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Hello and welcome to our guide to using the Internet in the UK.

There is such a huge range of choice when it comes to the Internet in the UK that it can be quite bewildering. This guide aims to make the process of setting yourself up online easier.

I have been online since 1988 (with a 2Kb modem in those days) and have used dial-up telephone line connections, high-speed broadband and satellite links.

At whatever level you are considering entering the internet market, you will need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may just want to surf the Internet and exchange emails or you may want your own website too. Let's consider these in turn.

The most common form of UK internet access at the moment is high-speed broadband, whether it comes from a cable provider or a telephone line, usually provided by BT. If you are still using a dial-up 56 Kb connection, you have a wonderful experience in store for you. If you are considering going online for the first time, don't give dial-up a second thought - it is painfully slow, once you have experienced high-speed broadband. If you have a cable TV provider, you will probably find it easier to get your connection from your existing supplier, otherwise I suggest going with
. BT has plenty of experience, a long-standing good record and is very competitive too these days. You can read an independently written article on hi-speed broadband Internet access by clicking this Internet Access link or the button on the left.

Most ISP's will allow you a few email addresses and a limited amount of their disk space to host a personal website. This might be sufficient for some people, but these days, with lower prices and higher individuality required, I think that most people would rather a more personal website and the personal email addresses that go with it. For example: would you rather 'be known as' (ie have an email address of):
owen1954.8@ntlworld.com and a site address of http://ntlworld.com/owen1954-8/index.html
or
owen@amiabledragon.com and an address of http://amiabledragon.com ?
(These are real examples: I was with NTL before, but have left them and the Amiable Dragon is one of my websites).

In this example, amiabledragon.com is my domain name, so I can put anything I choose before it to create an email address. It is far more personal AND it can be used for business, if I want, whereas many ISP's ban the use of their websites for business purposes. If you decide on having your own domain, then you will need to host it somewhere (ie someone will have to store it on their computer for you). Again, I have provided an independent report on web-hosting and my recommendations.

Finally, you may want to enhance your Internet experience by upgrading some of your accessories; for example: getting an optical or radio mouse, a wireless router, a better chair or desk et cetera. For this, again, I have made certain recommendations on the Accessories page.

I hope you have found this article useful and that the site will help you better experience the wonderful World Wide Web.

Happy Surfing!

Owen.

PS: if you live outside the UK, please click here for a similar deal in the US.