Useful Broadband Info

[Cable Forum]

So youââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ve decided to order broadband from ntl or already have it, and want to know how best to connect the cable modem to your PC.

A connection between the cable modem and your PC can be made via USB or using a Network Card (otherwise known as an Ethernet connection).

Reading through our discussion forum areas, you will find that many ntl:home broadband users favour an Ethernet connection. This is not to say that a connection via USB is inferior, but that preference is for the Ethernet connection.

Available since around 1982, Network Cards, which are also referred to as Ethernet Cards or NICs, have been popular for many years in the setting up and connection of networks within the Information Technology industry. The alternate connection method of USB is less well established having only been with us since 1995.

The function of a Network Card is to perform one role only. This they carry out with exceptional performance compared with the USB type of connection. Many home computers certainly if new, may have a NIC fitted as standard, and certainly, all †˜modernÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€Å ¾Ã‚¢ PCââ‚ ¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s will have the capability of supporting a USB connection to the cable modem.

Universally used in order to connect many different peripherals, such as scanners, gaming joysticks, a printer or a mouse, USB is an adequate way of creating a connection between your home computer and a cable modem.

The choice of which type of connection you opt for with your home computer and broadband set-up, is entirely yours. You may wish to take into account the advice, views and opinions of other members of this discussion forum before making your decision, and to that end you are most welcome to participate within the forums in order to invite the help, advice or support that you are looking for.

So which type of connection can you use right now ? Well, if you do have an available Ethernet connection, use it. If you do not have an available Ethernet connection but do have a spare USB Port, then you should use the USB connection.

Your choice of a USB connection may cause problems. Problems can occur when installing your USB drivers. Please read the following in order to minimise or prevent any such problems occurring, or just ask for help using our discussion forum area.

Installation Procedure For USB Drivers

Using the USB lead that will be supplied to you with your cable modem, connect the cable modem to the PC.

At this point, Windows will detect the new hardware automatically, and a †˜wizardÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€Å ¾Ã‚¢ should appear with the title of †œFound New hardwareââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ�. This †˜wizardÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€Å ¾Ã‚¢ will guide you through the installation process.

The †œFound New Hardwareââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ� wizard will now begin and Windows will look for the files needed to drive your USB connection. You simply need to follow the prompts that appear onscreen.

On occasion, Windows may experience some difficulty in finding the necessary drivers. Should this occur, donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t panic. You will just need to tell Windows where the location of the drivers is, and then continue with the installation procedure.

You will need to remember where your drivers are located on your PC. The installation disc that you may have requested from ntl:home will contain the drivers you need, and they will be found within the †˜rootâÃà ‚¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ directory of that disc.

You may have downloaded the drivers from the ntlworld website, in which case they will be stored on your PC. You should memorise or write down the name of the folder that your drivers were downloaded to.Should you have any further questions or queries, or should you be unclear of anything that youââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ve read here, please feel free to use our discussion forum areas to ask for the help, advice and support that members of this site will be more than happy to offer you.

[Cable Forum]

Do I have a Static or Dynamic IP address ?

The IP address provided to you is Dynamic and is liable to change. You may retain the same IP address for a long period of time, however this is not guaranteed.

I run a server and would like a Static IP address. Can I get one ?

Unfortunately, you will not be able to get a Static IP address, and in relation to your running of a server, you should read the User Policy available here (http://www.ntlworld.com/legals/user-policy.htm) to ensure that your use of a server doesnââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t contravene the policy.

Can you please tell me what Broadband Internet services are available from ntl:home ?

Certainly we can. The following is a list of the range of Broadband services currently on offer.
150kbps / 64kbps Broadband

600kbps / 128kbps Broadband

1Mbps / 256kbps BroadbandGoing back to the speeds, Iâ₠¬ÃƒÆ’¢â€žÂ¢m confused by those numbers. Please could you explain what those numbers refer to ?

The numbers in the example of 600kbps / 128kbps refer to achievable downstream and upstream speeds. The downstream speed which is the first number to appear, refers to the speed at which you will receive data from the internet, which affects the speed in which webpages appear. The second number which is known as the upstream, refers to the speed at which data can be sent to or over the internet, such as when a large file is being sent in an email.

That canââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t be right. Why canââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t I send data just as fast I receive it ?

The amount of data needed in order to request a webpage is only a small number of bytes. The webpage may contain a large number of Kbytes, but will display quickly so at this time, the speeds are adequate. However, industry recognises the need for higher speeds, and a new standard of cable modem technology known as Docsis 2 will be available in the future to cope with ever increasing data transfers.

Can you please explain the difference between kbps and Kbytes per second ?

Bits per second is the measurement of transmission speeds with k symbolising 1000. In the example of the 600kbps Broadband service, a transmission speed of 600,000 bits per second would be achieved. Measurement of data is made in Bytes, with one Byte equating to eight bits. A KByte equals 1024 Bytes. If you are still confused by this, please feel free to enquire on our discussion forum areas, where our members will be pleased to help you.

If I choose to sign up to a Broadband service from ntl:home, will I get an email address ?

Your account will enable you to register up to a total of 15 email addresses.

I send and receive a number of large attachments via email. How much storage space will I have for emails ?

In total you will receive a storage capacity of 10Mbyte. This total is for all of the email accounts you create, and not 10Mbytes per account.

Will I receive any webspace, and if so, how much will I get in total ?

Yes, you will receive webspace from ntl:home. In total you will have 55Mbyte of webspace available to use.

How much do the Broadband services available from ntl:home cost ?

The following prices are charged per month for the three available services from ntl:home Broadband. From August 2004 the new upgraded speeds will be:-
300kbps Broadband - £17.99

750kbps Broadband - £24.99

1.5Mbps Broadband - £37.99S ome customers may not *yet* be receiving the new upgraded speeds. NTL expects all customers to be on the news speeds by the end of October 2004. Special offers and promotions may be available to cover installation charges for any or all of the Broadband services. You would need to contact ntl:home on 0800 1831010 to get the latest information regarding any possible installation fees, or special offers/promotions that may be running in your area.

How long must I keep an ntl:home Broadband service ?

The initial contract will be for 12 months. After this period, you may cancel your service if you wish.