Broadband

By the mid-1990s, the UK phone network became fully digital. So, people that needed a faster, more reliable connection to the Internet, started to use ISDN2 technology.

Note: Whilst connected to the Internet using just one 64Kbps channel, you could still make and receive phone calls!

The first Broadband service was launched in the UK, around 2000, using ADSL technology, although it took several years to become widely available. The initial service was 512Kbps (0.5Mbps), which sounds pretty slow by modern standards, but was still a vast improvement over Dial‑Up (and didn't affect use of the landline, for normal calls).

ADSL technology continued to evolve, up to a maximum theoretical download speed of 20Mbps, but limited greatly by distance from the telephone exchange.

Cable TV companies also started to offer Broadband services around this time, but again, speeds were limited by the co‑axial cable technology (and the number of people using the network at the same time).

A major breakthrough came with the introduction of optical fibre in the local distribution network, at least as far as the street cabinet (typically a green, or, sometimes grey, box).

This service is known as Superfast Broadband (GFast is also available using this technology). And, more recently Full Fibre. This service, is known as Ultrafast Broadband.

Imagine you are buying a new car, mainly for trips to the local shops and an occasional longer journey. Do you buy a sports car, with a top speed of 250mph (and a price tag to match)? Probably not. As you know, the maximum speed on UK roads is 70mph (and probably less, if you've been on the M42 recently). It's the same with the Internet... It's fine for your ISP to offer download speeds of 300Mbps and higher, but ultimately, speed is limited to that of the slowest Internet connection, or server (either of which, can be located anywhere in the world).

So, back to the original question, how much speed do I need? Answer: enough to be able to do what you want, without any noticeable delays, at a reasonable cost. So, before you sign up for that, too good to miss deal, there are a number of other things that you should check first:

1. Run a speed test (e.g. Speedtest®), and if it seems to be considerably slower than the speed guaranteed by your ISP, then get in touch with them.

   Note: if you have an older (ADSL) service, that uses plug‑in filters, first, check to make sure that you don't have any phones plugged in without a filter, and repeat the test.

2. Do you mainly connect to the Internet using Wi‑Fi? If so, your speed will often be limited by the distance from your Router (or its technology, if it's quite an old one). Some ISPs will supply Wi‑Fi Extender disks, etc., to improve speed and range.

   Note: Desktop computers and Smart TVs, should always use a wired ethernet connection where possible. Also, bear in mind, Wi‑Fi speeds are typically only half that, of a wired connection.

3. Computers can appear to be running slowly for a number of reasons, and it's rarely anything to do with your connection speed... More likely than not, it has a whole bunch of unnecessary software running in the background (that you accidentally installed when you clicked on that link!). Solution: First, make sure that your data is backed up, then Clean Load your operating system (there are plenty of Geeks out there, who will know how to do this).

According to Netflix, a download speed of 5Mbps, is all that's required to stream HD video, or 15Mbps for 4K/Ultra HD video. Standard Broadband, should provide download speeds of at least 20Mbps, so why pay for a more expensive service, if you don't need to?

Some additional data, is stored locally (cached), to allow pages to load quicker, and some appears on your screen for just a fraction of a second (e.g., when streaming videos).

Broadband services, often allow for higher download speeds, at the expense of upload. And, this makes sense really, as most home users will download far more data, than they upload (e.g., listening to podcasts, streaming music, videos, etc.). If you work from home, backup your data using cloud services, or build/maintain websites, then higher upload speeds may be desirable.

Prior to 2012, Cable TV services were not available on much of Saddler Avenue, Kingsland Road (and side roads), leaving some residents with no options, apart from basic (ADSL) Broadband. The telephone exchange is located near to Stone Station, and the cables that feed the estate come down Lichfield Road and over the railway at the level crossing (a distance of more than 2 miles), giving a download speed of around 2Mbps!

Things improved dramatically, when Superfast Broadband arrived, with typical download speeds of around 70Mbps (depending on your distance from the DSLAM cabinet), and upload speeds of around 18Mbps, followed by GFast and now Ultrafast, with download speeds of up to 1000Mbps!

4G is available across the whole of Aston Lodge, and may provide a flexible alternative to fixed Broadband, depending on how you are likely to use it.

5G, is also available (from EE), but not across the whole estate (mainly east of the park - Saddler Avenue and side roads). Again, it can provide a cost-effective alternative to fixed Broadband, dependant on usage.

If you just want to access the Internet, on an occasional basis, then 4G/5G might be the right option for you? If, however, you like to Binge Watch box sets, then fixed Broadband may work out to be a cheaper option in the long run.