Author Topic: [Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!  (Read 12409 times)

Offline Phillip Dampier

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[Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!
« on: September 12, 2007, 12:31:14 pm »
A lot of folks still stuck with a dial-up ISP usually do so because they have seen the advertising for cable modems or high speed DSL service that costs $40-50 a month (or more) and feel that is outside of their budget.  But did you know there are much lower priced broadband alternatives?

By taking advantage of promotional offers or slower speed (but still much faster than dial-up) services, you can lower the monthly price of broadband to $20 or less per month.  In select cities served by AT&T, you can get residential DSL service for as low as $10 per month.

We can help you locate some alternative services and you'll no longer be mired in the slow speeds dial-up offers.

OPTIONS

CABLE MODEM SERVICE

Cable modems generally provide the most reliable high speed service.  Unfortunately, the best prices are reserved for existing cable television customers in most areas.  Most cable companies offer two tiers of cable modem service but typically only promote their highest speed, and most expensive service.  The slower speed service is usually priced at $17-25 a month and usually offers speeds of 768kbps-1.5mbps downloading and 128-256kbps uploading (contrast that with your 56kbps dial up modem and you'll see it's still a huge difference).  The higher speed cable modem service you'll see promoted usually ranges in price from $40-60 a month and offers speeds of 5-10mbps downloading and 384kbps-1mbps uploading.

Cable companies are usually in battle with your local phone company which usually offers DSL.  Most offer deep promotional discounts for new customers for their highest speed plans - the better ones give discounts of up to $10 a month for 12 months.  So a cable modem service that usually sells for $39 a month sells for $29 a month, with no installation or equipment fees.  At the end of the 12 months, you can always switch to DSL on one of their discounted promotional plans!  If you are served by Time Warner (and some other cable companies), you could seamlessly switch from Road Runner at the end of their promotion to an Earthlink promotion for new customers and keep getting a discount.  It's the same cable modem service.

Cable companies usually brand their discounted, slower speed service as "Lite" or "Basic."  They usually don't promote these heavily, but you may find it buried on your cable company's website, or you can ask your cable rep by phone about the service.  It's slower in speed, but considerably lower in price.  They may even try to upsell you to their standard plan with unadvertised discounts and promotional offers, which you can also consider. 

Cable companies usually do not require you to sign a contract commitment, so you can cancel anytime, but check the conditions and terms before committing to anything.

I have used both DSL and cable for broadband Internet here.  My personal preference is cable modem service, which has been more reliable for me, albeit slightly more expensive.  And many cable operators also throw in free dial-up service for travelling. 

(Here are some dynamic banners for special offers running nationally you can consider.  They are all clickable.)

Time Warner: Road Runner (ask your local rep if they are offering any annual savings plans.  If not, consider this one:)
<a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1962211-10403028" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-1962211-10403028" width="468" height="60" alt="" border="0"/>[/url]

Comcast: Click on the Internet $19 special on the page you land on.
<a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-1962211-10446566" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.lduhtrp.net/image-1962211-10446566" width="234" height="60" alt="" border="0"/>[/url]

Earthlink: Cable modem service is almost always available in Time Warner areas, but elsewhere too.  Also check their DSL offerings!
<a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-1962211-10295002" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-1962211-10295002" width="234" height="60" alt="" border="0"/>[/url]

Charter: If you're served by Charter, here is a good deal on their cable modem service:
<a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-1962211-10431909" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-1962211-10431909" width="180" height="50" alt="" border="0"/>[/url]

Your local cable company may have additional promotions as well.  If you sign-up through any of our links, BetterMost gets a donation from the provider.



DSL/TELEPHONE COMPANY SERVICE

Phone companies offer a variety of Internet access services to customers.  Those lucky enough to be in Verizon territory may already have or will soon see FiOS, which is fiber optics right into your home.  Unbelievably fast Internet connections and a discounted cable-TV-like service plan for television channels is really creating a competition war in FiOS areas.  But for the rest of us, most telephone companies provide DSL service.  DSL works with your ordinary telephone service as long as you are not too far away from the central office switch.  The phone company "provisions" your phone line to work with the high speed service, hands you small filters you need to plug in on each existing phone jack you have a phone hooked to, and provides a DSL modem which sits next to your computer.  It's not too terribly different from an external dial-up modem.

DSL relies on antiquated copper phone wires and an aging phone network, but still does a remarkable job of providing broadband while we wait for phone companies to install fiber optic networks to replace the copper wiring.  The upside is that DSL often costs less than cable modem service (especially for the slower speed "lite" plans), can be installed in many rural areas no cable company serves, and doesn't tie up your phone line like a regular dial-up modem will.  You can still make and receive phone calls on your home phones while being online.

Service plan pricing is all over the map, as are speeds.  If you are an AT&T phone customer, you are in luck because you can get AT&T's "lite" DSL plan for as low as $10 per month in several areas.  SBC is another phone company offering major discounts as low as $15 a month for their basic DSL service.  As with cable modem services, the phone companies tend to only promote their highest speed plans, which usually cost around $29-49 a month at provide 5mbps-8mbps downloading, and around 512kbps uploading.  The slower speed light plans are usually offering 128-512kbps downloading and 56-128kbps uploading. 

DSL providers also offer promotional discounts for new customers.  Some even throw in free satellite television or a free computer.  The major difference is that these high value promotions usually require a 12-24 month service commitment (like a cell phone plan), with steep fees for cancelling.  But if you are not willing to take that commitment, you can still choose a month-by-month plan.

