Broadband Internet

Here are some of the questions you should ask before opening your checkbook:

How fast are the downstream and upstream speeds? Claims regarding speed often refer to a “best case” or “best effort” and do not apply at peak usage times. Providers sometimes underestimate the number of users and the traffic they generate. The term for this behavior is the same one used by the airlines: overbooking.

Is usage unlimited? Most ISPs let you surf all day, but if you eat up enormous bandwidth, they will notice. Some will make you pay extra for it. This can happen if you have several heavy users funneled into one connection with a router. Almost all ISPs forbid you to set up a web server on a residential account. They will either insist that you pay business rates or they will just say no. Most won’t let you resell their service or give it away, as the previously mentioned freenets do.

Do you have to pay for the equipment? Competition is so fierce that some providers will send you a DSL modem for free, just to sign you up. These promotions can come and go. It never hurts to ask. Can you buy your own equipment? Some ISPs will charge you an extra $5 a month forever to lease their modem, and take the modem back if you leave. Some will only allow you to use their particular. modem. Others permit you to buy a standardized cable modem from an electronic store. Telco DSL modems come in different varieties, so you may have to wait for your ISP to send one of theirs.

Can you hook the equipment up yourself? The hookup price you are quoted often assumes that they will send equipment that you will install. They also assume that you already have some of what’s required, such as NICs. Some ISPs, such as cable companies in metropolitan areas, don’t mind dispatching people in vans to help you get started. Most will not help you install personal home networking equipment, such as routers, firewalls, and cabling. Some will shrug and use the slang term YOYO, which means you’re on your own. It varies.

Is there a one-time startup fee? As mentioned earlier, some ISPs will waive their initial connection fee, typically $100.

Do monthly charges go up after a while? Make sure that the monthly fee quoted to you isn’t part of a temporary promotion.

Does the contract allow you to add a router, and add multiple users on a home network? At first, most ISPs did not want someone else’s equipment connected to their modem. All insist that you remove it before they will troubleshoot an outage. But so many users are using routers, and it’s so hard to detect when they do, that most ISPs (Verizon is one example) now advertise home networking as a value-added feature. Some will even sell you the equipment.

Do they provide backup dial-up service? You cannot take your DSL modem on the road with you, at least not yet. So you will need a way to check your mail from a hotel room, and sooner or later your DSL line will go down. Then you will have to rely on your clunky old 56 Kbps telephone modem to keep your communications alive until the faster line is restored.

How many dial-up hours per month? Is it free? If you are forced to use an ancient telephone modem because of a service provider’s technical problem, will you have to pay for the backup? They may charge you from the first minute you dial in, and they may turn the service off if you use it too much. They may also refund the charges if you complain. It is best to know in advance.

How many email addresses will you get? Your relatives, kids, and home business may all need their own email identities.

Can you read your mail if you are on the road? Some ISPs provide browser-based access programs that enable you to check your personal email from anywhere. These will even enable you to do so from work, right through the company firewall that was set up to prevent it.

Will you get permanent or temporary IP addresses? Most ISPs give you a temporary Internet address that changes from time to time. This makes it harder to do video conferencing or set up secure virtual private networks (VPNs) from home. Some ISPs charge more per month ($10 is typical) if you must have a permanent address. Some claim it’s available except for certain areas that turn out to encompass several large states. Some cannot provide them period.

Do you get free storage space for a personal web page? How many megabytes (MB)? Most providers are happy to give away 5 or 10 MB worth of disk space, because most customers don’t use it all up, if they use any at all. You can use web pages to share family photos or sounds, advertise your resume, or spread news. The ISP will object if they catch you using a personal page for business purposes, or anything that attracts an unusually large number of viewers or is obscene or defamatory.

Do they throw in free software, such as a personal firewall, virus protection, and browsers? Many sites on the web supply free software, but if you can get an up-to-date, certified firewall or antijunk mail program that their tech support will help you install, so much the better.

If you call their tech support line, how long do you have to wait? DSL is reliable, but nothing lasts forever. Before you call their help desk, start a stopwatch. If you hear elevator music and a recording telling you to reset your DSL modem repeated more than a dozen times before a live human picks up the phone, then you should consider another ISP.

What’s the soonest you can back out of the contract, and how much would that cost? They won’t like hearing that question. You may learn that your free modem and setup charges become billable if you ask for a divorce. They may have other fees ready to discourage you from leaving.

