Internet speeds

Hello lads and lassies,

I've bought a laptop (not a dancer though) and I'm at the point of deciding what sort of internet link I should get.

The choice is basically two-fold:

1. Either a mobile internet abonnement which will give me a "download speed" of 1 mb, but I can log in where-ever I want (which would seem to me to be ideal for a laptop..).

2. A very fast home-abonnement, which would have a 20 mb download speed.

Now, the reason I'm asking it here, is because this site is probably the site I frequent most often.
Other than this one, I frequent discussion sites, e-mail and I'm starting a webpage (and if I ever need to upload large files, I'll be able to do that at someone else's house).

Is 1 mb speed enough?

1. most mobiles seem to run at 3.6Mb - are you sure the 1 isn't the monthly download limit?
2. Quoted 20Mb may or may not be attainable in your particular case. They don't guarantee it! - and then there's contention, etc. to worry about.

I've got 2 identical accounts from the same provider - both nominally 8Mb. The office one always runs at 8. The home one runs at about 0.7 most of the time, peaking at about 1.5.
Either way, it's plenty fast enough for most purposes - this site included.

Edit -

If it was personal use only, I'd dump the fixed account and use the mobile only - it would be cheaper for my usage. And then I'd dump the land line too! The only real downside of mobiles is if you find yourself in a black spot. To cover this I keep a pay-as-you-go with another provider for use if I'm desperate.

if u want to go for the mobile thingy id make sure u either get it at KPN or Vodafone, since thier networks are the best.

Originally posted by zozozozo
if u want to go for the mobile thingy id make sure u either get it at KPN or Vodafone, since thier networks are the best.

I agree entirely - coverage in the areas you go to is the key.
As it happens, my PAYG is a Vodafone. My 'contract' one is with 3 - and to be honest coverage is pretty dire in the UK outside major cities. It is, however, cheap for roaming - so for outside the UK (where I need it most) it's ideal.