(Here are some dynamic banners for special offers running nationally you can consider.  They are all clickable.)

BellSouth/AT&T Customers: The BellSouth FastAccess DSL promotional offer:
<a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-1962211-10470506" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-1962211-10470506" width="234" height="60" alt="" border="0"/>[/url]


WI-FI/COMMUNITY BROADBAND

Municipalities are attempting to address the digital divide (those have's/have not's in broadband access) with their own wi-fi wireless broadband networks.  Most work with wireless access cards, are typically found in larger communities, and are priced more afforably in many cases than the other two options (typically $15 a month).  The upside is that you can access the Internet anywhere in the community - the antennas are usually installed on telephone or light poles all around town.  The downside is that your signal level may vary indoors, and the speeds are typically on the low side, but still much faster than dial-up.

These networks are not the same as "hot spots" which you'll find in individual buildings or stores.


HOW TO PROCEED

The one thing I have always found true is that once you go broadband, you never go back to dial-up if you can avoid it.  The Internet is continuing to expand at a rapid pace, with more and more services targeting broadband users.  The writing is on the wall for dial-up, and its days are numbered.  Unfortuntely, broadband access in the USA is still priced too high for some people, and the FCC is trying to force additional competition and reduced pricing.  A 12 month promotional plan may be one great way of waiting out the pricing debacle and then take a fresh look a year from now and see what the playing field looks like.

I can assist you in locating promotional offers and options.  If you are already familiar with the local players in your market, now may be the time to call and ask them about their current promotional plans and compare pricing.  Ask them if there is a "lite," "basic," or "slower speed, cheaper" service available.  If you are looking into DSL and are served by AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, or SBC (we're down to four Baby Bells now as AT&T slowly rebuilds their empire), sometimes they hide their cheapest plans.  Just PM me with your zip code and I'll see what I can find out for you.  In particular, many AT&T customers should be able to find a plan that is nearly as cheap for DSL (if not more so) than what they are paying for dial-up right now.  I will also add some additional promotional offers I can locate to this thread.  You may also see some appear dynamically on the right hand side of your screen.

Most broadband services are easily integrated into home networks, allowing multiple computers to access the same Internet account.  I can provide some assistance and guidance on this as well.


WHAT ABOUT MY E-MAIL ADDRESS?

Why not consider getting your own domain name so you never have to change an e-mail address again?  For around $3-6 a year, you could have a domain name of your choice, and e-mail is always included.  I registered phillipdampier.com years ago and use it for all my e-mail needs.  No more worrying about what happens if I change service providers.  If you would like help getting your own domain name, I can help point you in the right direction.

« Last Edit: November 22, 2007, 05:30:34 pm by Phillip Dampier »
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injest

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Re: [Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2007, 06:48:07 pm »
I was not aware you could get broadband thru your phone. That doesn't make sense..but there is a LOT about computers I don't get at all. (When you buy a car and something goes wrong, the auto shop doesn't fuss at you for not knowing how to fix it yourself)  :laugh:

anyway!

Concerns...

With dial up I have an ISP that changes every six days or so. You have indicated to me that you can not get my address with it. Only trace it to a phone bank in my area.

On broadband my computer is hooked up all the time...making me vulnerable to people that are going to try to trace my ISP (my understanding is that the ISP in broadband remains the same)

I can disconnect my computer from the net. I have heard stories about people using your computer to traffic in illegal stuff...I am not sure how they do it but the stories say the stuff runs in the background where you never see it? Rumor or real??

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: [Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2007, 11:31:10 pm »
With dial up I have an ISP that changes every six days or so. You have indicated to me that you can not get my address with it. Only trace it to a phone bank in my area.

On broadband my computer is hooked up all the time...making me vulnerable to people that are going to try to trace my ISP (my understanding is that the ISP in broadband remains the same)

I can disconnect my computer from the net. I have heard stories about people using your computer to traffic in illegal stuff...I am not sure how they do it but the stories say the stuff runs in the background where you never see it? Rumor or real??

I think you mean your IP address changes every few days.  No IP address is trackable back to a person's address.  What it tracks back to is the Internet Service Provider (ISP) in your area, and if your IP address never changed, it would be unique to your computer, but nobody would know precisely where that is.  Almost every IP address changes occasionally.

What you are referring to is spyware, which can run on any computer, dial-up or broadband.  If you run an antivirus protection suite (and many ISPs throw a package in for free when you sign up), it will monitor your computer for any potential problems.  Your Windows XP or Vista operating system also comes enabled with a firewall, which can stop most malicious attacks.  I'd say the risks of someone doing something illegal via your computer are so slight as to not worry about it.  And if you use an aforementioned virus protection program, your chances of getting a computer virus are quite low also.
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injest

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Re: [Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2007, 11:34:05 pm »
well I am VERY interested in that phone line broadband...what the heck will they think of next??

I will call the phone company tomorrow and see what they say.

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: [Important Tip!] Switch from Dial-Up to Broadband!
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2007, 12:48:07 pm »
well I am VERY interested in that phone line broadband...what the heck will they think of next??

I will call the phone company tomorrow and see what they say.

Are you in AT&T territory or SBC?  If you PM me your zip code I'll see what I can find out as well.  Broadband access means you'd be able to listen to the radio stations, watch the videos, and watch pages fly on by.  It's an amazing change.
You're a part of our family - BetterMost, Wyoming