What is Ultra-broadband?

Ultra-broadband is an internet connection above 3Mbps. Most DSL plans top out at 1.5Mbps. The fastest cable modems top out at 3Mbps. 3Mbps+ is in the realm of Fiber and direct Ethernet connections.

From what I understand, these ultra-broadband connections come into the in a variety of ways but end up as simple 10/100 Ethernet(RJ-45). This makes them very easy to share with software or a broadband router.

Just about any Internet connection sharing software will work with these connections. Make sure to run it on a fast computer (500Mhz+) to ensure your broadband connection is not bottlenecked by your internet sharing computer.

Broadband routers are not powerful beasts. Most Internet connections max out at around 1Mbp so most broadband routers were never built for 5Mbps or 7Mbps Internet connections. The problem worsens when you enable statefull packet inspection or run VPN's or other advanced networking software. The point is, most consumer broadband routers are going to be a bottleneck for your Internet connection at about 2.5 to 3Mbps.

If you plan to install 802.11b (11Mbps wireless) on a network that is connected to an ultra-broadband connection be aware that your wireless network has the potential of being a bottleneck. With encryption enabled, most 802.11b wireless networks only get 2.5-3.5Mbps. Without encryption, you are only looking at 3.5 at 4.5Mbps. With this in mind, consider 802.11a - the 54Mbps wireless Ethernet standard. 802.11a has a throughput of about 22Mbps - plenty fast.

If your Internet IP address starts with 192.168. or 10. then you do not have a real internet IP Address - you have a private IP address. This is not uncommon for ultra-broadband connections. Read this document to understand what you can and can not do.