• FTTC (fibre) broadband is now available in a large part of the Ash Vale area and should be rolled out to the remaining areas by the end of 2011. The advertised speed is "up to 40Mbps" and most properties should achieve 30Mbps or better. We use and recommend PlusNet because they combine excellent service with prices from only £16.49 per month.
  
  
• ADSL broadband is available unless your telephone service is not provided by Virgin media via their cable TV network. The speed advertised by most ADSL providers is "up to 8Mbps". In practice, because of the distance between Ash Vale and the BT exchange (which is in Aldershot), the maximum speed available rarely exceeds 3MBps and is as low as 0.5MBps in a few localities.
  
  If your telephone service is provided by a company that uses "local loop unbundling" (e.g. TalkTalk), then you can only get ADSL broadband through that supplier. Otherwise (e.g. if your telephone service is provided by BT), you can choose from a wide range of suppliers, all of whom make the necessary arrangements with BT Openreach. We recommend PlusNet because they have an excellent reputation for service and offer good value (ADSL broadband from £6.49 per month).
  
  When choosing a supplier, check whether the headline price quoted applies for the whole contract period or just for the first few months. In some areas of Ash Vale (e.g. near the Swan Inn), it can be difficult to get ADSL broadband working at all, or the speed obtained is very low. We can often improve the situation by installing an ADSL filter at your master socket or by improving your telephone extension wiring.
  
  
• Cable broadband is available to you if your house is connected to the Virgin media cable TV network. This will normally be your best choice if your telephone service and/or TV service is also supplied by Virgin. Three different speeds are available ("up to" 10Mbs 20Mbps and 50Mbps). See this Virgin Media broadband page for more details.
  
  
• Mobile broadband uses a 3G mobile telephone network to transfer the data instead of a fixed line. If you use a laptop computer on the move, you can use mobile broadband to access the internet on it from anywhere that has good 3G coverage for the network you subscribe to. Quoted mobile broadband speeds are typically lower than the maximum speeds quoted for cable or ADSL. However, if you can't get FTTC, your street isn't cabled for cable TV and the available ADSL speed on your telephone line is 1MBps or less, then mobile broadband could be the fastest option for you. See this mobile broadband guide for more information.
  

If you order FTTC broadband, then a BT Openreach engineer will supply a VDSL modem and connect it to your master socket. To use more than one computer you will need a router as well (it needs to be a "cable router", not an ADSL router). Our recommended FTTC supplier PlusNet includes a high-speed wireless router with their FTTC packages.

If you order ADSL broadband, you will need a router. Most suppliers including our preferred supplier PlusNet will supply a router free of charge if you sign up for a minimum contract term. You will also need to filter your telephone sockets. Most ADSL routers are supplied with microfilters for 2 sockets. However, a better solution for properties distant from the exchange is to fit an ADSL faceplate on your matser socket - call us for details.

If you order cable broadband, Virgin Media will provide the equipment. Their packages generally include a wireless router, allowing you to connect one or more computers wirelessly and/or using Ethernet cables.

If you subscribe to mobile broadband then the supplier will provide a USB dongle. You just plug this in to your computer or laptop and you are read to go.

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