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. On the other hand, if you are like most users and have more inbound traffic than outbound, then ADSL, which "throttles" the outbound speed while maximizing inbound speed may be more appropriate.
One of the primary advantages of DSL is that it utilizes the standard telephone lines that exist in most homes. This means that DSL is available in many areas where other cable and fiber optic connections do not yet exist. Additionally, DSL service connects the client directly to the ISPs network, and thus the advertised bandwidth is actually dedicated to the customer rather than being the maximum possible speed as occurs with cable internet connections. ADSL service is generally very affordable, and in some cases can be less expensive than dial-up services.
If you have only one or two computers connected to the internet, and you do not send or receive many files (or download many movies), then DSL is probably a good solution for you. If you will be performing a lot of downloads, or you have numerous users, then even a business class DSL (remember that SDSL we talked about?) will probably leave you wishing you had chosen something else.
CABLE:
One of the most prevalent internet connections in urban America is through the cable company. In terms of raw bandwidth and speed, cable connections probably have the highest possible speeds for typical consumers. In some cases, cable ISPs can provide internet access at or above the speeds that we used to find "normal" on our own internal network.
However, there are two drawbacks to cable connections. The first is that a cable connection is also a shared connection. When you connect your computer to the internet, you are connecting to a segment that may have little to no protection from your neighbors who also happen to be on the same segment. This is a minor issue as most cable modems come with a built-in firewall and may use various types of encryption to prevent nosy neighbors from peeking into your personal home network. The second disadvantage is similar to the first in that your bandwidth via cable connection is shared with all others who connect to the same cable access point. This means that if a company promises you a "maximum" bandwidth of 10 Mb/sec, you may see that at low usage times, but the normal bandwidth available may be significantly less. Most cable companies "throttle" your upload speed as well (similar to ADSL) to maximize the bandwidth available for downloads.
In general, I would recommend a cable connection to most people unless you use a satellite television service such as DirecTV. If you do use DirecTV, you will want to do a price comparison to see how competitive your cable ISP pricing is.
WIRELESS:
Many people picture wireless access as people sitting in a coffee shop sipping a latte while browsing the internet. However, the access this report covers is the wifi service provided by most cellular and long-distance companies. This type of wireless high-speed access generally runs about $60/month and enables you to connect to the internet from almost anywhere.
This is not a very high-speed connection (about 1/2 - 1/4 the speed of DSL and/or Cable), and is more expensive than similar plans, but it will allow you to be truly mobile in your computing while you remain within most urbanized areas. You should only consider paying for this type of service if you travel a lot and the places you stay when traveling do not have wireless access for their clients.
SATELLITE:
Satellite connectivity is the internet connection of last resort. Though prices have dropped considerably due to competition from wireless internet providers, it remains one of the most expensive ways to connect to the internet.
The principle advantage of a satellite connection is that it can work from nearly everywhere in the world. Only above the Arctic Circle or below the Antarctic Circle will service be unavailable. If you live in a rural area where even dial-up access is unreliable, or if you live in a country where other services are unavailable, satellite may be the only solution. The largest disadvantage (other than cost) is the latency in communications. Because of the 1/2 second delay in all transmissions, applications that depend on low latency (or lag) may not work via satellite.
SUMMARY:
There are plans available to connect just about anyone to the internet. In evaluating these plans, you should consider what your actual requirements for the internet are. If price is the largest concern, then you should investigate ADSL, Cable and/or dial-up connectivity. If mobility is a concern, then look towards a wireless or dial-up connection. When you choose your plan, make sure it can meet your needs.