What do I need to know to connect to the internet?

Once you have a computer, you will need to choose an internet service provider. Your ISP is usually the same as your telephone or TV provider. In the UK, examples of providers include British Telecom (BT), Sky Broadband, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Vodafone.

Your ISP will provide all the hardware you need to access the internet at home.The term broadband refers to high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than dial-up access through a telephone line. Broadband enables a large number of messages to be communicated at the same time.

Activity: Connecting to the internet

Timing: Allow about 5 minutes

Watch this short video from GCFLearnFree.org that explains how to connect to the internet. You can turn on captions by clicking on the subtitles icon in the bottom right corner of the video.

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The video lasts 4 minutes.

How the internet works

Internet hardware