Ask Our Expert

Small Business Broadband - Ask the Expert

If you have a broadband question, why not write to our Broadband Expert, Michael Phillips, at OurExpert@BroadbandChoices.co.uk

Q ~ Dear Michael,

I work from home and already have Sky. Now I’m wondering about Sky or BT Vision services [for broadband]. I have ended up with a Tiscali service which is far from perfect.

BT would allow an extra TV service which could be useful. However the most important thing is it is my main broadband for work and therefore I do not want to compromise that.

Incidentally my son has a separate broadband connection which I use as an emergency back-up. It is with AOL/Carphone and all I can say is that it is far more reliable than my Tiscali service.

What do you recommend?

Thanks,

Steve, via email

Our expert says...

Hello Steve. Thanks for writing in.

Problem

It seems like you are frustrated with your current home broadband service. I understand you are a freelance journalist who works from home and needs a reliable connection that is affordable. Right now it looks like you are paying for different services from different providers and want to streamline products.

Solution

There are some things you can do to improve the way you do business and work from home. You might even save a bit of money with a few changes to your current situation.

Since you work from home and rely on your broadband service for your job, it would be best to switch your main broadband line to a small business service. The services offer the same technology but have subtle differences which make the upgrade worth your time and money.

Benefits

With a small business broadband connection, you will receive several benefits. These include:

• Priority customer support – If you are having a problem with your service you can get through to someone quickly for help.

• Prioritized traffic on the network – You will be able to get through to certain sites and addresses more quickly than you would on a public connection.

• Static IP address – Most business broadband connections offer a static IP address which is important if you are connection with a business network. Some business connections will not recognize your IP address if it is dynamic (which means it is always changing).

The Next Step

I recommend Eclipse (www.Eclipse.net) which has a small office broadband option that is reliable and affordable for approximately £19.99 per month. Eclipse won Finalist of Best Business Broadband Award in 2006.

For your emergency backup broadband connection, we recommend Sky (www.sky.com/broadband). Since you are already a Sky digital customer you can get Sky broadband at no additional cost. Look into cancelling the AOL (www.aol.com) service and you could save in the region of £240 a year.

Compare other broadband providers at Broadbandchoices.co.uk.