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Your Internet Options

Millions of Americans connect to the Internet every day. However, many of them don’t know exactly what they are getting in terms of Internet service. This article provides an overview of the various Internet services available, their pros and cons, and also summaries of how these technologies work.

Since the late 90’s the internet has become a standard service in millions of homes across America. In fact it was found in February of 2005 that there are 200,933,147 internet subscribers in the US. This means that 67.8% of the population has some form of internet service that allows them to access information on the World Wide Web. The bigger question is how are they connecting? I’ll admit that I’m somewhat of a computer geek myself, but until recently I wasn’t really aware of what types of internet connectivity there are out there, and I had only a small idea of what the pros and cons are of the various internet connections on the market today. As new forms of service emerge as well as companies to provide them the marketplace for internet providers is becoming more and more confusing. It helps to have a grasp on what the technologies are like in order to make a smart decision for your internet needs. This article talks about a lot of information, but the main points are as follows:

• There are four main types of internet service; dial-up, DSL, Cable, and Satellite.
• When you choose internet it is going to be a cost vs. speed choice. The more that you pay for service the faster your internet connection is going to be.
• It is advisable to choose a Broadband connection as dial-up is useless for surfing the web (unless you have lots of time to waste). Dial-up is okay if you plan on just using it for email.
• Download and Upload speeds are never the same as connection speeds. A dial-up connection of 56Kbps (Kilobytes per second, explained later) usually runs at 32Kbps and a DSL connection of 768Kbps usually runs at 320 Kbps. The same goes for Cable and Satellite. Also, the numbers aren’t guaranteed which means that they can be lower.
• All internet networks are shared networks. The number your ISP totes as their connection speed is a theoretical maximum. The more people there are in your network the lower amount of bandwidth you are going to get. This can significantly decrease your speed. DSL tends to be faster in denser neighborhoods because you have a dedicated line to your house, while there may be one cable network per neighborhood.
• The bottom line is that if you don’t plan on using the internet for much go dial-up, but if you do use the internet it is better to spend some extra cash and get a high-speed connection. How much is your time worth? I guarantee that you could be doing something better than sitting around waiting for a download.

It is important to ask yourself some questions before you decide what is right for you. Questions like, how often do you intend to be online, are you going to have to download large files, are you impatient, and how much are you willing to pay for internet access. The answers to these questions can help you decide what service is right for you.

Basic dial-up is at the low end of the spectrum for both speed and price. Let’s look at the good to start with. Dial-up is the lowest priced way to get connected to internet. Most major Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) can supply a dial-up connection for around $9.99 a month. Secondly, many computers have built in dial-up modems, which means that you don’t have to buy a new modem to connect through. Also, many major ISP’s are integrating what they have begun calling high-speed dialup. They boast that they can cut download times in half by shortening the log in process and accelerating their servers. Dial-up connections are also almost as reliable as your regular phone. However, dial-up does have its downsides. To start, speeds are limited to 53Kbps, and that’s at peak levels. Most of the time your download speeds will be lower than this. Dial-up internet is only as secure as you make it. This means that it is a good idea to install security software or your computer will have absolutely no protection. To finish it off dial-up also uses your active phone line. This means that you will be unable to use the phone while you surf the web. Overall, dial-up is a good choice for you if you’re on a budget and don’t mind waiting for web pages to download. However, if you’re as impatient as I am you’ll probably want to opt for one of the broadband solutions.

The first broadband solution that you can choose is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection. Like dial-up DSL is an internet connection that travels through your phone line, however, it works in a different way. When you connect to the internet through a dial-up connection you are using the same bandwidth as you would talking on the phone. However, there is a lot of unused bandwidth in your phone line. DSL connections utilize this space, and allow usage of most the bandwidth on the phone line. DSL download speeds start at around 256Kbps, but can surpass 1.5Mbps, however, higher speeds mean higher costs as well. DSL is as reliable as your phone line, which means that it rarely goes down. In the broadband playing field DSL is also slightly more secure than cable because you are on your own line instead of being in a network. DSL is a good way to go if you live in a crowded neighborhood, because you have your own direct connection, nevertheless your still running through a server and if the traffic is high, then internet speeds are still going to be lower. DSL works very well as a high-speed Internet option and is the most affordable (starting at around twenty dollars).

Cable internet is by conventional knowledge the fastest internet service you can buy. It is also one of the most expensive. Most services start at around forty dollars a month. Cable downloads can reach speeds of about 3Mbps. This speed can be affected by the size of the network you are connected through. Cable internet uses the same principal of bandwidth that DSL. It takes an old technology like cable TV, which doesn’t utilize the entire cable bandwidth provided to it, and then uses the free space in the cable to send more signals which is information broadcast over the internet. The coaxial cable that is used to send cable television can hold a lot more information than a phone line can. This allows cable internet to exceed DSL in speed. However, since cable is on a single channel of information it’s performance can be lowered by high user levels. Basically this is like people drawing from a channel of water. With you alone it’s fine, there’s plenty of water, but as more and more people draw from the channel there is less water for you. However, ISP’s have found a solution to this. All they have to do is add a new channel and split the individuals pulling from it. If you decide to go cable it is important to ask your provider how their network is set up and how much traffic they generally see per channel, and if there are many users are they planning on installing a new channel. It is important to ask these questions because you don’t want to be paying the price for high-speed Internet and then experience poor performance.

The final form of internet service that you can choose to utilize is satellite. To begin with I would suggest using satellite internet only if you really have to i.e. you live in the middle of the woods and no ISP’s offer broadband service to your home. The reason for this is that satellite service is priced very steeply, and for the price you pay for satellite you could get a very fast cable or DSL connection. The first big payment is going to be for installment, which has to be done by the satellite company (the FCC requires this), and costs roughly $600. The second major cost is the monthly fee, which at the low end totals $60 a month. Your probably asking yourself what you get for this. The speed is definitely broadband as it can theoretically reach speeds of 500Kbps, but these levels are still affected by network crowding problems. Many of the same problems that affect all satellite services affect the internet service, including cutouts and the necessity to have a clear view of the sky. Internet by satellite is a good idea and is useful to some individuals, but if it is possible to use a regular ISP it is better to do so. This way you get more for your money.

Now it’s up to you to make the right internet service decision for you. The two services that I would personally recommend are DSL and Cable. If your looking for affordability the basic way to go would be DSL, and if your looking for speed the basic way to go would be with Cable. However, depending on a number of things described in this article it often times depends on where you live and what kind of network your ISP is running in your area. In some crowded areas DSL is faster than cable, but more expensive. The opposite is true in less crowded areas; a fast DSL connection could be less expensive than a similar Cable hookup. By researching these things you can find and select the best combination of speed and affordability in your area.