by Alan Fernald

Created on: October 21, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2008

When trying to connect to the Internet, you often have to wade through a sea of information to decide which connection type is the best. Familiarizing yourself with the available technologies, and the specific advantages and/or disadvantages of each will help you evaluate the plans in light of your particular needs and decide which is best suited for you.

Current technology for Internet connectivity covered in this report include dial-up access, cable connectivity, DSL technology, wireless internet and satellite.

DIAL-UP ACCESS:

For nearly two decades, both individuals and small businesses have used dial-up accounts for access to the Internet. Advances in technology have made major improvements to the speed and reliability of dial-up access; however, dial-up remains the slowest and one of the least reliable ways connection methods. In rural locations, dial-up may be the only option available other than a satellite connection.

Though dial-up access is the slowest type of connection, it does hold some advantages over other types of connection. In general, dial-up access is the most inexpensive method, with some American Internet Service Providers (ISP) charging monthly fees as low as $10. Some ISPs even have a "free" dial-up access plan, though these generally have significant limitations that make the plan nonviable to most users. Additionally, most dial-up plans allow you to connect from most locations in the United States by calling a local phone number. This allows people who travel a lot to connect from wherever they are.

The negatives of dial-up are mainly due to its extremely slow upload/download speeds when compared to other technologies. Additionally, if you install a second telephone line for dial-up access, the total cost for you dial-up account combined with the additional phone fees may be more than the cost for lower priced DSL and/or cable packages.

It is recommended that you do not purchase dial-up access unless there are no other affordable options available.

DSL:

Though many types of DSL exist, there are two principle types to consider when evaluating an Internet plan. These are Synchronous DSL (SDSL) and Asynchronous DSL (ADSL). SDSL refers to a DSL line that has a set bandwidth available for both inbound and outbound traffic. Your bandwidth is allocated automatically to provide the best performance. If you host your own internet web server or generate a large amount of e-mail traffic, then SDSL will provide significantly better performance than ADSL.

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