Easy guide to the internet Choices Choices! The different ways of getting on the internet explained
Take a deep breath, and relax! Be assured you are not the only person who may be overwhelmed by all the online and technology choices out there. This guide gives you all the information you need about getting online to help you make the right choice for you. You may find the accompanying guide Which device is the right one for me? helpful as it explores the hardware options available to you.
Contents 1. Broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi hot spots: your choices for getting on the internet. 2. Checklist: which is the right choice for me? 3. Dongles, Mifis and SIMs: Mobile Internet access devices explained. 4. Internet data and data speeds explained. 5. Roaming abroad. 6. Useful information. 3
1. Broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi hot spots: your choices for getting on the internet. The three main ways of getting on the internet are: 1. Mobile this is where you connect to the internet via a SIM, Dongle or Mifi device. You can buy your data (internet usage) by Pay as you go or through a contract, which can be as short as one month or as long as 24 months. You get onto the internet through a 3G or 4G signal. What is 3G and 4G? It s pretty technical, but in a nutshell 4G allows for more data to be transferred at faster speeds. So, if you are likely to watch films, use Skype etc then 4G is important for you. Be aware though, 4G will consume your data faster than 3G. It s the same type of connection as a mobile phone so bad phone line = bad data connection click here for a webpage that lists all the providers websites in one place. 2. At home broadband this is internet that travels via telephone exchanges and it is often faster than mobile internet access. You can generally do a lot more with broadband as it is always turned on and most broadband deals now give you unlimited data but do check with your provider. 4
A router is connected to your phone line which then connects you to the internet. You cannot take the router out of the house. You may have a choice of broadband or superfast fibre broadband. Superfast fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables and gives faster data transfer speeds. It costs more, and isn t available in every area yet. Click here to see if Superfast Fibre is available in your area. If you are on a low income and claim certain benefits, then BT Basic + Broadband may be right for you - click here to find out more. 3. Wi-Fi Hot Spots a fixed location where you can access the internet for free or a small charge. These are public places where you can pick up an internet connection. This is the most risky way of connecting to the internet as you are sharing an open signal with other people. It s therefore not wise to connect to online banking or to your personal information whilst using a wi-fi hot spot. You can download apps (such as the JiWire app) for Apple devices and Android and it will search for free hotspots. It s also worth checking My Hotspots, Free Hotspot, and Boingo. 5
2. Checklist: which is the right choice for me? Mobile Internet At home broadband Free hot spots My monthly budget is 7.50 a month upwards. 10 a month upwards including line rental (if you qualify for BT Basics + Broadband). 0 upwards. Around 15 a month or more, including line rental. Some packages may offer a lower price for a set amount of time to new customers. How can I pay for it? Pay As You Go (PAYG) and contract options available. You may need to pass a credit check for a contract. Short and long contracts available. You may need to pass a credit check. Often free, but sometimes there is a charge. You will need to provide your details via a sign up page. How much data do I get for my money? Varies Expect to pay around 7.50 per 1GB. It costs less the more you buy. Varies from capped to unlimited. Unlimited data may have hidden limits. Click here for a round up of providers. Varies depending on the location of the provider, connection speeds and how many people are accessing the hotspot at one time. 6
Mobile Internet At home broadband Free hot spots Are there hidden charges? PAYG can be more expensive to use overall but once you have used your data, there are no more charges. Contract you can pay a lot more if you go over your data allowance. Abroad - you could pay considerably more if using abroad check with the provider. You may need to pay an upfront cost for the Dongle, SIM card or Mi-Fi device. You may need to pay for line installation if you don t have a suitable phone line. You will need to pay for line rental. Providers can have a sneaky habit of increasing the costs in line with inflation. You will pay a lot if you have to terminate a contract early. You may need to sign up and pay to use. The charges should be made clear to you and you will need to provide payment information. How many people can access the internet at the same time? 1 person for SIM data. 1-10 people via a Mi-Fi device or Dongle. 1-10 people depending on line speed (how fast the router and phone line can transfer data). Varies the more people connected the slower the speeds. Can I browse the internet, use Facebook and send messages? Yes just be careful about watching short films. Click here to find out how to turn off auto play videos on Facebook. Yes. If your data is capped, the same warning applies about auto play videos. Yes. 7
Mobile Internet At home broadband Free hot spots Can I download and play games online? Yes - but 3G may not be fast enough to play complicated games. Yes - but you may need superfast fibre broadband for complicated games. Simple games only, such as Candy Crush. Downloading a game could be expensive (Assassins Creed IV is 29GB!). Can I make video or voice calls (Skype)? Yes- with a bigger data package (Skype uses 1MB to 11.25MB of data a minute). Yes - If your data is capped you need to be careful not to go over your limit. Generally not, but will vary across locations. 4G connection will work better. Can I download or stream TV programmes and films, for example BBC iplayer or NetFlix? Depends on connection speed - a 4G connection may work better. Downloading a film could be expensive (225MB to 2GB of data use an hour is possible). Yes. Generally not, but will vary across locations. Can I upload my own photos and videos? Yes, an upload also counts as data use so it will use your data allowance. Yes, an upload also counts as data use so be cafeful if your data plan is capped. Yes possibly unreliable for bigger files. I want to access financial or personal information online Safe when your security software is up-to-date. Safe when your security software is up-to-date. Not recommended. 8
