Sky Broadband Checker for Sky Packages

If you have decided that you want to use Sky as your broadband service provider you need to see which packages are available in your area.  The best way to do this is to use the Sky broadband checker available on the Sky website.  This checker is able to tell you which packages you can get in your area and the broadband connection type they use. 

The Sky Broadband Checker

One of the most important pieces of information that you get from the Sky broadband checker is the connection types available in your area.  It is recommended that you use the Sky broadband checker before you look at any of the Sky packages.  When you do this you are able to limit the packages you look at just to the ones available in your area.  There are many consumers who do not do this and end up finding that the package they want is not available where they live.  There are three connection types that you should know about:

·         ADSL

·         LLU

·         Fibre optic

ADSL Sky Broadband

ADSL is the most common broadband connection in the UK.  This is due to the far reaching phone infrastructure created by BT.  The ADSL broadband connection runs off the copper wires of the phone network.  This means that 99% of home in the UK are able to get ADSL broadband, but they may not all be able to get Sky ADSL broadband.

There are two kinds of ADSL connections that you need to know about and they are ADSL and ADSL2+.  The ADSL connection is the older connection and offers speeds of up to 9mb per second.  However, ADSL connections have largely been overtaken by the faster ADSL2+ connection that offers speeds of up to 19mb per second.  Most of the country is able to get the newer ADSL2+ connection, but you still need to verify this. 

The speeds you actually get with ADSL connections are generally lower than the advertised speed.  Research has shown that only 10% of ADSL2+ consumers are actually getting the 19mb per second advertised speeds.  There are a number of reasons for this with the main one being that the cooper wires of the phone network were not created to carry broadband. 

When the copper wires for phone services were created high-speed broadband was not available.  This means that no-one thought to make cables that could carry this connection without speed degradation.  The speed of the connection slows down the further the connection has to travel so consumers situated a distance from the local exchange will have slower broadband compared to people closer to the local exchange.  This is not a big problem in most urban areas because you are never far from an exchange.  However, older areas do suffer because there are fewer exchanges and the connection has to travel further.

Local Loop Unbundled or LLU

LLU stands for local loop unbundled and refers to technology that service providers place in the local exchange.  This technology allows them to bypass the wholesale charges they would normally have to pay BT.  This saving is often filtered to the consumer by lowering the monthly premiums people have to pay.  When you use a broadband checker and are told that you are in an LLU area for a provider this means that the provider has this technology in your local exchange. 

The broadband connection you will get outside an LLU area is an ADSL2+ connection.  The only different between normal ADSL2+ and LLU is the technology that the providers use.  The speeds you can get from the provider are the same as normal ADSL2+.  The only difference is that you could be getting a better price for your package. 

One problem that you could face if you are on an LLU network is that switching can be difficult.  Switching from one LLU to another or an LLU to BT can be quite tricky and time consuming.  If you need to do this you must give the provider sufficient notice of your change. 

The cost of your monthly premium will also vary depending on whether you are in the Sky LLU network or not.  If you are in the network area then you can get a cheaper monthly premium.  Most Sky consumers outside the LLU network will have to pay a slightly higher premium. 

Fibre Optic Broadband

It is very important that you use a broadband checker if you are looking at Sky fibre optic broadband.  The fibre optic broadband infrastructure only reaches 60% of the country and this is when you are using BT.  Sky fibre optic is limited like all fibre optic providers and you have to check if you can get this connection in your area. 

Many people consider getting fibre optic broadband because of the higher speeds and the stability of the connection.  The fastest fibre optic broadband in the UK is 100mb per second, but this is only offered through one service provider.  If you are looking at Sky fibre optics then the fastest speeds you are able to get are up to 76mb per second.  There is another package that offers speeds of up to 38mb per second and this has a lower monthly premium.

The speeds you get with fibre optics may not be the advertised speeds, but it will be closer than with ADSL.  With fibre optic broadband the cables were created with high-speed data transfers in mind.  This means that the connection does not degrade the further it has to travel.  The connection is also more stable with a fibre optic connection. 

The fibre optics offered by Sky is FTTC which means that they do not run the fibre optic cable into the house.  The fibre optic cable runs to the cabinet in the street and then a copper wire is used to bring the connection into the house.  This method is used by most providers because the fibre optic Infrastructure does not allow for FTTH connections.  There are only two providers that are able to offer FTTH connections and one only offer this is certain areas.  The inclusion of the copper wire for the last mile of cabling will cause a degradation of the connection.