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Technology lingo can be confusing. So we've set up this page to help make sense of it. Choose a term to find out more.
These are small plugs you need to put into your phone sockets so your broadband and telephone signals don't interfere with each other.
You get two free filters when you join Orange Broadband, but you can buy more. And if you've had broadband before, you may already have some filters on hand. back to top
To use broadband services, you need to hook up a special digital modem (as opposed to a dial-up or 'analogue' modem).
All Orange Broadband packages come with either standard wireless router or a Livebox. If you already have a broadband modem or router and join Home Starter, you can use that if you choose.
If you join Home Max or Home Select, you'll need to use the Livebox to use your Second line.
Livebox (comes with Home Max and Home Select)
- connect up to six computers wirelessly, so everyone can get online and do their own thing
- plug a regular phone into Livebox, and calls to UK landlines, Orange mobiles and 30 countries are included in the price with second line
- attach your Xbox or PlayStation and use Livebox to play online video games
Standard wireless router (with Home Starter)
- wirelessly connect from anywhere in your home
IMPORTANT: If there is a power cut, or a power failure, you will not be able to make or receive any voice calls using your Livebox,
including calls to emergency services numbers 999 or 112.
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Broadband speed is a measure of how fast data moves along phone lines and into your computer. This speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps) and is usually shortened to 'Meg' or "Mb".
An 8 Meg speed is four times as fast as 2 Meg. Have a look at our speed demo to see the difference that speed makes.
Speeds faster than 2 Meg are only available in some areas, and top speeds can vary quite a lot, especially if you live far from the telephone exchange. If your line won't support our fastest broadband speed, we'll always give you the fastest available.
The estimate that we provide you with is an estimate on your Access Line speed and this is different to the actual speed you receive on your PC or Laptop, that is known as "throughput speed".
The Access Line speed is the speed your line is capable of from the exchange to your house and is the headline speed you'll see in adverts. Once inside your house your throughput speed can be affected by a number of issues, including the following:
- quality of your internal wiring
- your router not being plugged into the main BT socket
- the time of day (we and most other internet providers sometimes have to restrict speeds a little at peak times to ensure everyone has stable access to the Network - click here to learn more see below section on Traffic Management
- having more than one pc connected to one internet connection
- even things like having your router near magnetic / electrical equipment
- and sometimes even the weather
Orange signed up to and comply with Ofcom's Code of Practice on broadband speed, to learn more about it click here. back to top
For all Orange Home Services packages you need:
- CD-Rom drive
Check you can insert CDs in your computer. You'll need this to view the set-up guide. - One of these operating systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Apple Mac OS X (except for Intel Base Apple Macs
for Home Starter customers)
To find out which operating system you've got, go to "My Computer" and "View System Information." 
an Ethernet port
Not sure if you have one? Check the back of your computer for this symbol:
If you see one of those, you're good to go.- a wireless-enabled computer or a wireless adaptor
Check your computer's user guide to see if it's got built-in wireless capability.
If it doesn't, you'll need to buy a wireless adaptor. You can buy one from us when you join. - Electrical surge protection
Electrical surges happen a lot, although you may have never had one in your home. Everyday activity like turning appliances on and off can create small surges, which, added to other small surges, could damage your electrical equipment.
You can prevent damage with a surge protector (which looks a lot like a normal extension lead). They're available from most high street and online retailers and cost £10 to £20.
Orange broadband comes with webspace so you can build your own websites. If you're a novice, you'll also get a beginner's guide to help you get started.
You'll also get an email address that you can access from the Orange homepage using any computer with an internet connection. You also get 500 MB of email storage space and free anti-virus and anti-spam filters. back to top
We offer full technical support for our customers with Apple Mac OS X.
Unfortunately the wireless adaptor we sell doesn't work with Apple Macs. back to top
Enjoy 2 cinema tickets for the price of 1 with Orange Wednesdays. Treat yourself to a film and take a friend on us.
The offer is good every Wednesday for any film at cinemas nationwide. Register at www.orange.co.uk/orangewednesdays when your broadband service is connected. back to top
Second line (available with Home Select and Home Max) lets you use your internet connection to make telephone calls. All you have to do is plug a regular phone into your Livebox. Calls to UK landlines (01, 02 or 03 numbers), Orange mobiles and landlines in 30 international destinations are included in the package price. Find out more. back to top
Orange Broadband comes with McAfee® Privacy Service.
