Monday, April 30, 2007

Unraveling The Mysteries Of Broadband Internet Service Providers

Broadband internet service providers are widely varied and offer several different connection forms. Broadband can be separated into several different categories, such as cable, DSL, and satellite.

The major benefit of broadband service over dial up service is the website uploading speed. The speed increases exponentially when changing from dial up to broadband service, which saves you time and energy. Broadband is also always on, so you do not need to connect to it each time you want to use the internet.

One broadband internet service provider is your local cable company. They have unsurpassed speed and ease of use. Each time you turn on your computer your internet connection is ready and waiting on you and you do not need to take the time to connect to it as it is already connected. The cost is sometimes a stumbling block for internet users, but these broadband internet service providers sometimes offer package deals with your cable TV service or a slower access speed for a reduced price. You need to ask if there are any deals when choosing this service. All they can tell you is no.

DSL has better speed than dial up service also. Several broadband internet service providers offer DSL service. One of the drawbacks of this service is that it is distance sensitive and only works well within three miles of the central office. It is very dependent on the phone lines and any static or disruption will cause disruptions of your service also. Ask neighbors if they have DSL and if they do, what their experience has been with DSL. Word of mouth is the best way to find out the pros and cons of any broadband internet service provider.

Satellite broadband service internet providers offers a service that many rural or out of the way areas are not offered from their cable company or other providers. This is a plus to many customers who would not have internet service without the satellite providers.

Broadband internet service providers offer a service that millions of customers use everyday. The key is to research the type of service that you want to use-whether cable, DSL, or satellite and find the right choice for you and your family. Compare the web speed, features and cost in your decision and enjoy surfing the web with the speed and convenience that you will love! What more could you want?

http://www.articles2k.com/article/175/41396/Unraveling_The_Mysteries_Of_Broadband_Internet_Service_Providers/

The Best ISP For You And Your Family

Announcing the winner of the best ISP award…the one that works for you and your family! Finding the best ISP is finding the one that works best for your internet experience and your needs. There is not an across the board best choice that will make every user satisfied. You need to choose an ISP that enables you and your family to use the internet in the ways and for the uses that you choose.

The best ISP will be one that offers software upgrades regularly and has been in business for a long time. The software upgrades will show you that they are constantly changing to give their users more features and speed. They will have a good track record with customers and their customer service associates will be available 24/7 with quick and efficient responses.

The number of email addresses available per account will help you decide which is the best ISP for you. If the number does not match or exceed the amount that you need for you and your family, then that ISP may not be the best choice for you and your family. Nothing is worse than your children fighting over an email address or reading each others emails.

If you have young children, then the best ISP choice for you may be one that offers the blocking of websites that are inappropriate for children. Some ISPs also offer special children's offerings like games, cartoons, and movies. They also may offer links to homework help sites and other child appropriate sites.

The best ISP will be one that offers SPAM blocker and virus protection for your email and computer. This will protect your computer from any viruses that may be sent to you. SPAM blocker will help to save you time in reading your emails as it blocks many of those irritating emails that you do not want.

Unlimited internet usage is also the mark of one of the best ISPs. If you are on the computer several times daily, then this is the way that you want to go. Otherwise you could be paying extra money for any minutes over your specified time limit.

Price may be a factor in choosing the best ISP for you and your family, but keep in mind that you should not use price as the primary decision maker. Prices vary but so does service. The best ISP should be one that connects quickly and loads websites and information speedily. This may not happen with an ultra-cheap ISP. So choose the best ISP for you and your family to ensure that you receive the service that you need and deserve!

http://www.articles2k.com/article/419/53617/The_Best_ISP_For_You_And_Your_Family/

Internet Service Providers! Just What Is An ISP?

With all the dotcom and internet advances of the last twenty or so years, you may get lost in the www’s, http’s, html’s, and other miscellaneous acronyms associated with the technology. Perhaps you’ve heard of ISPs, and maybe you even know that it stands for "internet service providers". However, do you really understand the term and what it means? What is an ISP, and what do they do for you?