Buyer's Guide



Broadband Internet Broadband has made the Internet a much more exciting place to visit and revolutionized what your computer can do for you. Going online used to be about connecting your computer to your home telephone and dialing in to surf the web. This is known as dial-up Internet access and although it will get you online, it’s slow. There are lots of new and exciting websites and services you can’t use with a dialup connection unless you’re prepared to wait and wait and wait. Broadband allows you to surf the web at high speed. It still uses your telephone line (or cable service), but squeezes a lot more information down it at much faster speeds, opening up new ways to communicate and be entertained. Benefits of Broadband Cost With dial-up Internet you pay as you go. You can also buy Pay As You Go broadband but more usually it involves a monthly fee. It still works out less expensive so if you spend over eight hours a month during peak times on the Internet, you would be better off with broadband. Talk and Surf All broadband services allow you to surf the web and chat on your home phone at the same time. Always On With dial-up Internet access, switching on your computer and dialling is a hassle. With broadband, your connection is always switched on so you can get online instantly Communicate. Broadband opens up new and free opportunities to keep in touch with your friends and family. Music and Video Broadband is perfect if you love music or films. Millions of music tracks are at your fingertips and broadband makes watching TV and video online a reality. Online Gaming Broadband allows you to connect to game players worldwide using your computer or games console. Why play against the computer when you can play against real people? Wireless Networks More and more people have several computers in the home. One in the office, one for the kids, even one in the kitchen. Wireless Broadband Broadband lets you hook them all together without the need for all those wires. Security Keeping your computer safe from hackers and viruses is vitally important. Broadband allows you to download regular updates to your computer so it’s always safe from prying eyes. There are three types of Broadband services. 1. DSL 2.Cable Internet 3. Satellite Internet.	Here are some of the questions you should ask before opening your checkbook: How fast are the downstream and upstream speeds? Claims regarding speed often refer to a “best case” or “best effort” and do not apply at peak usage times. Providers sometimes underestimate the number of users and the traffic they generate. The term for this behavior is the same one used by the airlines: overbooking. Is usage unlimited? Most ISPs let you surf all day, but if you eat up enormous bandwidth, they will notice. Some will make you pay extra for it. This can happen if you have several heavy users funneled into one connection with a router. Almost all ISPs forbid you to set up a web server on a residential account. They will either insist that you pay business rates or they will just say no. Most won’t let you resell their service or give it away, as the previously mentioned freenets do. Do you have to pay for the equipment? Competition is so fierce that some providers will send you a DSL modem for free, just to sign you up. These promotions can come and go. It never hurts to ask. Can you buy your own equipment? Some ISPs will charge you an extra $5 a month forever to lease their modem, and take the modem back if you leave. Some will only allow you to use their particular. modem. Others permit you to buy a standardized cable modem from an electronic store. Telco DSL modems come in different varieties, so you may have to wait for your ISP to send one of theirs. Can you hook the equipment up yourself? The hookup price you are quoted often assumes that they will send equipment that you will install. They also assume that you already have some of what’s required, such as NICs. Some ISPs, such as cable companies in metropolitan areas, don’t mind dispatching people in vans to help you get started. Most will not help you install personal home networking equipment, such as routers, firewalls, and cabling. Some will shrug and use the slang term YOYO, which means you’re on your own. It varies. Is there a one-time startup fee? As mentioned earlier, some ISPs will waive their initial connection fee, typically $100. Do monthly charges go up after a while? Make sure that the monthly fee quoted to you isn’t part of a temporary promotion. Does the contract allow you to add a router, and add multiple users on a home network? At first, most ISPs did not want someone else’s equipment connected to their modem. All insist that you remove it before they will troubleshoot an outage. But so many users are using routers, and it’s so hard to detect when they do, that most ISPs (Verizon is one example) now advertise home networking as a value-added feature. Some will even sell you the equipment. Do they provide backup dial-up service? You cannot take your DSL modem on the road with you, at least not yet. So you will need a way to check your mail from a hotel room, and sooner or later your DSL line will go down. Then you will have to rely on your clunky old 56 Kbps telephone modem to keep your communications alive until the faster line is restored. How many dial-up hours per month? Is it free? If you are forced to use an ancient telephone modem because of a service provider’s technical problem, will you have to pay for the backup? They may charge you from the first minute you dial in, and they may turn the service off if you use it too much. They may also refund the charges if you complain. It is best to know in advance. How many email addresses will you get? Your relatives, kids, and home business may all need their own email identities. Can you read your mail if you are on the road? Some ISPs provide browser-based access programs that enable you to check your personal email from anywhere. These will even enable you to do so from work, right through the company firewall that was set up to prevent it. Will you get permanent or temporary IP addresses? Most ISPs give you a temporary Internet address that changes from time to time. This makes it harder to do video conferencing or set up secure virtual private networks (VPNs) from home. Some ISPs charge more per month ($10 is typical) if you must have a permanent address. Some claim it’s available except for certain areas that turn out to encompass several large states. Some cannot provide them period. Do you get free storage space for a personal web page? How many megabytes (MB)? Most providers are happy to give away 5 or 10 MB worth of disk space, because most customers don’t use it all up, if they use any at all. You can use web pages to share family photos or sounds, advertise your resume, or spread news. The ISP will object if they catch you using a personal page for business purposes, or anything that attracts an unusually large number of viewers or is obscene or defamatory. Do they throw in free software, such as a personal firewall, virus protection, and browsers? Many sites on the web supply free software, but if you can get an up-to-date, certified firewall or antijunk mail program that their tech support will help you install, so much the better. If you call their tech support line, how long do you have to wait? DSL is reliable, but nothing lasts forever. Before you call their help desk, start a stopwatch. If you hear elevator music and a recording telling you to reset your DSL modem repeated more than a dozen times before a live human picks up the phone, then you should consider another ISP. What’s the soonest you can back out of the contract, and how much would that cost? They won’t like hearing that question. You may learn that your free modem and setup charges become billable if you ask for a divorce. They may have other fees ready to discourage you from leaving.
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