- choose what your kids can do and see online
- keep your computer free from spyware
- protect your personal data
If you'd like even more security, you can buy McAfee® Internet Security Suite for just £39.99 - that's £9.99 off the regular price.
- anti-virus protection
- protection from hackers and identity theft emails ('phishing')
- better computer performance
- scam and spam email protection
Sorry, but McAfee® software doesn't work with Apple Macs. back to top
If you're switching to Orange, you'll need to get a migration authorisation code (MAC) from your current provider. Simply enter the MAC when you register for Orange Broadband, and we'll switch you over within 10 working days. Find out more. back to top
Traffic Management is where we sometimes apply restrictions to the amount of network capacity a customer can use, which can affect your speed. We do this to stop small number of customers who excessively download during peak times (18.00 to 00.00) and this affects the quality of the service we provide to all other customers.
It also means that we are able to prioritise certain types of internet traffic on time sensitive applications such as our second line phone service or gaming.
Orange believes that we are protecting our customers by doing this and to stop a handful of people affecting your service. back to top
Orange traffic management policies:
Unlike other ISPs Orange will only restrict P2P traffic at peak times. Peak times are defined as being between the following times:
For certain very high users, Orange may restrict their usage at peak time for all applications. These customers will be notified in advance.
Principles of Orange network management policies
Frequently asked questions (information on traffic management policies)
Unlike other ISPs Orange will only restrict P2P traffic at peak times. Peak times are defined as being between the following times:
- 18.00 - 00.00 everyday of the week
For certain very high users, Orange may restrict their usage at peak time for all applications. These customers will be notified in advance.
Principles of Orange network management policies
- To make sure that important applications (like for gaming) are always treated as a priority to ensure fantastic response times when they are being used
- To ensure that interactive applications like web-browsing are not caught up with other more time consuming web activities (such as the downloading of music and videos)
- To ensure a more flexible network than other ISPs, (especially in the event of unusual demands in traffic or disaster situations such as a network failure)
Frequently asked questions (information on traffic management policies)
- What is meant by P2P (Peer to peer)?
P2P (File-sharing applications like BitTorrent and Kazaa) by their very nature are "dirty" protocols. This means they will consume as much of the available bandwidth as is available - give them an inch and they will try to take a yard! This has driven up total bandwidth consumption worldwide, as shown in the earlier diagram. Furthermore, the saturating effect of these applications will detrimentally impact the quality of all other traffic being consumed on the network at the same time. P2P is predominately a consumer orientated service, currently used to download music, videos or software (both legitimately and illegitimately).
- We want you to experience optimum levels of service from your broadband
At Orange, we want all our customers to get the best service possible from their broadband. That means speedy web experience for all users - not just a few. When someone is downloading and/or uploading a particularly large amount of information over a long period of time, it can slow down the broadband speed for other users who might just be checking their email or browsing online. So to make sure our service is fair for everybody, we sometimes moderate the speeds for our very heavy users that are downloading and/or uploading an unusually large amount. This makes sure that the service doesn't get blocked up with people using more than their fair share - which means a better service for you.
- What are the traffic management policies Orange apply to the heaviest users?
It's important to remember that Orange traffic management policies only apply when the speeds are likely to be affected by people using more than their fair share. In fact, the policies affect less than 3% of all users on a daily basis - those whose usage of the service would affect other users if they weren't managed. To make sure all customers get the most from their connection, we may reduce the speed of the heaviest users at peak evening times - between 6pm and midnight everyday. We will contact these customers in advance.
- Why do Orange have a traffic management policy?
Orange believe in making sure all our customers can use Orange Broadband without being slowed down by high users. So our traffic management policy is there to keep things fair.
- Will the policy change again?
The way that our customers use their broadband is changing all the time, so it's possible that in the future we may increase or decrease the thresholds or modify other settings. Don't worry though, we'll always let you know on our website if we're going to make any changes, and we don't expect the thresholds to change very often.
Broadband use is measured in gigabytes (GB) and is based on the amount of information moving in and out of your computer.
With our Home Starter package, you get a monthly 10GB usage allowance. For 90% of customers, that's enough to do all the surfing and downloading they want. And if you go a little over your allowance, you won't get cut off or charged more.
Home Select and Home Max come with unlimited allowances (see our fair use policy). back to top
