Broadband for HomeWorking

In assessing broadband options, homeworkers should look carefully at both Upload as well as Download speeds, because unlike normal residential broadband users who mostly download, homeworkers tend to upload (send emails, files etc) much more.  While most broadband is asymmetrical (i.e. the download speed far exceeds the upload), some providers offer symmetrical connections where the upload speed matches the download.

Another important consideration is the contention ratio. The contention ratio indicates how many users will be sharing the last mile of user connection, usually expressed like 8:1, 12:1, 48:1 etc.  So if you have 6 MB broadband speed with a contention of 48:1 (up to 48 users sharing this), you could have at certain periods of time only 125Kbps. If you have a 2Mbps connection (that supposed to be slower than 6Mbps) and you have a contention of 8:1, the minimum that you are expected to reach is 250Kbps, which is twice as good as 6MB at 48:1 connection. You can check your line speeds by clicking on www.irishisptest.com

Centrecom offers a  managed broadband service for Irish companies which gives homeworkers the choice of every available broadband technology and service in the country. See www.centrecom.ie