Do you have an internet connection?

If you want to get the internet at home there are few questions that you need to ask yourself first. Most South African internet users do so from the comfort of their workplaces, but if you want to log on from the couch then you will need your own internet connection, and you should get one that works for the way you want to use it. So what kind of questions do you need to ask yourself if you want to get internet connected?

• What sort of line speed?
• Choose a bandwidth bundle?
• Take a type of bandwidth?

The line speed that you need will depend on what you want to use your internet connection for. If you just want to check your email or your RSS feeds then a slower line speed will do for you, but if you want to browse rich media sites with all the singing and dancing you will need a faster line speed. If online gaming is your thing, or you want to download videos or pictures then get the fastest line speed that you can.

Then you choose how much bandwidth you want. This again will depend on how you want to use your internet connection. The more downloads, music, videos and pictures that you want, the more bandwidth you will need. 5 gigabytes should cover most things if you don't spend all day online, but if you do, that massive sounding 5 gigs may quickly run out, so get the type of bandwidth bundle that will work for you. Choose shaped or unshaped bandwidth to prioritise the sites that you visit most and save on your bandwidth.