OT: DSL service

[Dave Labrecque]

Hey, Gang, calling on your expertise...

I've been using a line provided by Qwest (local phone company) and a local ISP for my Internet DSL service for a few years. I think I'd heard back when I got connected that not using Qwest/MSN for my ISP would streamline my Internet experience, so I went with a local provider.

What's the current thinking these days? Would I be okay to go with the Qwest/MSN package? I don't use any of the ISP web services, aside from occasional web mail when I'm away from one of my computers. Would Outlook and my browser experience be perfectly fine?

I ask because it would cost less than the way I'm doing it now.

[Carl G.]

Hey, Gang, calling on your expertise...
.
The landscape has changed in recent years... way better than standard DSL (which is about 256KB/s)
1. Fiber direct to your house - about 10MB/s about $70-80/mo
2. Satellite - downloads up to 2MB/s (uploads a respectable 150KB/s) $99/mo
3. Cable - fast also (not sure of parameters or security)
4. Wireless ISP - range from 256 to 1.5MB/s (tiered pricing structure)
5. POTS dial-up.

[MMP]

I have the cheapest business cable package from Road Runner.

10Mb Down and 2.5 Up. The up speed is really a time saver for file transfers.

$85.00 a month

Regards,

MM

[bcorkery]

I've been using a local service for years (really local, they were actually in my building) because of their top notch service, and they gave me a great discount, I'm paying about $65/mo. Recently I'm sending my payents to Texas though and I haven't had any issues so far. I just hope the support is as good as in the past.

Service is key. I'd pay more to get the kind I've been used to. These guys came in unannounced and upgraded my modem! They call ahead when they're going to do maintenance!!!

Thanks what I'm talking about.

G'Luck.

[Dave Labrecque]

The landscape has changed in recent years... way better than standard DSL (which is about 256KB/s)
1. Fiber direct to your house - about 10MB/s about $70-80/mo
2. Satellite - downloads up to 2MB/s (uploads a respectable 150KB/s) $99/mo
3. Cable - fast also (not sure of parameters or security)
4. Wireless ISP - range from 256 to 1.5MB/s (tiered pricing structure)
5. POTS dial-up.

Number 5 sounds like a winner.

[Craig Allen]

I just changed over to BellSouth DSL - 6Mb down / 512kb up. I've tested it at about 4Mb down / 450kb up. It's $42 a month with a fixed IP.

[studio-c]

If you're uploading things, you'd want SDSL (synchronous DSL, same speed up as down), rather than ADSL (asynchronous DSL, fast coming atcha, slow to upload-- most folks don't upload too much). I have SDSL at the studio and cable at home. And cable is really slow to send my master files to our FTP server. On the ADSL you might find the "comin' atcha" speed a teense slower, but probably not.

Just wanted to throw that in the mix. The fiber and satellite sound sexy though.

Cheers,
Scott

[Dave Labrecque]

If you're uploading things, you'd want SDSL (synchronous DSL, same speed up as down), rather than ADSL (asynchronous DSL, fast coming atcha, slow to upload-- most folks don't upload too much). I have SDSL at the studio and cable at home. And cable is really slow to send my master files to our FTP server. On the ADSL you might find the "comin' atcha" speed a teense slower, but probably not.

Just wanted to throw that in the mix. The fiber and satellite sound sexy though.

Cheers,
Scott

How much pricier is ADSL, typically?

[Ian Alexander]

How much pricier is ADSL, typically?
I would expect SDSL to be more expensive than ADSL. The higher upload speed is tailored to business or hosting uses.

[Dave Labrecque]

I would expect SDSL to be more expensive than ADSL. The higher upload speed is tailored to business or hosting uses.

Woops. That's what I meant. :o