How to Choose Best ISP for Your Needs

By Mary Beim


Well, the Internet access industry is starting to shake its way out. The much-anticipated consolidation of access providers is nearing its end. In broadband, this means that most users have little or no choice of providers. Though many of the changes have been hard on user choice, this is not necessarily a bad thing. In some cases, it's better to have one stable and pricey provider than 100 unstable, cheap providers. The shakeout was painful for scores of users who often were left with no connection when they needed it most. And some providers left standing don't exactly have good track records, either.

Still, there is reason for users to be optimistic about the future. The following is an outline of the way the Internet access business should go in the coming year. I provide it to give you a better understanding of where you should go now, assuming you want to stick with the same internet access provider for at least a year.

Don't ditch dial-up

A lot of users were glad they hung on to their dial-up accounts in the midst of uncertainty with their broadband connections. When things go bad with broadband (as they often do), you at least can get e-mail, if not a quick scan of the headlines in text-heavy Web sites.

If you have a dial-up account, and you're paying less than $20 for it, consider it a blessing to have a back-up system. At the very least, when you need to reach tech support for your broadband account and you can't get through due to heavy call volume, you can e-mail them from your dial-up account. Things to look out for in dial-up:

Go with a provider that has been around long enough to quickly respond to such issues as software upgrades and peak calling volumes.

Read the fine print before signing. Some ISPs will disconnect you after a relatively short amount of time of idleness. Others let you stay online as long as you're actively engaged. Still others never disconnect users. The last is preferable; the middle option usually offers the best value.

Check out Boardwatch magazine's ISP Directory to see how much infrastructure you will be paying for. Make sure your chosen ISP has an acceptable ratio of modems to users. Three users for every modem is acceptable, considering that it is unlikely that all their customers will dial up at once. o Match prices with the ratio of modem pools to users.

Check out options such as personal Web site services and multiple addresses. These are nice to have and can add value to your experience as long as you use them--provided they're bundled in.

DSL doldrums

Of all the access methods, DSL has received the most scorn since I've been at this job. My own experiences were horrendous, and I'm not alone. It works great for about 20 percent of the population who are geographically blessed. It works OK for another 30 percent or so of the population, who may have to endure some line noise in order to get DSL. And it doesn't work at all for the other half. Couple its inherent technical limitations with DSL providers falling off the wires like shocked birds, and the situation has not been pretty.

Still, those providers that have made it through the shock test should be able to offer a good experience (with the exception of Qwest). Consider DSL carefully and you will avoid a lot of pain.

Some DSL issues you should consider:

Talk to a neighbor about their DSL experience. Do they have a lot of line noise on the phone even with the filters? Did they have any equipment or network problems with their provider? If so, did they get put on hold and shuffled around through tech support when they called in? Was their DSL provider able to support a variety of platforms, or was it basically Windows-only?

Consider an ISP for DSL service.

The Baby Bells, such as Qwest and Verizon, are not well equipped to deliver DSL service. Even though smaller ISPs may only resell DSL service from Baby Bell providers, they at least provide a live human being when things go wrong. Because the Baby Bells know the cost of supporting DSL users, they can offer DSL to ISPs much more cheaply than they can offer it directly to users. So you can often get a price break from ISPs, especially if you're willing to accept a slightly slower connection.


Mary works in US for a media company, occasionally writing for the biggest cheap internet access news portal, and drinking too much coffee.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Beim

Verizon's DSL ads highlight the need for speed

NEW YORK — It's hard to imagine with all the buzz about high-speed broadband and the new media forms it enables, such as video on the Web, that about 32% of home computers still access the Internet via an old-fashioned, pokey, dial-up modem.

That's shrinking fast, though. The number of active broadband users at home was 95.5 million as of February, up 28% from a year earlier, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. And everyone from phone companies to cable operators is

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Business DSL Access Information

Business DSL Access Information
By Gio Mangano


Your ready to do business, you head over to the computer and your internet connection is as slow as a snail. It's true, DSL is much faster then a dial-up internet connection, but is it all it's cracked up to be?

Many companies rely heavily on their high-speed internet to conduct their business with e-mail, video conference, and now for voice-over-internet telephony applications. What do you do? Get a business Dsl line fast! There are many Dsl companies offering service in your area, and these days there fighting to do business with your company. Be careful not to choose price over reliabilty.

