Broadband Questions

What is Broadband?

Generally speaking broadband is a high speed connection to the Internet delivered via a live connection such as a simple telephone line, wireless antenna, satellite receiver or cable connection.

Broadband for the most part provides quick and efficient access to the endless amounts of information available over the Internet, simpler and faster access to buying and selling products and services, and numerous methods for communication and interaction between people and businesses.

The world of telecommunications has came on leaps and bounds over the past 10 years, where 10 years ago people all over the world for the most part connected to the Internet using what is called a ‘Dial-up’ connection, where a computer connected to a telephone line and dialled into a Internet Connection from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that they were paying for. With the Internet seen as one of the biggest phenomenon’s in modern times, and people from all walks of life wanting access to it, there was a natural need for users to get access to the Internet much faster than they currently were over the slow Dial-up connections. Spurred on from this need for speed, vast improvements in telecommunications technologies were brought in and an evolvement of faster methods of transferring information was the result, so users could access the Internet easily from the home or their work place. This fast new method of connection to the Internet was called ‘Broadband’.

A nice easy way to understand just how information is transferred at high speeds over Broadband is to think of a real world scenario that works in a similar way. A wide road with multilane motorway lanes compared to a narrow road with only one or two lanes is a nice easy comparison to make. The wider the road, means the more the lanes, which in turn means more people in their cars can use the road… getting to their destinations much faster, where as the narrower road with fewer lanes can get jammed or slowed up, meaning people in their cars getting to their destinations in much slower times. Putting this theory into telecommunications terms related to Broadband, where information (or data as it is called) is the cars, broadband is basically a wider connection (wide road with numerous lanes) that allows lots more data to travel back and forth over it in a much faster manner than that of a narrower connection (narrow road) that allows fewer amounts of data to travel back and forth along it.

What Broadband is available in the Outer Hebrides?

Most areas in the Outer Hebrides can now receive Broadband, in general the more densely populated areas, and their surroundings can receive it over the telephone line into their business or home if they are within range of an ADSL enabled BT Exchange (see ADSL BT Enabled Exchanges in Outer Hebrides). Areas that are out with the range of a BT Enabled Exchange, they can get access to the Internet through the Connected Communities SDSL connections going through the Internet Service Provider ‘Hebrides.net’. Currently Connected Communities are going through the final stages of installing Broadband Transmitters around the islands, so that the remoter areas that could not previously get Broadband shall be able to easily receive it. Area’s within a BT ADSL Enabled Exchange area can also get access to Broadband through Connected Hebrides if they are in the line sight of a mast.

How do I check if I can receive Broadband?

To check whether you can receive Broadband or not, you can go the Sam Knows web site and enter either your telephone number or postcode.

Visit Sam Knows Broadband Checker: http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php

If you are not able to receive Broadband through a BT enabled exchange contact Hebrides.net to find out if you can get Connected Communities SDSL Broadband.

Visit Hebrides.net: http://www.hebrides.net

ADSL BT Enabled Exchanges in Outer Hebrides

• Back
• Balallan
• Benbecula
• Borve
• Callanish
• Castlebay
• Crossbost
• Garrabost
• Gravir
• Harris
• Lochboisdale
• Port Of Ness
• Shawbost
• Stornoway

Source: Sam Knows (Last updated 27th March 2009)

How does Broadband work in the Outer Hebrides?

The most common kind of Broadband Connection in the UK is an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) connection, where homes or businesses get their connection through their telephone line coming from an ADSL Enabled BT Exchange. In order to get ADSL Broadband you must be within a certain area of the ADSL Enabled BT Exchange, as the Broadband signal that travels down the telephone line depreciates the further away from the BT Exchange you get. Typically in the Outer Hebrides if you are within 3.5 miles of the BT Exchange you will get pretty fast Broadband connection speeds, and generally distances further away upto around 5 miles away the speeds get worse until eventually there is no signal due to the Broadband signal depreciating the further away from the BT Exchange you get.

ADSL Broadband speeds and whether a home or business can receive it are determined by a great number of factors, the main one been the distance from the BT Exchange that a premises is. The problem lies in that it is not the distance as crow flies from the premises to the BT Exchange, instead it is the length of the cable distance from the BT Exchange to the premises. Given the nature of the landscape and terrain in the Outer Hebrides, with the many hills and rocks etc this causes a number of problems in getting Broadband to a number of rural areas throughout the Outer Hebrides.

The Connected Communities project is enabling rural areas within the Outer Hebrides to receive high speed Broadband, with the Connected Hebrides team erecting Broadband transmitters at strategic locations throughout the Outer Hebrides from the Butt of Lewis in the north right down to Barra in the south making Broadband available to out lying communities that can not get Broadband through a BT line. Businesses and homes that would not normally be able to receive high speed Broadband through their telephone lines can now receive an SDSL (Symetric Digital Subscriber Line) Broadband Connection as long as they are within the line of sight of the transmitter from simply attaching a Broadband receiver to the side of their house or work premises.

What is the difference between ADSL and SDSL Broadband?

Generally speaking premises that are in an area close enough to an ADSL Enabled BT Exchange can receive an ADSL Broadband connection, where as premises out of range of a BT Exchange on the most part can receive an SDSL Broadband connection through Connected Communities.

Technically the main differences between the two are that ADSL’s download speed can vary vastly depending on the time of day, the more users that are on making use of the bandwith, the slower the ADSL speed can be, where as an SDSL connection for the most part is usually what you expect it to be all day long. Another significant difference is that while the upload speeds of an ADSL connection are generally much much slower than an ADSL download speed, the upload speed of an SDSL is the same as the SDSL download speed.

SDSL may be slower than ADSL at certain times of the day, but it’s use of different technologies, and because of the constant download speed, and faster than ADSL upload speed, the cost of SDSL is more than that of ADSL.

Security of your PC

Avoid browsing websites which you are not familiar with and remember that potential risk websites mainly come through forwarded emails.