There are tens of broadband deals out there. Which one caters for you?

As there are so many broadband options on the market finding the right broadband for your home can be difficult. There are temporary offers and fixed-term contracts, as well as different forms of internet (fixed-line, mobile and satellite). Some deals include television and home phone as well as web connection . But what is possibly the most important thing to figure out is; how do these deals fit your lifestyle?

Firstly there is a bit of tricky terminology: 'unlimited' means generally unlimited amount of data access but if your provider's fair usage policy is exploited, the company will send you a warning, slow your connection speed and often impose a charge. 'Truly unlimited' is what it says; a genuinely unlimited connection to the internet. These deals often come with a substantial price tag.

For people who want to use the internet to access information and stay in touch with friends, but have no interest in downloading film or music there are basic deals with low usage limits. If you can work out how many hours a week you spend online and how much downloading you do, you can work out which packages are the most suitable to fit your needs. There is no sense signing up to a basic deal if you play online games and regularly stream television programmes on catch-up services like the BBC's iPlayer.

For people who want to use the internet functionally to search web pages, upload videos to Youtube and download films and music, there are a few truly unlimited or deals for heavy users. There are truly unlimited mobile broadband deals, like the one available from Orange that offers a 16Mbps connection to users. T-Mobile's 'Full Monty' deal boasts truly unlimited mobile broadband access, but it doesn't come cheap; Full Monty deals start at £60 per month.

If you sign up to a bundle deal that gives you multiple services, like TV and home phone, you could find your broadband costs lowered. Broadband providers are keen to sign up customers to these packages so it is not uncommon to find significant discounts offered if you agree to get all your communication packages from the same provider. There has been some criticism from consumers about these deals though, as some claim that cancelling your deal or switching is made more difficult by adding more services. Read reviews of the deals you are interested in to learn about them from real people.

Working out how much you and the people sharing the internet connection will inform your decision. Getting reviews of the different deals will also help you decide. The right deal is out there, you will have to do some research and comparing before you find it though.