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1. What is the Connection Speed?
2. How does the Local Access Number Works?
3. What are the three basic types of broadband Internet access available to the general public?
4. What is DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line) and how does it work?
5. Who wins DSL vs. Dial Up?
6. What affects my DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line) connection speed?
7. What is POP/SMTP/IMAP?
8. What is DUN (Dial UP Networking)?
9. Many ISP's offer packages to PAY IN ADVANCE TO Save money. Is this a good deal?
10. What does Allowed Usage mean?
11. What are Satellite Internet´s advantages?
12. What is Cable Internet?
13. What are the most common disadvantages of Cable Internet?
   
1.

Connection Speed
The speed of your connection will determine how fast pages load while surfing and how fast you can download programs and email. The highest speed available right now to personal users is with DSL or cable, but it typically costs more than dial-up access. When choosing a dial up provider be sure to find one with a minimum speed connection of 56K or V.92.
   
2.

Local Access Number
If you will be using your computer from home only, you just need to make sure you find a provider with a local access number in your area so that you don't have to pay any long distance charges to connect to the Internet. If you travel with a laptop and need to access the Internet while on the road, be sure to find a provider that has local numbers in the destinations you travel to regularly. Also make sure you can access more than one dial in number without extra charges.
   
3. The Three Basic types of Broadband Internet Access
Broadband can be separated into several different categories, such as Cable, DSL, and Satellite.
• DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line), is the standard broadband technology available. DSL (digital subscriber line) originated in 1988, when the Internet as a public entity was still in it sinfancy. It is still widely available today, mostly through telephone companies, as that is the technology that is required for DSL.
• Cable Modems. They provide comparable data transmission rates to DSL, though uploading data is usually a bit quicker still with DSL. However, the advantage of cable modems is that is does not tie up your home telephone line. Cable modems can also be used to provide telephone service (VOIP), and more cable companies are jumping on that bandwagon all the time.
• Satellite Internet. Is a newer type of broadband Internet access, and is ideal for areas where land-based Internet access is not an option (such as on boats). It is more expensive, but is often the only way of getting Internet access of any kind in rural areas. The drawback of Satellite Internet is often the delay problem, due to the signal having to travel through space to the satellite and back to Earth again. Fortunately, it really only affects those who participate in Internet gaming or use streaming video feeds. The delay is not really noticeable when using the Internet for email of other basic Internet services.
   
4. DSL - (DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE)
DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line) is a modem technology that turns your existing phone line into a three-channel data delivery system – one channel transmits voice services, so normal phone and fax usage continues whether or not you are accessing the Internet – a second channel transmits data downstream at high speeds, and a third bi-directional channel transmits data upstream.
   
5. DSL vs. Dial Up
• With DSL, news travels fast on the Internet. Even the lowest speed is more than 20 times faster than dial-up*.
On dial-up, by the time a web page loads, the news is already ancient history.
• DSL works on your existing phone line, allowing you to talk and browse the Internet at the same time.
On Dial Up you will have a busy signal while you use the internet, because you use the phone line to connect to the world wide web.
• With DSL the price is still cheaper than most dial-up plans today.
Some Dial-up plans are more expensive than DSL and you may even have to pay for the phone call to dial in.
• With DSL you are always connected. With Dial Up, you have to wait until you get connected and besides, you have the anoying sound of a modem racket.
 
6. DSL - (DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE) Speed
When you connect to the Internet using a DSL modem, the speeds that you will experience will vary based on a variety of factors, including the
following:

1. Distance of your telephone line from your central office provider.
2. Condition of telephone wiring inside and outside your location
3. Computer configuration
4. Network or Internet congestion
5. Server and router speeds of the Web sites you access
6. Other factors
 
7. POP/SMTP/IMAP
These are protocols used for email. You will need these if you want to use OUTLOOK or another email program for email.
   
