Internet connection options

KLD · 01-19-2004, 04:25 PM

Ok, first I have to say, be gentle with me! I am a nurse, not a computer geek. I need to know some information in a way that I can understand it.

I currently only have a dial-up connection at home. This is both slow and interferes with my use of the phone while on-line. I am getting a new iMac soon (within the next 2 months) with the Panther OS to replace my older iMac, and plan to look at a new connection method/service at the same time.

What are the pros and cons of each of these?

Accelerated dial-up (like NetZero)
DSL
Cable Modem
Wireless
Any others I should consider?

I don't want to spend buckets of money. I currently spend $21/month with earthlink as my ISP. I live in a condo, so extensive installation requirements can be a problem.

I mostly do internet surfing, on-line banking and e-mail. I do not download MP3s or other huge files other than occasional photograph jpgs in e-mails.

Thanks for any help with this.

chasb · 01-19-2004, 04:48 PM

Noticed you are from CA. Here is the best deal I have located. SBC DSL 26.95/Mo

http://www.sbc.com/residential_customers/0,,,00.html

bigbob · 01-19-2004, 04:59 PM

DSL uses your telephone line. But while you are online your phone will still ring and you can answer it. You can also make outgoing calls on your phone while you are online. So, it has no effect on your telephone service. It is much faster than dialup. 26.95 sounds like a great deal.

Andy · 01-19-2004, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KLD:

Accelerated dial-up (like NetZero)
DSL
Cable Modem
Wireless
Any others I should consider?
.

Accelerated dial-up is still dialup, slow.

DSL, that is a good bet depending on how far from a CO or RT you are. To see if the line you are on is short enough, type in your phone # here, if you are below roughly 16K foot, you are good to go. I am assuming your phone co is SBC if you are in CA, the next step is to go here to see your options. At the lowest crappiest connection that you can get depending on line conditions you will get 384 synch speeds, which is about 6 times faster that dial-up assuming you are getting close to the 56K modem standard currently. If you have a shorter line/good conditions, you will get a currently marketed by SBC synch speed of 1.5, which translated into real speeds is really close to T1 speeds (downstream only, but for internet use it is all that is needed) There are limitations as far as if you are on pair gain, loaded pair, etc. if your line qualifies for DSL, but if you are in a fairly urban area, you shouldnt worry too much about it.

Cable modem is good too, there are some really fast options available there, but this can be pricier than DSL, and reliablilty can be questionable as well.

Wireless is interesting, I have a neighbor that is using Sprint RF based internet service, I manage to hop onto his service for big downloads as he has an unsecured wireless router, it is pulling close to 5 times the speed of my DSL. I checked their website for this and it seems they are no longer starting new subscriptions, only supporting existing ones, so I dont know if this might work for you. You have to see what is available in your area.

After all this mumbo jumbo I posted, which do I think is best? I'd say DSL if you can get it.

jimnms · 01-19-2004, 06:07 PM

DSL is usually cheaper, but you have to be within a certain distance to a CO in order for it to be in your area. If you want raw speed, cable is faster, but can cost a little more. Your phone company should have a website where you can put in your phone number to see if DSL is available in your area.

If all you're worried about is the phone line being busy while online, get a modem that supports v.92 and get call waiting. While you're online and you get a call, you will be able to put the internet on hold and answer the phone.

IMO those accelerated dialup services are a joke, stay away from them.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

PN · 01-19-2004, 06:31 PM

KLD:

Cable Internet is faster than DSL and DSL is faster than dial-up. Also, cable Internet and DSL will not tie up the telephone line. Cable Internet usually costs more than DSL; I would suggest that you consider DSL Extreme, at $24.95 a month. It is also my understanding that DSL Extreme, has very good tech support. If you have more than two computers or a laptop in your home, then you would probably want a wireless router. The dial-up acceleration may not be any faster than what you are currently using. Go to DSL reports.

http://www.dslextreme.com/dsl/

PN

[This message was edited by PN on 01-19-04 at 08:46 PM.]

SCI-Nurse · 01-20-2004, 04:35 PM

Thanks for all the advice! I will follow up and let you know what I eventually decide.

(KLD)

Lewis · 01-20-2004, 04:36 PM

I couldn't be happier with my cable modem (Comcast Broadband)! Once you go cable, you'll never go back

-Lewis

SCI-Nurse · 04-05-2004, 05:38 PM

Well, I got my new 17" flat screen iMac yesterday and ordered SBC DSL today...but cannot get it until 4/15

I am keeping my old computer on-line with my dial-up ISP until I can get the DSL installed (myself).