Mobile Internet At home broadband Free hot spots Anything else? Large software patches and updates can eat your data, Windows 8.1 and game extension packs can be huge. Cloud back up services such as Dropbox can also eat up your data. It s down to you to check your data usage but do ask your provider if they can send you alerts to prevent you going over budget. Don t turn it off! The router will receive software updates and needs to be kept on. Take provider estimated speeds with a pinch of salt very likely to be slower. This is the least secure way of connecting to the internet not recommended for accessing financial or personal data. Great for saving on your capped data, can try to run your software updates at free hot spots. Take provider estimated speeds with a pinch of salt very likely to be slower. 9
3. Dongles, Mi-Fi s and SIMs: Mobile internet access devices explained. Mi-Fi Device Description Advantages Disadvantages Data Sim Card Dongle A portable broadband device that allows multiple devices to share a 3G or 4G mobile broadband Internet connection. Just like a phone sim card, just for data only (you can t make phone calls), uses 3G or 4G data to connect to the internet. A USB device that utilises a 3G or 4G signal to connect to the internet. Portable. Can connect up to 10 devices. Available on PAYG or contract. Available on PAYG or contract. Great for tablets that have a data SIM option (not all tablets do). Can easily fit into a pocket. Relies on providers mobile signal. The upfront cost of the Mi-Fi device. Be aware of hidden charges if you go over your contracted data limit. Will be slower than broadband. May need a credit check. Relies on provider s mobile signal. Be aware of hidden charges if you go over your contracted data limit. Will be slower than broadband. May need a credit check. Needs a USB port to plug into (some devices do not have a USB port). Relies on provider s mobile signal. Be aware of hidden charges if you go over your contracted data limit. Will be slower than broadband. 10
4. Internet data and data speeds explained. Internet speed is the number of bytes per second that data travels from your device to the Internet (known as upload speed ) and from the Internet to your device (the download speed ). The type of connection and device you are using to access the Internet will also influence the speed of the data transfer. Data Sizes explained 1024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB) 1024 KB = 1 Megabyte (MB) 1024 MB = 1 Gigabyte (GB) 1024 GB = 1 Terabyte (TB) What internet data speeds can I expect? Mobile 3G 7 MB per second Mobile 4G 8-12 MB per second Line Based Broadband 12 MB per second Superfast Fibre Broadband 24-300 MB per second Please note all speeds are approximations. You will need to check speeds with your data provider. 11
Faster speeds are needed for data heavy activities such as streaming an HD film or playing a complicated computer game. It may also be needed if you have a lot of people using the internet at the same time. If you are a light user, only using the internet to shop, look at web pages, check Facebook, e-mails and occasionally streaming media such as TV or radio - slower connections should work for you. But if there are a number of internet users in your household, this could slow down your connection speeds. If you are somewhere in the middle with your usage you will need to look carefully at what speeds different providers can get in your area, as connection speeds depend on how efficient the Internet connection is and that varies across the country and from provider to provider. The illustration on the next page may help you to work out what your data usage is or is likely to be. 12
Data Usage 1 hr instant messaging 0.25-1MB Download 1 photo 0.05-2MB Download 100 emails 0-10MB 1hr web browsing 1.5-25MB Download 1 MP3 3-8MB Download 1 film trailer 7-50MB Stream 1 hour audio 60-200MB 1GB= + Download 2000 emails Stream 8.3 hours of audio x40 5GB= 1 hr Skype call 180MB + 15GB= 1hr video Skype call 219MB Download up to 833 songs Stream 1hr video 100-250MB x750 (2 mins SD) Download Adobe Acrobat X Pro 465MB x6 x100 Watch that skateboarding dog video 750 times on YouTube x10 Download 1 film 700MB-1.5GB Make 45 hours of Skype calls Download all 6 + Herbie films Stream 1 hour video 1-2GB Mobile Broadband Usage Calculator by BroadbandGenie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. 13
5. Roaming abroad Roaming means accessing the internet from abroad, using mobile data. Data used while roaming usually costs more it is unlikely that your current mobile plan will include roaming data. Some mobile service providers allow you to buy data before you go, and this can be cheaper than roaming on a pay as you go basis. Roaming data charges vary depending on where you are going, charges in the EU, outside of the EU and aboard cruise ships can vary. Some mobile phone providers automatically block data roaming, and you will need to call them to get data roaming unblocked. We strongly recommend that you check with your mobile service provider before using your phone abroad. Turning data roaming off To turn data roaming off, but still make phone calls and send text messages (note these will often cost more abroad too), go to Settings. On Android and Windows phones swipe down slowly from the top of the screen (you may need to swipe down twice on some Android phones) and find a cog like this one to get to settings. On Apple handsets, tap the settings icon. The roaming setting will be called something like data usage, mobile data, mobile and SIM, data connection. Within this setting there should a switch. Tap the switch to turn mobile data on and off. You will need to turn it back on when back in the UK in order to use your mobile data again. To find out more about using your phone abroad, our favourite guide is on Money Saving Expert. Search for cheap mobile and data roaming to find the page on the internet. 14
6. Useful Information We suggest using price comparison sites to search for affordable line based broadband and mobile data offers. The Money Saving Expert site often has good deals and information, although other offers and websites are available. My Living also offer line based broadband that does not need a credit check, a direct debit, a bank account or even a contract! It can also be paid for on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. Contact them on 030 3030 0010 (same rate as a local call) to find out more. Talk to us... You can get in touch with Berneslai Homes about this guide and the internet in general by emailing your Digital Inclusion Coordinator on HannahBailey@berneslaihomes.co.uk, calling 01226 772789, tweeting @digitalhannah23. Got an online or technical question? Book your free 1-2-1 with a Device Doctor. Sessions are based at your local library. Call or pop in to make your booking. 15
Berneslai Homes Limited is a company controlled by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 4548803. Registered Office: Gateway Plaza, off Sackville Street, Barnsley S70 2DJ. www.berneslaihomes.co.uk