|
|
Dialin or Broadband: Finding and Selecting an Internet Service Provider
|
| |
|
|
| | | |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Which connection method is right for you?
|
| |
- Is your Internet use from home casual? Are you willing to have your telephone
line tied up while you're on line or to spring for a second telephone line
?
- If your answer to both questions is yes, then you will probably be happy
with a dialin ISP.
- If you answered no to either question, you should consider a broadband
alternative.
- Do you travel a lot?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Home Connections at a Glance
|
| |
From poky to presto. Note: In addition to the monthly costs given in the table,
you should expect a one-time installation and setup fee; some also require additional
equipment, which may be supplied by the service provider. Not sure how fast
is fast? Check out Jim Martindale's File
Download Time Calculator.
Last updated 3 November 2004.
| Mode and Estimated
Cost Per Month |
Rated Speeds |
Comments |
Dialin ISP
$10 - $45
(with $10 you get lots of ads)
|
up to 56 Kbps |
Requires a modem and a phone line; price estimate includes cost of second
telephone line.
Connected only when you use it, which is a security plus.
Lots of choices in providers and in where you can dial in from.
|
| DSL
$50 and up
|
1.5 to 32 Mbps up to Internet, and from 32 Kbps to over
1 Mbps down
(up to 32,000 Kpbs,
down to 1,000 Kbps) |
Requires Ethernet card, phone line splitter (ADSL only), and a DSL modem
(from provider, free of charge or up to $100-$500).
Always connected, which is a security risk,
but not exposed to your neighbors.
Runs over standard copper phone lines, but has strict home-to-switch
distance limits and has problems with older or deteriorated lines.
Faster transmission downstream (Internet to PC) than upstream (PC to
Internet).
Some choice in providers.
Support for Macs is somewhat sketchy; check this out first if you plan
to use one. Or use a home network.
DSL doesn't necessarily come with an ISP account, so an outside email address or Web space might be extra. |
|
Cable Modem
$40+, though the cost is often mixed up with cable TV costs.
|
1.5 - 10 Mbps (1,500 - 10,000 Kbps)
|
Requires Ethernet card and cable modem. The modem will be supplied by
the cable operator.
Always connected, which is a security risk.
On a LAN with your neighbors, which is another security risk and can
slow down your connection.
Runs over cable TV cables; may need to upgrade your line.
Faster transmission downstream than upstream. (Some wrong-headed companies
don't provide upstream connections at all!)
Usually no choice in provider.
Some cable providers don't support Macs yet; ask if you plan to use
one. Or use a home network.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Dialin (For Casual Users and When You're On the Road)
|
| |
When selecting a dialin ISP, make sure that you choose one that:
- Has several sets of dialin lines in your local calling area (and in locations
that you normally travel to) and
- Provides the complete standard set of Internet services.
The ACCC provides both dialin lines and other
Internet services, so do consider us if you're choosing a traditional dialin
ISP. But don't use the ACCC dialin lines just because they're "free." Unless
you live close enough to campus that your calls to the campus are not metered
(i.e., you're charged by the call, not by the minute), the ACCC isn't the ISP
for you. Using a commercial dialin ISP will probably cost a lot less than the
five cents or more per minute that you'd be charged for the phone call to use
our "free" lines.
| Note: Most of the ACCC dialin lines are off-campus, which means
that they are metered calls from all campus phones. So don't use the ACCC
dialin lines -- or any dialin lines, for that matter -- on campus. You should
use ACCC Network Services to connect
an on-campus computer. |
See Finding an ISP below for links to Web pages
that will help decide what features you want in an ISP and that will help you
find one. After you select your ISP, go to After
You Choose: Installation and Configuration .
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Broadband: Cable Modems and DSL (For Everyone Else)
|
| |
Broadband is a class of data transmission methods where a single wire carries
several signals at once. For home Internet access, your principal broadband
choices are cable
modems, which run on Cable TV wiring, and several varieties of DSL
(Digital Subscriber Line), which run on standard copper telephone telephone
lines. (Click on the links in this paragraph for SearchNetworking.com articles about cable and DSL connections.)
If you decide to go with a broadband alternative, check with your local TV
cable company first. If it provides suitable cable modem service, that's probably
your best bet, both for speed -- cable modem service is fast (unless
it's oversubscribed) -- and for cost -- it's generally less expensive than other
broadband alternatives. If it doesn't, then by all means consider DSL.
For more information on broadband Internet services, see:
- Connecting
from Home -- Using Cable and DSL.
- whatis.com, SearchSecurity.com, SearchNetworking.com's articles on cable modems and DSL, which explain how they work. (And, in the case of DSL, all the different kinds of DSL.)
- Speaking of all the different kinds of DSL, if you're seriously considering DSL, go to Broadband Reports DSL Finder. Enter your Zip Code and DSL Reports gives you a DSL (and other ISP) search page designed specifically for you. It includes a "Broadband Prequalification" link finder link that estimates the distance from your home to your telephone switching station to see whether your home is close enough to use DSL. It also includes Satellite and Cable.
The links in Web ISP Search Sites below will help you
find a broadband ISP for your home. After you select your ISP, go to After
You Choose: Installation and Configuration .
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Finding an ISP
|
| |
The Web is the place to go when you're selecting any type of commercial ISP.
First, check out the following:
- Computer User.com's Internet access: How to choose an ISP. It includes the kinds of questions you should ask when you're deciding what type of connection you're going to use and when you select your specific ISP.
- EvaluateIT.co.uk's Broadband Facts All you need to know before
choosing your Broadband supplier. This is from the United Kingdom and it's aimed at small businesses, but it's really does have all you need to know.
Web ISP Search Sites
If you're looking for a dialin ISP and if your calls to the UIC campus are
not metered (that is, you're charged by the call, not by the minute), then check
out ACCC Dialin Services before you look
elsewhere. The ACCC's dialin services are free to the UIC community.
Warning: When you connect through an commercial
ISP, you are not "on the UIC campus." However obvious this is, there are consequences.
See If you use a commercial ISP.
(You are are on campus, however, when you connect using the ACCC dialin lines.)
After you select your ISP: Go to After
You Choose Your ISP.
- When You're Traveling: National Dialin ISPs:
Some of the ISP search sites listed above return only local ISPs. If you travel
a lot, you should also consider signing up for a national dialin ISP (such
as Earthlink, NetZero, Microsoft Network, and AOL)
to use while your traveling. For more information see the A3C Connection
article Connecting On the Road.
- Going Broadband? Start here: Broadband Reports DSL Finder. Enter your Zip Code and address and Broadband Reports gives you a DSL, cable, and other ISP search page designed specifically for you. The site includes a distance finder link that estimates the distance from your home to your telephone switching station to see whether your home is close enough to use DSL. For more information on DSL service, see Connecting from Home -- Using Cable or DSL.
- Cable Modem Services: You don't have any choices
in cable Internet service -- it's the TV cable carrier for your neighborhood
or no one.Visit your cable carrier's Web site to see what cable
modem services they offer. (If they don't have a Web site, they don't offer
cable modems. <g>) For more information on cable modem services, see Broadband and Broadband ISPs.
- The most complete online listing of ISPs is modestly called The List. It allows you to search for local ISPs in several different ways; perhaps the most useful is locating an ISP by telephone area code. The List's listings include both dialin services and dedicated services, including DSL.
- Another list of ISPs with a search by area codes is from ISPrank.com: Internet Service Directory. They have all types of connections, reviews, forums, and news.
- After you choose your connection method (broadband or dialin), make sure
it's secure: Securing Your Internet Connection.
|
|
| |
|
