We've all had to do it. Choosing an Internet Service Provider does involve some time and research. Here are a few things to look at when making the decision about who will get you connected.
One of the biggest factors to consider when choosing an ISP is performance. Performance involves things such as connection speed and reliability of service. When assessing connection speed, an important question to ask relates to bandwidth. Bandwidth measures how much data can be sent or received through a connection. It also measures the speed at which data is transmitted through a network or the capacity of the lines. Therefore, the greater the capacity of the line, the greater the connection speed. The bandwidth is often indicated as:
* T1 - data is transmitted at a speed of 1.45 megabits per second
* E1 - data is transmitted at a speed of 2.048 megabits per second
* T3 - data is transmitted at a speed of 45 megabits per second
Another factor affecting connection speed is the speed of your modem, whether it's 56K, 33.6, or 28.8 kilobits per second. The higher the number, the faster the modem. In order to maximize the use of your modem you should make sure your ISP's modems are at least as fast as yours. To achieve a particular connection, both your modem and your ISP's dial up modem should support it. If for example you have a 56K modem, and the ISP only supports 33K, then your connection will be at 33K despite the fact that you have a faster modem. Find an ISP that also offers high-speed connections including ISDN, ADSL, and cable. Although you may not feel the need now, it may be something you will consider later on. It is also a good idea to ask questions about the ISP's network topology. This information explains how the ISP itself connects to the internet. Some providers communicate directly with all other networks on the Internet which means the time it takes your information to reach its destination is dramatically lower, therefore leading to a faster connection. With other ISP's your data must first traverse that ISP's network, and then cross its "parent" provider's network before it gets to the Internet. Internet traffic from users of these providers has to make quite a few hops before it reaches the mainstream of the network. So if your ISP doesn't have a good connection to the internet themselves, your connection speed is greatly reduced. A second concern is that the provider will typically have only one connection to its "parent". If this link becomes congested, and goes down, your connection goes down as well. A good indicator of an inadequate network connection is that the percentage of the network's capacity is dangerously high. If an ISP has many customers and a few modems, its dial-in number can often be busy, which means the connection cannot be made. A low customer to modem ratio greatly reduces the odds of all the modems being busy and increases the chances that an Internet connection will be availble when it is needed. Most experts recommend that the customer to modem ratio be no higher than ten to one. This means that there are ten customers sharing a modem. It is always wise to find out the provider's user-to-modem ratio.
It is important to make sure that the Internet Service Provider of choice supports all of the software and services that you wish to use. Full internet access usually involves access to the following; the World Wide Web, FTP(the ability to transfer files from and to different networks-- File Transfer Protocol) , Telnet(the ability to access other computers), Archie, Gopher, Internet Relay Chat, e-mail, and newsgroups. The ISP should also offer server space for personal web pages. You should find out how much disk storage space you will be provided with, it should be at least five megabytes. Some ISP's offer the option of upgrading to a domain name in the future by providing free hosting space. Most ISP's at least provide you with a web browser application to surf the web and an e-mail client. Some may require you to purchase these separately. Your service provider of choice should provide you with step-by-step instructions or an installation disk that will automatically set up everything for you. One of the most important things to check before buying internet access from an ISP is to make sure that a local phone number for dial in access is available. If the company does not have a Point of Presence (POP) within the local call distance, long distance charges will be incurred. A POP enables users to connect to the Web via a local call, but if the ISP has a POP in only one city you'll be making a long-distance phone call every time you leave that area. The Internet Service Provider you choose should offer toll-free or local access points outside the local (home- based) calling area for traveling customers.
Customer service is another important factor to consider when choosing your service provider. Twenty-four hour a day customer service guarantees that the consumer can get assistance whenever required. This is important because most internet exploring does not happen during the regular business day. The competency of the staff is another issue to be considered. If the staff is incompetent, whenever a problem arises that the staff doesn't know how to handle, essential network services may be down until help is found. The staff should be knowledgable as well as courteous and helpful to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. Asking the ISP about what type of training they provide to their staff can give you an indication of what type of customer service you should expect.
The last factor to consider is price. The price you pay for your internet access can vary from provider to provider. Some of the different options to beware of include limiting the number of hours of access, signing contracts, activation/set-up fees, and limiting the amount of information you can download. All of these things should be looked into since there are Internet Service Providers that offer unlimited access for a specific amount each month with month to month service agreements. You can expect to pay approximately $20 a month for unlimted access, a figure significantly higher or lower should be scrutinized.
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