ISPs are providers of internet access and related services. In other words, without ISPs, the general public would not have access to the World Wide Web. For a monthly access fee, internet service is provided to consumers by these companies. Two options are recognized in regards to the type of internet access available, termed as dial up and broadband. Internet service can be accessed via dial up connection, usually with a connection not faster than 56 kbit/second. Other options are classified as broadband, provided as wireless access, cable modem, DSL, satellite, fiber optics, and Ethernet. All of these run at speeds ranging from 64 kb to 20Mb per second and sometimes greater.

The first ISPs began in the early 1990’s. This was when the Internet became popular for commercial use, provided by companies like Mindspring to a limited customer base in 1994. Most of the small ISPs were run with homemade software using a single server facility located in a garage. Users of these ISPs would pay anywhere from twenty to forty dollars a month for access that was only provided at a speed of up to 14.4 kbit/second and was highly unreliable. At this time, large companies with proprietary software operated completely separate networks (like MSN or AOL).

When V.90 was developed in 1998, download speeds were increased to 56 kbit/second. The internet became a way to advertise and gain business. Prices charged by ISPs began to even out, with a dial up connection typically costing $19.95 a month. In the 2000’s, broadband became a new way to access the internet and quickly began to overtake the sales of dial up connections. Faster, cheaper, and more reliable, this was to be the internet technology of the future.

However, many of the smaller ISPs couldn’t afford to use DSL and had no access to cable modem. Therefore, they began to provide their own solutions via wireless internet access technology. Today, this is a commonly used technology.

So what is the future of the ISP? With most ISPs still turning over a profit, it seems they will be around forever. Yet, with the possibility of future free wireless internet access, will consumers continue to pay for subscription services through internet service providers? Why would anyone pay for a service that can be received for free? Perhaps they won’t, but that remains to be seen.

http://www.articles2k.com/related/internet-service-provider/

Internet Provider Connection Software - Why?

As a computer technician I encounter many misconceptions about computers. Internet provider software is one that is often misunderstood. Internet service providers often give customers the false impression that their software is necessary to connect to the internet. If you are one of these folks, you may be asking yourself what other impressions your cheap Internet service provider is giving you.

Do I need software to connect to the Internet?
Absolutely not. The Windows operating system provides all the networking software needed to connect to the Internet and most other types of networks for that matter. Some ISPs require that their branded software be installed to connect to their service. This required software is used by the service provider to capture your attention for the purpose of showing you advertisements and the ISPs own focused content.

Usually when you click to connect to one of these service providers your browser opens and you are bombarded with ads while the home page loads. You may be able to customize the content posted on the home page to your liking, but lets face facts, You have become a captive audience and you are being taken for a ride.

What does the Internet Service Providers software do?
Internet access provider software does 2 things immediately on install. First it hijacks your Windows connection software so that it can not be used to connect to any other service provider. Usually other Windows network services are also disabled, such as Internet connection sharing. Second, it hijacks your web browser so that you must log on to their home page, which I find ironic since internet service providers are always warning us about spyware that hijacks your browser.

The perpetrators of this type of hijacking is a list of the most popular service providers. You know them as, AOL, NetZero, EarthLink, PeoplePC, AT&T, Netscape... and the list goes on. AOL being the ring leader and takes control of your computer beyond the extreme to the point of being criminal. All of these service providers prefer to hijack the Internet Explorer browser because all Windows users have it installed and it is easy to build software for. But most can also be used with Netscape or Firefox.

So what is the alternative?
Simply contact a service provider and ask them if internet connection software is required to use their service. Not all Internet service providers require that you install connection software and are very willing to help you set up your Windows connection.

While doing research for this article, I expected to find price to be a factor in the connection software equation. ISPs that require connection software obviously make money force feeding you advertisements, allowing them to offer lower rates. To my surprise that does not appear to be the most important factor in setting price. I found that bandwidth has more affect in determining rates.

So, escape from the hijackers. There are many national Internet service providers out there that don't require that you be held hostage to pop up ads and stale content. Search the Internet for ISPs, do your homework and you will find the freedom to surf the web the way you deserve.

http://www.articles2k.com/article/412/97426/Internet_Provider_Connection_Software_Why/