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There's the old standby, traditional dialin ISP service,
which you use with standard (analog) modems and a standard telephone line. The
ACCC is an ISP in this sense; see Dialin Lines . To get there from the
ACCC home page and select Services. And now you also have broadband (much
faster, that is) choices for connecting from home: cable
modems and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line),
and even wireless satellite connections. For more information on using these, see Connecting from Home -- Using Cable or DSL, also on the Services page. Connecting from Home - Selecting an ISP helps with the obvious.
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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.
| Mode |
Cost Per Month |
Rated Speeds |
Comments |
| Dialin ISP |
$20 - $45 |
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.
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| ISDN |
$70 - $100 |
64 Kbps;
up to 128 Kbps |
Requires an ISDN Terminal Adapter or ISDN-to-Ethernet bridge.
Runs over standard copper phone lines.
Connected only when you use it.
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| DSL |
from $40 - $80
to $100 - $200
(but going down)
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G.lite 1.5 Mbps;
ADSL up to 8 Mbps (1,500 - 8,000 Kbps)
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Requires Ethernet card, phone line splitter (ADSL only), and a DSL modem
(from provider, free of charge or up to $200).
Always connected, but not exposed to your neighbors. Runs over standard
copper phone lines, but with strict home-to-switch distance limits.
Faster transmission downstream (Internet to PC) than upstream (PC to
Internet). G.lite is 1.5 Mbps down, 384 Kbps up. [The "down"
and "up" were switched in the printed version; sorry about that!]
Some choice in providers.
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| Cable
Modem |
About $40 |
1.5 - 10 Mbps (1,500 - 10,000 Kbps)
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Requires Ethernet card and cable modem. The card may be supplied by
the cable operator; the modem will be.
Always connected. On a LAN with your neighbors, which is a security
risk (see You've Been Hacked) 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.
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