websites. occasionally download music or videos and upload photos and files. Download speeds should be important to you,
but there’s little point in paying for top-of-the-range packages. 2Mb-4Mb download speeds should be perfectly sufficient.
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Heavy broadband internet users: Are you on the internet for five or more hours every day? Do you like to download movies or lots of
music, or do you enjoy TV streaming? Are you a social networking addict and upload photos and music regularly? Or are you a fan of online gaming?
If so, then faster internet connections should be important to you. There are many affordable packages on the market now offering speeds of 4Mb and above.
You might wish to consider these, or even higher speeds within your price range.
