Broadband in myArea -Greystones

N00092845 – Sean NewmanNew Media Technologies

What is broadband?

• ‘Broadband is a class of communication channels capable of supporting a wide range of frequencies… a broadband channel can carry multiple signals by dividing the total capacity into multiple, independent, bandwidth channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of frequencies.’

• Simply put, it’s a means of faster internet access, up to 20 to 5 times faster than regular ‘dial up’ internet.

Types of Broadband

• DSL (Digital subscriber line)• Works through phone line• Pros include; easy set up –

only a phone line is required, reliability

• Cons include; weaker signal strength which means lower speed (peaks at around 20 mbps)

• Wireless (‘Wifi’, ‘WiMax’)• Requires antenna to be

installed• Pros include; highly

portable, very high speed, constantly being developed and improved

• Cons include; highly dependent on physical and climatic conditions, network is more vulnerable to viruses

DSL and WiFi explained…• DSL stands for ‘digital subscriber

line’. It’s a medium that transfers data over phone lines and is used to connect to the internet. The wires used are copper, like a normal phone line.

• 2 types – ADSL (asymmetric) and SDSL (symmetric). ADSL allows download speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per sec and upload speeds of 128 kilobits per sec. SDSL allows download speeds of 9 megabits per sec and upload speeds of 640 Kilobits per sec.

• WiFi stands for ‘Wireless fidelity’. Technology that allows computers through a wireless signal.

• Nearly all computers have WiFi cards in them allowing users to search for and connect to wireless routers.

• WiFi connection exists between the router and the device only.

• Access points for WiFi must be ‘WiFi Certified’.

Types of Broadband Cont…

• Satellite Broadband• Requires dish antenna• Pros include; like wireless

it’s very fast, available globally

• Cons include; latency issues as signal must travel extremely far, affected by climatic conditions and satellites can be expensive

• Fiber Optic/Cable• Sends info as pulses of

light through individual optical fibres

• Pros include; bandwidth capacity, signal reliability

• Cons include; Lower availability than other broadband methods

Satellite and Fiber Optic explained

• Fiber optic is a cable made from thin filaments made by materials such as glass that carry beams of light. Data is sent through these filaments at the speed of light.

• Data is sent through the cable through the use of a laser transmitter that encodes frequency signals into pulses of light.

• Satellite broadband is when your home of office has a satellite dish that sends and receives signals from satellites that orbit around 22000 miles above the equator.

• It is important that your satellite is located somewhere with a clear view of the sky.

Broadband providers in Greystones

• Broadband wired (DLS) providers include;

• Eircom• Vodafone• Digiweb• Fibre optic includes;• UPC

• Wireless providers include;

• Imagine• Digiweb• Satellite broadband

includes;• Onwave• Digiweb

What the providers offer…

• As a sole trader in the arts management sector working from a home office with a staff of about 8 to 10 it is important to compare the pricing, speed, data allowance and type of broadband that would have the maximum benefits for running my business efficiently

• The following slides will outline some of the various offers from each broadband provider, including most basic and most advanced

• Basic broadband & home phone bundle

• Wired DSL• Includes; 10GB per

month, Up to 8Mb speed, Free calls to landlines

• Cost; €30 set up, €40 for 1st 6 months, €45 thereafter

• Total yearly cost: €480

• Ultimate Broadband & Home phone

• Wired DSL• Includes; Uncapped data

allowance, Up to 24 Mb speed, free calls to landlines

• Cost; €30 set up, €55 for 1st 6 months, €60 thereafter

• Total yearly cost; €660

• Vodafone Value Broadband & Talk Off peak

• Wired DSL• Includes; 40GB per month,

Up to 8Mb speed, free calls to landlines

• Cost; €20 for 1st month, €40 thereafter, €20.32 set up

• Total yearly cost; €480.32

• Vodafone Ultimate Broadband & Talk anytime

• Wired DSL• Includes; 350GB per month,

Up to 24 Mb Speed, free calls to landlines

• Cost; €39 for 1st month, €59 thereafter, €20.32 set up

• Total yearly cost; €708.32

• Digiweb provide both wired (DSL) and wireless broadband (WiFi) in their home bundles

• The best DSL option they provide in terms of value is the 24Mb DSL HomePro which includes 150GB data allowance, 24Mb speed with free installation and costs €44.95 a month making it a yearly cost of €539.40, making it only €10 dearer than their 8Mb DSL Extra option that only provides 40GB and 8Mb

• To add phone to the HomePro option it costs €69.99 monthly making it a yearly cost of €839.88

• Imagine 7Mb WiMax Broadband & Anytime Phone

• Wireless• Includes; Uncapped data

allowance, Up to 7Mb speed, Free calls to landlines and free international calls

• Cost; €100 installation, €27.50 for 1st 12 months, €55 thereafter

• Total yearly cost; €430

• Onwave twelve with pay & go• Satellite• Includes; 16GB per month, Up

to 12Mb speed, • Cost; €64.95 per month and

€179 installation fee• Total yearly cost; €958.40• Onwave eight with onwave

unlimited – offers only 8GB and 8Mb for €957.80 a year but offers free landline and international calls

• Fibre power Broadband 100Mb & Home Phone Anywhere 100

• Fibre optic/Cable• Includes; Uncapped data allowance, 100Mb

speed, free landlines, free international calls• Cost; €45 installation fee, €24.50 for first 4

months, €49 thereafter• Total Yearly cost; €535

My Choice• Throughout looking at the various options each company provides

including important factors such as cost, speed and data allowance as well as weighing out the pros and cons of the means they use to provide it my final choice as a SOHO would be to opt for UPC Fibre power Broadband 100Mb & Home Phone Anywhere 100

Although each company offered a variety of different bundles I feel that UPC, although not the cheapest option was still affordable in comparison to companies such as Onwave who offer who offer the same sort of option for almost twice the price and satellite is expensive to install as well as being weather dependant, which is not ideal throughout Winter in Ireland.

Free landline and international calls are also very benefical for a small business and UPC were one of the only companies who seemed to offer that with the majority of the bundles.

References

Broadband in Wicklow, Types of Broadband, retrieved 15th October from,

http://www.wicklow.ie/BroadbandinWicklow/BroadbandinWicklow/index.html#beginners_guideCompare TV, Home Phone and Broadband, retrieved 15th

October from,http://www.bonkers.ie/compare-tv-broadband-phone/wicklow/broadband-in-wicklow/Definition of Broadband, retrieved 15th October from, http://www.worldnet-long-distance.com/definition-of-broadband/Pros and Cons of DSL, retrieved 15th October from,http://techtips.salon.com/pros-cons-dsl-24236.html

References cont…

Pros and Cons of satellite broadband, retrieved 16th October from,http://www.dsl-isp-guide.com/pros_cons_satellite_broadband.htmDigiweb phone and broadband bundles, retrieved 16th October from,http://www.digiweb.ie/home/bundles/index.aspxDSL, retrieved 16th October from,http://www.techterms.com/definition/dslSatellite Broadband, retrieved 16th October from,http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/satellite_broadband.html