Broadband gives us faster access to the World Wide Web. It has transformed the way we work, play and socialise.

A popular question asked about broadband is "how do I get broadband?" This Simplifydigital guide will look at different ways of getting broadband at home or when you're out and about.

Here are the main ways to get broadband

Home Broadband - ADSL broadband

ADSL broadband providers in the UK include BT, Sky, AOL and Be Broadband.

This type of home broadband connection is through your BT landline. It is popular because wherever there is a BT landline in the UK, the customer should be able to get some sort of internet access via ADSL broadband.

Speeds of up to 24Mbps are just about as fast as you can currently get on an ADSL broadband connection via your landline.

Before you can get home broadband with an ADSL broadband connection, you need a BT landline installed in your home. If you already have a BT landline installed at your home, then you should be able to get ADSL broadband. If you don't have a BT landline, a BT landline installation will cost you around £125.

The best thing about ADSL broadband is that you can surf the internet without the connection dropping out when someone picks up the phone in the other room. To access ADSL broadband you will need to plug a micro filter into each telephone socket in your home; this will split the ADSL signal from the telephone signal and stop you from getting interference when you make phone calls. This means you can make a call and surf the net on the same phone line.

These micro filters are usually provided with your broadband (depending on supplier) but can also be purchased from a good PC retailer for around £5.

Home Broadband - Cable broadband

This broadband delivery method is widely used by Virgin Media in the UK. Virgin Media don't just use any old cable to deliver your broadband, they use fibre optic cables. These magic cables are able to deliver broadband speeds of up to 50Mbps. However Virgin Media cable doesn't cover the whole of the UK, so you may not get the service if you live outside urban areas where Virgin Media cable is more common.

The cable feed for cable broadband services is taken into your home from the street, and connected to a special cable modem, which is capable of decoding the cable broadband signal. The cable modem can then be connected directly into your computer, or to a wireless router which can connect to several PC's if you wish to share the internet connection.

Virgin Media can offer many broadband packages which include on-demand digital TV and home phone services.

Mobile broadband - broadband without the wires!

Mobile broadband can give you a fast high-speed broadband connection in areas where you can get a 3G mobile telephony signal. Mobile broadband speeds are generally between 1.5Mbps and 2Mbps which is a lot faster than dial up - but still significantly slower than your average 'fixed line' broadband.

There are many mobile broadband providers in the UK including O2, Orange and Vodafone.

When you sign up to mobile broadband, you will usually get a mobile broadband modem also known as a mobile broadband dongle. The mobile broadband dongle connects to a USB port on your PC and loads up software from the mobile broadband provider. This software then provides you with mobile broadband.

You do not need a phone line to obtain mobile broadband services, this means you can access broadband while you are on the go.

You can have a mobile broadband deal on a contact or use pay as you go. Pay as you go mobile broadband is the same as the pay as you go service on an ordinary mobile network.
In the same way you go down the local convenience store and top up your mobile phones credit, you can go in and top up your mobile broadband.

Wireless broadband

If your PC has wireless capabilities then you will be able to connect to a wireless broadband service or wireless broadband hot spot. If the home broadband service that you sign up to also has a wireless router included, then you can connect your computer to this wirelessly, and share your broadband connection with several PC's at home.

Satellite broadband

Satellite broadband is the more costly way of getting broadband. It suits people who live in very remote or rural areas that can't get access to ADSL broadband (BT landline) or cable broadband (Virgin Media).

The satellite signal is beamed to a precise coordinate in the sky which reaches another satellite in space. This gives the user an internet connection wherever their home is located in the world. Satellite broadband generally comes at a higher cost due to the set up and equipment charges, but it does offer a high speed 2Mbps internet solution to those of us outside the traditional broadband areas.

This option of getting broadband might also suit people who travel a lot. If you live in a motor home you could get access to satellite broadband wherever you are. This would be useful for professional people on long trips away in remote locations.