Reliability becomes critical when customers or employees depend on your connection for immediate responses. If your customers use your connection to access your databases or your server or the internet then reliability of your connection is critical. A critical connection can be viewed much like a life line, without which your business would be negatively impacted. Your monthly savings of having a sub-par connection will not make up for the loss in productivity of your employees or loss of customers when your DSL connection gets bogged down or cut off.

The fastest way to get an unbiased quote and compare DSL quotes fast is by going to the internet and shopping around for DSL providers.

Many DSL service providers are now offering low start up fees for 6-12 months. You can choose from multiple providers like earthlink, verizon and msn. Dsl is now available in many areas and being added to many more. DSL service usually runs between $19 and $79 per month, depending on the plan (residential vs. commercial, 512K vs. 3M, etc.)

Do some research, find the best possible price and get business Dsl to make your job easier. You dont want to a slow internet connection to slow you down!


Gio Mangano is the owner of http://bandwidtht1.com , which provides unbiased quotes for t1 & business dsl.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gio_Mangano

How to Test Your DSL and Cable Internet Connection Speed

By George Chamoun

There are two measured elements that determine your internet connection speed. They are: The download rate, and the upload rate of data measured in bits per seconds. Usually, it is expressed in Kilobits per second.

A bit is the smallest piece of data that can be stored in a computer. The bit can be either "0" or "1". The byte is eight bits. Example of a byte and bits are the following:

bit= 0 or 1

byte=8 bits

1 byte=10011101 (eight bits)

A single charcter needs one byte or eight bits to be stored in a computer. So, when the data rate is 1 byte/sec, that means one character per second is the rate at which data is transferred through your connection.

This is very slow, and only intended for an example. In order to browse the internet, you must have at least a dial up access with a 56kb/s modem, in order to get a meaningful and practical result.

There are different types of internet connection. First they introduced the dialup connection using your phone line, then the broadband was introduced.

The broadband internet connections are DSL, Cable, or Satellite internet services. They are widely used and expanding due to the high bandwith.

When you get an internet service, your provider states that your speed will be a certain numbers. They usually give you a good idea, but not an exact one. The common asked questions
among internet users is:

How do I know what is my connection speed, and if I am getting what I was promised?.

If there anyway I can test my connection, and do I need to buy expensive software to test it?.

The answer is simple. There are two ways to test your internet connection speed:

1- The manual simple calculation test that you can do yourself without any software or third party services.

2- You can find a service that lets you run a test through their servers, and get your numbers displayed at their webpage.

1-The manual method:

Since I mentioned that the connection speed consist of two numbers, the download and upload speed. So, what you do is download from the internet any free software, and watch the result box with the result that show the size of the file and how many seconds it tool to download.

When you are done recording the download speed, upload a file of a specific size (1 Mb, 2 Mb), and time your watch when you start. When the file is uploaded, check your watch and record the time it took for the task. Then divide your file size by the seconds it took.

If you file was 2 Mb. that took 5 minutes to upload, then your upload speed is 2 Mb./300 sec. or 6.826 Kbits/sec.You can run the above test couple times, and then take the average for a better result.

2-The automated test at a third party service:

This is my preferred one, where you get to a website where the test is done for you. It is done using a script installed on their server, and letting you download and upload to their server a test file (invisible to you). Then, the result is displayed on their webpage. You just have to register for free using your email. It is free. This is a website address where they offer you a free internet connection test:

http://www.visualware.com.

In summary, don't settle for numbers given to you by your services, do the tests whenever you can. You enjoy it, and feel that you are getting your money worth. This is because some servcies charges you 35 dollars or more for a high speed internet service.

Thanks,

George Chamoun

I have created an Ebook about troubleshooting procedures for DSL, or Cable connection problems. You can get it for free by
right clicking the link and saving to your computer:

http://www.ebookfreestore.com/software/ComputerEbook.pdf

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Chamoun

SBC DSL: A Good Choice for High Speed Internet

What is the best way for me to go about getting high speed internet in my house? I searched on line and through the yellow pages, only to find that there are an uncountable number of high speed internet options out there. However, as I sifted through all of the consumer sites and user reviews, I found that SBC DSL may, indeed, be the best bet for bringing high speed internet to my home office.


