Saturday, May 3, 2008

A Guide to Broadband for Gaming

The number of ways we can use the Internet has increased significantly over the years, people now use the internet to talk to people the other side of the world for free and watch TV episodes from their childhood. One of the growing trends of Internet use is online gaming; this comes in many forms; from online gambling such as bingo or poker to game consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Most households now have broadband, a good proportion of families own some form of gaming platform whether it's a video games system or a PC. The ability to play against your friends (or enemies) over the internet is something that has caught on vastly in the past few years.

The phenomenon of online gaming started back in the early stages of the internet where computer geeks played games such as Doom in darkened basements all over America, but online gaming has evolved and spread to the living room with developments like Xbox Live, the paid for network where Xbox owners all over the world could play games such as first person shooters and racing games online, with the added ability to talk to your competitor should you feel the need to gloat after you win.

These days, Broadband connections are fast enough to handle multiple machines connecting to the internet; video game consoles nowadays either have a standard Ethernet port or have wireless networking hidden inside their plastic shells. As well as being able to play games online many of the leading companies have the facility to buy or download add-ons for games as well as full games including nostalgic fancies from our childhood being available for download.

This new method of buying and getting your video games has only been available in recent years as broadband speeds have increased, now full games are beamed straight to consoles in a matter of minutes. Of course in order to be able to do this without waiting a lifetime it is preferable to have a faster internet connection, by using a broadband speed test you'll be able to find out how fast you're currently going and check with your games console whether you are fast enough to handle fast paced online gaming without any interruptions.

If you are planning to try out online gaming you need to make sure your broadband can handle the added burden, possibly by getting an upgrade to your speed or investing in a wireless router to share your internet connection. There's a world of competition out there, it's time to prove your skills on the World Wide Web!

If you are looking for cheap broadband whether you have an existing provider or not then you can compare broadband deals online. Also if you are thinking about changing your supplier then check your connection using one of the various broadband speed test websites to see whether you are getting your money's worth.

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Broadband - UK Getting Up To Speed?

The average UK broadband speed is around 2 - 2.5Mbps, this is a far cry from the 8Mbps advertised and even further from the average 21Mbps users' in other parts of Europe are experiencing.

Its old news that the UK is falling behind other developed countries in terms of broadband speeds. However, there is one part of the country that will finally be able to compete, the humble town of Ebbsfleet in Kent.

BT has stuck to its word, in that it would provide new major housing developments with fibre optic networks as opposed to installing traditional copper cables.

With fibre networks, broadband speeds hover around the 100Mbps mark. This is bog standard for residence in other parts of the world, such as Korea and Japan, who are reaping the benefits of fibre networks.

However, so far in the UK it has only been businesses that have gotten a taste of such blisteringly high speeds, with around 120,000 businesses hooked up to fibre optic broadband networks.

The housing development in Ebbsfleet though, will see some 10,000 homes built upon a fibre network. Not only will this network prove more reliable than copper cables, but customers will be able to experience the full capabilities current technologies have to offer.

Multiple HDTV channels, HD network games and near-instantaneous music downloads will all be a reality.

The main gripe for the majority of UK broadband customers is the fact that they are not receiving anywhere near the broadband speed that is advertised.

Companies are trying hard to meet the demands but it's simply impossible over the traditional copper networks, it's only with the implementation of fibre networks that demands can truly be met.

The developments at Ebbsfleet are going to prove a testing ground, one which is likely to prove very favourable for both businesses and consumer's.

The outcome of which will hopefully see fibre networks incorporated into other parts of the UK, until ultimately the whole country will be in a position to compete with some of the worlds leading broadband providers, and in turn reap the benefits such networks can provide.

Liam is a UK author, currently focusing on broadband. Compare cheap broadband online today.

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