Understanding ADSL Terminology
It can sometimes be a challenge, selecting the right Internet connection for your home or office. You might not know the differences between kbps and Mbps, ADSL and ADSL2+, home and business plans and so much more.
This article will inform you and assist you in making the right descision on your Internet connection.
Kbps and Mbps
Kbps and mbps are the standard measurements of Internet speeds. Kbps means the amount of kilobits per second that can travel along the cables the service is provided on. Mbps is very similar except it stands for megabits per second (which if multiplied by 1000 equals the equivalent speed in kbps). This is the simplest way to explain a subject that can be quite complex.
Please refer to this bit rate article if you would like a far more technical report.
IP Addresses v4
An Internet protocol (IP) address is the location of your modem/computer in respect to the rest of the world. An IP address usually consists of four groups of three digits limited to numbers below 255. When you browse a website, for example www.ot4it.com.au, your Internet service provider (ISP) will take this and work out what IP address that will lead to.
Try this (it is completely harmless to your computer and is for informational purposes only) if you copy this IP address, 66.102.11.104 into your browser where you would usually see "http://www.google.com.au/". You should see the search page for Google. In theory, what you have just done, is found the IP address yourself, and bypassed your ISP's servers.
No IP address can be used twice, at the same time, without significant conflict issues.
A static IP address is needed for most businesses or home users who decide to run services such as VNC or remote management software. These services are used mainly to remotely login and control your machine from elsewhere in the state, country or even world!
ADSL and ADSL2+
The most common choice of Internet plans within Australia are ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). This type of connection is suitable for most home and small to medium business users, as it operates on the same copper wires as your analogue telephone. ADSL connections are tiered at download speeds ranging from 20mbps to as low as 256kbps.
Currently, the fastest speed available on an ADSL2+ plan is capped at 20mbps. The recent budget handed down from Treasurer Wayne Swan, has promised as part of a $43 billion project, the Federal Government is planning to help build Australia's broadband Internet infrastructure. This will allow approximately 90% of Australian homes, schools and workplaces to be able to receive Internet speeds of up to 100mbps!
Home and Business Plans
A home Internet plan with any given ISP ususally does not come with a 100% uptime guarantee. This is due to the copper wire it uses to travel along between your modem/computer and your ISP. Usually, the uptime of an ADSL connection is 95%, so this is not a major concern for most users.
As it is not highly important for most home users to have the same IP address all the time, home plan users will find that their public IP address will change from time to time. This is perfectly fine for the regular user, this only becomes an issue if you are trying to run services such as apache (web hosting) or VNC, etc.
If reliability of the service is more important to you than speed, you will need to enquire with some of the larger ISP's to negotiate a service that would be better suited to your needs. Unfortunately, these more stable connections do come at a cost and are usually focused mainly for large enterprises.
One benefit of a business Internet plan is a static IP address. A static IP address means you are assigned a public IP address (by your ISP) for the life of the contract. You will be able to use services such as remote management, VNC, apache, etc. without the problem of a constantly changing public IP address.
Another bonus for business plan users is the 24/7 support usually offered by most ISP's. This should come as standard with any business Internet plan.
If you are still a little overwhelmed or perplexed by all the jargon, please contact OT 4 IT on or fill in an online general enquiry form. We will be happy to hear what you feel you need, and we will recommend an affordable plan to meet those needs.
2009-08-02 23:07:27
Joe says:
im after a plan for home just surfing and music and stuff what can you suggest?
2009-08-08 04:51:21
Owen says:
Joe,
If you would like to do a quick and easy search for plans available in your area, you can check at whirlpool and type your landline number. You can also specify different speeds and download limits you would like.
I would recommend for general surfing and music/youtube, etc. you should aim for 512kb/s download speed and a minimum of 5gb download limit. A ballpark figure for something like that would be a maximum of $50 per month. That will get you started.
Owen.
http://www.ot4it.com.au/