Advice \ Purchasing Broadband and Equipment

Modem or router?

Buying a "wireless internet gateway" is highly recommended. These usually combine an ADSL modem, router, wireless access point and firewall into one small box. If you purchase a Linksys or Netgear unit you cannot go far wrong. It is possible to purchase very low cost gateways but they're not usually great and many people end up buying a decent one later on. Units worth purchasing "Linksys WAG200G" or the "Netgear DG834PN".

Which ISP?

Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are similar in many ways. You should not be paying more than around £15-25 per month for a decent ADSL Max connection (up to 8Mb broadband, depending on your BT line quality). Watch out for transfer allowances.

A recommended ISP is Zen Internet. They provide a reliable service and have very good customer service.

A good place to weigh up the ADSL services on offer is on www.thinkbroadband.com.