I LOVE my new iMac! Set it up in 20 minutes, did my taxes with TurboTax in another couple of hours with no problems. Still learning Panther, but I think so far it is great. Can't wait to get on-line with it!

(KLD)

Brad_D · 04-05-2004, 06:00 PM

You can easily get online with your iMac, providing that you aren't using an ISP with proprietary windows software like NetZero. If you plug your phone line into your iMac and click "Network" in the system prefs, all you have you to do is input your username, password and access # to get online. Who is your dial up ISP?

01-19-2004, 04:25 PM	#1
KLD Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: California Posts: 865	Internet connection options Ok, first I have to say, be gentle with me! I am a nurse, not a computer geek. I need to know some information in a way that I can understand it. I currently only have a dial-up connection at home. This is both slow and interferes with my use of the phone while on-line. I am getting a new iMac soon (within the next 2 months) with the Panther OS to replace my older iMac, and plan to look at a new connection method/service at the same time. What are the pros and cons of each of these? Accelerated dial-up (like NetZero) DSL Cable Modem Wireless Any others I should consider? I don't want to spend buckets of money. I currently spend $21/month with earthlink as my ISP. I live in a condo, so extensive installation requirements can be a problem. I mostly do internet surfing, on-line banking and e-mail. I do not download MP3s or other huge files other than occasional photograph jpgs in e-mails. Thanks for any help with this.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-19-2004, 04:48 PM	#2
chasb Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,263	Noticed you are from CA. Here is the best deal I have located. SBC DSL 26.95/Mo http://www.sbc.com/residential_customers/0,,,00.html

01-19-2004, 04:59 PM	#3
bigbob Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 4,005	DSL uses your telephone line. But while you are online your phone will still ring and you can answer it. You can also make outgoing calls on your phone while you are online. So, it has no effect on your telephone service. It is much faster than dialup. 26.95 sounds like a great deal.

01-19-2004, 06:07 PM	#5
jimnms Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,673	DSL is usually cheaper, but you have to be within a certain distance to a CO in order for it to be in your area. If you want raw speed, cable is faster, but can cost a little more. Your phone company should have a website where you can put in your phone number to see if DSL is available in your area. If all you're worried about is the phone line being busy while online, get a modem that supports v.92 and get call waiting. While you're online and you get a call, you will be able to put the internet on hold and answer the phone. IMO those accelerated dialup services are a joke, stay away from them. _____ Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

01-19-2004, 06:31 PM	#6
PN Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 4,363	KLD: Cable Internet is faster than DSL and DSL is faster than dial-up. Also, cable Internet and DSL will not tie up the telephone line. Cable Internet usually costs more than DSL; I would suggest that you consider DSL Extreme, at $24.95 a month. It is also my understanding that DSL Extreme, has very good tech support. If you have more than two computers or a laptop in your home, then you would probably want a wireless router. The dial-up acceleration may not be any faster than what you are currently using. Go to DSL reports. http://www.dslextreme.com/dsl/ PN [This message was edited by PN on 01-19-04 at 08:46 PM.]

01-20-2004, 04:35 PM	#7
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 29,485	Thanks for all the advice! I will follow up and let you know what I eventually decide. (KLD)

01-20-2004, 04:36 PM	#8
Lewis Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hingham, Ma Posts: 1,171	I couldn't be happier with my cable modem (Comcast Broadband)! Once you go cable, you'll never go back -Lewis

04-05-2004, 05:38 PM	#9
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 29,485	Well, I got my new 17" flat screen iMac yesterday and ordered SBC DSL today...but cannot get it until 4/15 I am keeping my old computer on-line with my dial-up ISP until I can get the DSL installed (myself). I LOVE my new iMac! Set it up in 20 minutes, did my taxes with TurboTax in another couple of hours with no problems. Still learning Panther, but I think so far it is great. Can't wait to get on-line with it! (KLD)

04-05-2004, 06:00 PM	#10
Brad_D Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 558	You can easily get online with your iMac, providing that you aren't using an ISP with proprietary windows software like NetZero. If you plug your phone line into your iMac and click "Network" in the system prefs, all you have you to do is input your username, password and access # to get online. Who is your dial up ISP?