According to many a review, SBC DSL is the most reliable DSL service out there. They also happen to be the largest in many major metropolitan areas in the country, or at least those serviced by Southwestern Bell. SBC DSL has a spectacular reputation among consumers for having technologically advanced products, great customer service, and good competitive prices on their service. The only drawback I could find is that several SBC DSL customers found setting up a home network to be difficult. However, by simply converting to wireless internet, you can solve that problem and still have your SBC DSL connection all over your home.


A big advantage of SBC DSL is that in most cases you can get a free modem and setup. Setup can be one of the more frustrating parts of getting high speed internet, especially if you are not technically savvy. Many companies charge a setup fee, so that savings alone can make SBC DSL attractive to you. Installation can be difficult, and there is charge for that. However, if you do it yourself they waive the fee and you will still have access to the very knowledgeable and helpful SBC DSL customer service representatives.


Many high speed and DSL internet companies will not be willing to give you a firm date as to when you can get your connection taken care of. That is another way that SBC DSL is different. Once you place an order you are given an installation date, which is as a general rule about six business days out from when you call. Such convenience and up front commitment from a company makes it easier for you to arrange your schedule around setup and installation plenty of time in advance without fear that you will have to make more last minute changes to your busy schedule.


There are a ton of high speed internet options out there today. There are cable internet, DSL companies, wireless internet over cell phone signals, and even high speed dial up connections. Each one tells you that it is the best for converting your office or home to high speed internet connection. Which, though, is the best? That is hard to say definitively as prices and services vary by area, but the one with the best reputation around is SBC DSL. By offering friendly representatives, good competitive pricing, and commitment to service, SBC DSL is a model high speed internet service. They will allow you to go to high speed without the worry of setup, installation, and whether or not you will be able to get in touch with someone the next time you have a problem with the service. That peace of mind is as valuable as anything else.

If you would like the latest information on high speed internet, or find more of my personal articles like the one you just read, visit my computing site.

Qualcomm readies next-gen 3G chips

Wireless chipmaker Qualcomm is readying the next generation of 3G wireless technology, which should triple upload and download speeds for wireless broadband consumers on the Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless networks in the U.S.

On Friday, Qualcomm said it would have data modems ready in late 2007 for the next iteration of CDMA (code division multiple access) technology called EV-DO (evolution data optimized) Revision B. Today, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Communications, the two largest mobile operators in North America, have built their 3G wireless networks on EV-DO.

These carriers have already deployed EV-DO Revision Zero, which supports average download speeds of between 400kbps and 700kbps and uploads between 50kbps to 70kbps. And now they're in the early stages of deploying EV-DO Revision A, which increases the average download speeds by about 30 percent and nearly doubles upload speeds. Sprint Nextel said its EV-DO Rev. A network offers average speeds between 450kbps to 800kbps for downloads and 70kbps to 144kbps for uploads.

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DSL closing in on gap with cable providers

More new subscribers pick phone-line-based Internet service in '05
By Peter Svensson
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Last year was the first in which telephone companies added more broadband Internet subscribers than their cable TV rivals did, according to a research report.

The largest DSL providers, which have been engaged in a price war that has slashed promotional prices to as low as $13 a month, added 5.2 million subscribers in 2005, according to Leichtman Research Group's analysis of company statements.

The major cable companies gained 4.4 million high-speed Internet subscribers last year, for a total of 24.3 million. That means cable retained a narrowing lead over the phone-line-based DSL technology, or digital subscriber line, which had 18.5 million customers.

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Sprint Nextel prepares to take on DSL providers

LAS VEGAS--Sprint Nextel is preparing to take on the big phone companies in the broadband market.

The assault on DSL is coming quietly, but recent announcements and development in Sprint's technology indicate that the company believes it can be the third pipe into the home--a pipe that would challenge the phone companies' DSL service and perhaps would rival even faster-than-DSL cable-modem service.

On Tuesday, Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, announced the Wireless-G Router for Mobile Broadband (WRT54G3G-NA), which allows Sprint mobile broadband customers to plug their broadband card, used to connect their laptops wirelessly, in to the PC Card slot on the router. The EV-DO mobile broadband connection is then turned into a shared 802.11g Wi-Fi connection. The companies are showing off the new router at the CTIA Wireless 2006 trade show here this week.

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