Don’t get broadsided by broadband – quick guide

June 24, 2008 · Posted in broadband · 37 Comments 

Maeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair and Elucidate MDMaeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair and MD of Elucidate was recently asked to contribute to a Sunday Times article about broadband in light of Vodafone‘s entry into the market. Here below are her thoughts which make a handy pocket sized guide to choosing broadband in Ireland.

What should consumers expect to get from a decent basic broadband package?

One of the big things for consumers to watch out for is not just the monthly cost, but also to compare the speed or megabytes (mb) they are being offered and all the additional extras involved in installing the service into their home or business. There can be a lot of hidden costs, so check the detail and then make your cost comparison. Watch out for the cap on the amount of files you can transfer in any given month as this can be really expensive if you go over your cap. The opening offer from Vodafone for a 2mb broadband connection for EUR49.00 a month, includes installation.

What is the best type of broadband – (ADSL), cable-TV connections, or wirelessly through the air via a satellite dish or aerial?

Depends on what is most important to you, convenience (being able to move around), speed, cost and of course if the service or choice are available in your area. Most areas don’t even have a huge choice as often served by one or two service providers.

Wireless via satellite can be expensive, wireless via the air is reliable and convenient (depending on providers coverage of course) but can be a bit slow (e.g. 3.5mb or download or upload speed), sky offer 8-9mb which seems very fast, ADSL still seems to be the fastest and the most reliable, but it is not always the cheapest and it may not be available in your area. Also watch out if it says it is an up to 2mb it may be less than 2mb.

What is the best way of shopping around for a deal?

Maybe start by using a very handy online tool called the Broadband Calculator that allows you to fill in your preferences and it will deliver a result – http://www.callcosts.ie/broadband/Broadband_Calculator.175.LE.asp which is (from what I can tell) an independent source of information. It asks you questions such as do you want to exclude the cost of a telephone line rental as some providers don’t need a phone line to operate, what speed you want etc.

I would also use the price comparison websites http://www.broadband.gov.ie/List+all++Services/  to compare costs and download speeds. However, your journey does not end there, because then you have to check that your shortlist providers are available in your area which you can find out from http://mapviewer.broadband.gov.ie/ServiceByLocationSearchWF.aspx.

Then double check there aren’t any hidden costs associated with installation and add-ons to your monthly charges, which may not have been mentioned earlier. You need to double check exactly what you will see as a total charge on your monthly bill before you agree to sign up to any service provider. No harm in asking them to confirm by email. You should also check how long it will take before it will be set up (“Is there a waiting list?”) and exactly what is involved. You don’t want to be sitting waiting all day for them to arrive, or have a team ready to work without any access to broadband. So ask how this is managed and can you book a specific time for installation.

An added difficulty can be getting a response from the providers, especially if you contact them via their website or email. But if they do offer you to contact them via email or their website and don’t respond to your query, it might indicate how well they will deal with you in the future if you are experiencing problems with your service.

Who do you think is offering the best deal at the moment?

I would love to answer this one, but it depends on what is the top priority for you. Is it speed, ability to move around, reliability, availability in your area or cost? Good luck!

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Online on the Box

June 18, 2008 · Posted in Uncategorized · 1 Comment 

Maeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair and Elucidate MDMaeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair, presents a website review slot on TV3′s Irelandam. Below is a list of her most recent website selection.
Also available on her company’s site Elucidate.ie.
 
www.ecocho.eu
A search engine that gives something back to the environment. For every 1000 searches you make using Ecocho, two trees will be planted funded through the proceeds from advertising. Trees are grown via official Government-accredited projects.
KPMG will run quarterly and final year-end audits on the amount of carbon credits purchased and “retired” by ecocho. It’s a win, win option for searching the net.

www.google.com/health
Let’s start by saying if you have a health concern you need to consult a qualified doctor and not rely on the Internet to self-diagnose. Can you imagine if you got it wrong! On the other hand, it is always good to feel confident enough to ask more questions rather than feel powerless over your own health. If you want to find a good source of health information check out www.google.com/health Hopefully, Google’s highly effective page ranking system will weed out the less reliable sources in favour of the truth.

www.minclip.com
It’s summer and we are looking forward to all the kids playing outside in the sunshine with their friends. Inventing games and obstacle courses and then falling into a warm bath and bed exhausted at the end of the day. But this is Ireland and the chances are it is going to rain at least some of the time! So if you are ready to lock yourself in the shed at the end of the garden to escape your little darlings, then introduce them to a few really good websites with great games for kids. www.miniclip.com has a huge variety of really good games for kids and also shows at the top of the homepage the most popular games. It’s very easy to use and the games are excellent but you will need a fairly fast connection to enjoy the games properly.

 
www.stardoll.com
Another website full of interactive fun, but much more focused on girls and, to be honest the girl in us adults, is www.stardoll.com. Here you design your dolls outfit with the latest in fashion, as well as being able to pick your own celebrity and dress them to your taste. It’s a bit like the high tech version of those felt material dolls we used to make before the arrival of the Internet. But be careful, it is addictive!
 
http://www.jazz-clubs-worldwide.com
This is a great website for finding jazz venues across Europe and the rest of the world. You can also enjoy some video’s of artists live in those venues. Very easy to use, perhaps a bit hard to see as the type size is tiny on the homepage, but a real peep-hole into the global jazz scene.  Nice source of information if you fancy some good jazz when you take off during the summer or plan a city break.

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