Do you remember using the Internet back when you had to dial in using a modem? First you dialled, then you listened to screeching noises, and then, if you were lucky, you were connected at a snails pace. Worse, it was impractical to leave the connection on all the time, as it would drop out at random and have to redial every time you restarted the machine.

If youre unlucky enough to still be using dial-up Internet access, I feel for you. Why not come and join us in the age of broadband? Broadband is revolutionary, always-on, much faster Internet access, letting you download much larger files and use the Internet whenever you want, with no waiting. If youve been put off broadband because you think its expensive, think again the remaining dial-up ISPs like AOL are charging just as much for dial-up access as you would pay for broadband.

The biggest problem many new broadband users have, though, is confusion over what kind of broadband they should get. With that in mind, heres a basic rundown.

DSL broadband is the most common kind. It is broadband that works over a normal phone line, as long as the telephone exchange is DSL-enabled, and can be bought either from your existing phone provider or from a dedicated ISP.

Another common kind of broadband is cable. Instead of buying it from your phone supplier, you get it from your cable TV supplier, often as part of a package deal. If you already have cable, this can be a better option for you, as it is often cheaper and faster than DSL.

Finally, if youre stuck out in the middle of nowhere without a DSL-enabled line and with no local cable company, you should consider satellite broadband. Satellite broadband is a clever way of accessing the Internet using a normal dial-up connection to send things but a satellite to download them. While its not cheap and suffers in the speed stakes, it is much better than sticking with dial-up.