The internet has become an important part of our lives in the past 10 years. You can read daily news, play online games, research for information, share your photos or daily lives with the others, and even buy or sell over the internet. All of these online experiences rely on the ISP.
Choosing the best ISP provider is not as complicated as the others have proclaimed. The general trend is to go from dialup connection to broadband / high speed internet access. Two type of broadband access – DSL and cable internet are the two most popular methods currently.
DSL stands for “Digital Subscriber Line”. It is a technology that provides digital data transmission over the wires of local telephone network. In contrast, cable internet refers to the delivery of internet service over cable network.
Both DSL and cable internet offer high data transmission rate of 256 Kbps to 5 Mbps depending on the ISPs and service plans. That is, the connection speed of DSL and cable internet is 5 times to 50 times faster than a 56 kbps dialup connection. The difference can be dramatic. If it takes you hours to download a program with dialup connection, you can probably finish the download within minutes via DSL or cable internet. In addition, both DSL and cable internet do not occupy your phone line and you can connect to the internet as long as you would like.
Price is one of the major factors when users are choosing their internet service providers. Although dialup connection is still the cheapest option for internet access, the gap between dialup and broadband connection is closing. Some broadband providers are providing high speed internet services at $13-15/month, a very competitor price considering the much faster connection speed than dialup access.
The other important factor is service availability. Although most homes have subscribed to local phone services, not every phone line is equipped for DSL service. Similarly, even if you have already installed cable TV, not all cable networks are capable of providing cable internet access. If you are living in some rural or remote areas, chances are both DSL and cable internet services are not available in your area. In that case, you would have to consider getting accelerated dialup internet access or pay for a much higher monthly fee for high speed satellite internet access.
Both DSL and cable internet are easy to set up with self installation kit. Once you have them installed, there is really nothing more to do to maintain the service. You can then enjoy unlimited high speed internet access. Your internet connection is always on, there is no access number to dial, no busy signal. Unlike dialup connection, you don’t need to hang up the connection while downloading a large file to answer a phone call.
If you are considering changing your dialup ISP right now, consider the high speed options. You will definitely enjoy the extra benefits and better surfing experience for a few extra dollars a month.
Kwan H Lo is the owner of http://www.isp-reviews.org, a review site providing information on internet access technologies and tips of choosing the best ISP provider.
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