8. DUN (Dial UP Networking)
Many ISP's require you to use their Special software (AOL for example), DUN is the dial up networking which is very simple, very reliable, and built into most computers. An ISP that supports DUN is preferred because it means you will get less Advertising and the ISP will exert less control over your internet experience.
   
9. Advance Pay
We don't know of a single ISP that will not allow you to prepay for a year after you've been a customer on a month-to-month basis for a few months. If you've settled in and the services work, and tech support fixes problems when you need them, and the billing is working correctly, then you can take advantage of the lower prices of making a longer term commitment.
We DO NOT RECOMMEND you start with one of these programs though! Before you do send off payment for a year in advance, carefully read the ISP's refund policy.
   
10. Allowed Usage
The majority of providers today offer unlimited hours. This means that you can access the Internet as often as you want for as many hours as you want with no extra fees or costs involved aside from your monthly access fee. Be aware, however, that some Internet service providers still offer hourly plans, in which allotted a certain numbers of hours that you can be online each month. If you go over the allotted time, you have to pay high per minute or per hour fees. If you plan on being online a lot, be sure to go with an unlimited usage ISP.
 
11.

How does Satellites Work
If you or your business are located in an area where there’s no ADSL or cable, or you live in rural or out of the way areas where land-based Internet access is not an option, the best alternative is satellite broadband.
Early satellite broadband offerings were often slow and were hampered by high latency. The technology has moved on since these early attempts and it’s now possible to get small business systems that closely emulate ADSL, along with more dynamic low latency systems that support advanced broadband applications like VPN, Voice-Over IP and Video Conferencing.

Managed solutions are available that can give up to 2048 kbps download and 1024 kbps upload. High quality 2-way satellite systems remain considerably more expensive than terrestrial ADSL, but the quality of service and robustness of the hardware make them a realistic option for small to medium sized businesses.

Standard installations usually include the satellite antenna (typically 75 cms) the satellite indoor unit and the wiring in between. Connection to the system is made via a standard RJ45 Ethernet connection. Satellite broadband systems are unsuitable for gaming.

You will need clear line of sight to the Southern sky and if you already have a Sky Digital TV dish, you may need planning permission.
   
12. Cable Internet
The term cable Internet access (or simply cable) refers to the delivery of Internet service over this infrastructure. The proliferation of cable modems, along with DSL technology, has ushered in the age of broadband Internet access in developed countries.

Bandwidth of residential cable modem service typically range from 3 Megabits per second (Mbit/s) up to 15 Mbit/s or more. The upstream bandwidth on residential cable modem service usually ranges from 384 Kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 2 Mbit/s or more. There are few attempts to offer different service tiers beyond the traditional 'home' and 'business' designations.

In comparison, DSL tends to offer less speed and more variance between service packages and prices. Service quality is also far more dependent on your location in relation to the telephone company's nearest central office or Remote Terminal.
   
13. Disadvantages of Cable Internet
There are two traditional disadvantages to cable internet:
1 Users in a neighborhood share the available bandwidth provided by a single coaxial cable line. Therefore, connection speed can vary depending on how many people are using the service at the same time, although in most areas, this has been eliminated due to redundant and fiber networks. From a technical point of view, all networks, including DSL services, are sharing a fixed amount of bandwidth between a multitude of users — but because cable networks tend to be spread over larger areas than DSL services, more care must be taken to ensure good network performance. This has become much less of an issue in recent years.
2 Many cable Internet providers are reluctant to offer cable modem access without tying it to a cable television subscription. They do this by charging higher rates, say $40/month for cable modem only access, than if one bundles it with a cable TV plan where it might be $30/month for cable modem service plus $20/month for cable TV service. This has ramifications similar to those of the lack of naked DSL.
   

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Information provided as a public service, but without any promises or warranty. Use all information at your own risk. All information is believed to be accurate, but NOT guaranteed. Companies change their programs, prices, and options quite often -- and they don't always tell us.