How much bandwidth download do I need?

 

I have just started getting into ADSL or also called Broadband and there are so many ISP out there – which one have the best deal? As I moved from Dial Up service to ADSL.

So I spent hours researching and finding out what are some of the ISP offering and are they offering the same thing but different brand and cost?

Here are some information that I have gathered.
For residential, generally most ISP offer 2 types of ADSL: the old ADSL (ADSL1) and the new ADSL2+

So which one is better? ADSL vs ADSL2+? Essentially, the difference between the two are the speed range and technologies used. In the nutsehell:
ADSL1 usually have fixed theoretical maximum speed such as 256kbps, 512kbps, 1.5Mbps or 8Mbps.
So, when signing with a particular ISP, there is a specific plan depending on the speed. such as 256plan with 10GB allowance, or 512plan with 10GB allowance and etc.
For ADSL2+ however, it has a range of really slow to the theoretical maximum speed up to 24Mbps. its plan usually be upon how much download allowance plan.

Of course it also depends upon various factors that may limit the speed. One of them is the how far is your house to the exchange (this is the local telephone exchange, usually there is 1 in a suburb). So the location can range from a few hundreds metres to several kilometres. Hence affecting the speed you get. 

Before you can get connected, your local telephone exchange needs to have an ADSL2+ provider active. You can check with the ISP by supplying your phone no. They can check it for you. 

So which one would suit you better? In one word, it depends on the way you use the internet. Having ADSL2+ is a new technology, its price is getting cheaper and cheaper. So with the potential of having high speed, I would suggest to opt for ADSL2+ technology. Of course there are other things to consider Modem: need to be ADSL2+ compatible.

First, you need to think about how much bandwidth (download allowance) do you need per month at least? This will make your decision easier down the track. An example below are:
1000MB = 1GB: occasional email and light web surfing, about 2-3 times a week. Suitable for 1 person.
5000MB = 5GB: email, light web surfing, and rare occasion movie streaming like you tube etc. For 1 person
10000MB = 10GB: everyday email and web surfing everyday and small amount movie download. 1-2ppl
20000MB = 20GB: Everyday email, web surf and you tube and 1-2 movie/music download. 2-3ppl
50000MB = 50GB: Heavier user as above and usual movie/music download. Suitable for 2-4ppl users
100000MB = 100GB Hardcore, where frequent movie/music download and multiple users in the household.

I hope the above will be a good guide. as to how much you would need in a month. Also if you just starting into broadband – always good idea to start on lower plan, you can always upgrade to higher/heavier plan. But most of the time, you can’t change to lower plan or if you can, you will have to pay a fee. Not a good idea.