posted
I have been thinking about going to DSL for awhile but am afraid that I'll get myself into some extra fee or something or another. I now have 3 phone lines...2 for business that are roll-overs and 1 that is for fax.
I am told that I can drop one line and the other 2 will work as 4 lines. I was told that I can put the DSL router on the server and then everyone can hook up to the internet through that only vs a hookup on each computer which would cost more money.
The service is 29.95 a month. I now pay $25.00 a month for that 3rd line plus 14.95 a month for dial up service. Sounds like I will be coming out ahead...and faster internet too. WOW. Does this all sounds kosher?
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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I saved money by going DSL and dropping the extra phone line.
Of course PLUS the advantage of high speed access!
I would advise you, though, that with DSL you are more vulnerable to internet hackers, spyware etc. The router will help somewhat, but I'd advise you to also install a firewall and a spyware finding program on each computer. You can download "free" firewalls and spyware finding progs from the internet.
All said, I wouldn't go back to dial-up.
Edited to say that Curtis is one of the experts around here on routers, firewalls and syp ware. I'm sure he'll offer more specific suggestions.
[ October 12, 2004, 11:15 AM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
5 years with 3 computers left on 24/7 plugged into my Linksys Router... no other firewall needed to keep all 3 machines protected against viris trouble the entire time without exception.
Spyware is another story, & I agree w/ Dave to get that situation addressed right away, but in my experience, an internal firewall is not essential if you have a good router.
posted
Doug...I know you aren't alone in leaving your computers on 24/7. I have heard that a re-boot every once in a while is a good idea.
Personally my computers are on from the time I wake up till I go to bed. Actually, the desktop is on but the laptop is on and off as I need it.
Any specific reason why you leave yours turned on all the time? Or do you occasionally re-boot?
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
I reboot each one a few times a week. I log on to my office computer from home several times a week & can work on any files I have on the computers at work, which I do frequently. That is the main reason I first started leaving them on & I was also told the electrical cost is minimal & that some gurus thing it is better for the computer.
posted
Thanks Doug. I can see why you'd leave them on if you want to access them from home.
My office and home are a doorway apart (office=one room in the house ), and I don't have any computer "at home" so I don't have that need.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
I got it mostly because of my website, I make constant changes, updates and am always uploading to it.
When it comes to the DSL hardware, stay away from the USB DSL modems if you can. Your ISP might give you a free or cheap USB modem with the deal, but if you have the option to use a DSL modem that connects to the computer using an Ethernet port (a standard networking port) go with that, or go buy one yourself.
Using this type of modem, you plug it into the phone/DSL line and it maintains the high speed connection and even logs in with your ID. Get a LinkSys Router that has multiple ports for other machines (or your existing network hubs/routers), and connect the WAN (Wide Area Network) port to the Ethernet port on the DSL modem. Then you can plug other computers (or hubs/routers) directly into the router.
Using a router plugged into the DSL modem will allow each machine or each branch of the network to operate at the full speed of the DSL line instead of it being divided. A router is a really fast switch, unlike a hub which divides bandwidth across all machines connected to it.
I pay for a 384kbps line, it's 39.95/month I think, but the ISP doesnt have speed caps on the lines so with some tweaking in Windows I connect at 1.8Mbps. Funny thing is the ISP recommended those tweaks. Their faster more expensive service is a 1024kbps line but tweaked out runs between 5 and 6 Mbps.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Stick to ethernet 10/100 for the modem. Its will give you more options. Get a DSL router / switch. Once its up and running you can add in more computers and a network printer if you wish. The network opens the world for you.
The router acts as its own firewall and will stealth your machine from the net. But you will have a few ports remaining open thru which gremlins come in.
Use a good firewall. (zonealarm) This will stop strange attacks comming in through port 80. And stop email crap in most cases as well. This is the port your browser uses. Also, a firewall will alert you to things going on inside your machine trying to call out such as spyware and maleware that comes in through Internet Explorer and outlook.
Then, Quit using microsoft browser and outlook. Get a mozilla type browser such as Firefox that is just about immune from almost all maleware attacks.
Then avoid norton or mcafee stuff. They are becomming bloatware, high CPU overhead, and slow your machine. Get Kaspersky or AVG anti virus. FREE!! Very good, almost no overhead and does not have the problems.
I have never had a virus or malware or a browser hijacked since I started doing all of the above.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Ok, question here: I have cable modem internet connection. I hear that it is faster than DSL and doesn't fluctuate as much in speed of access as DSL because DSL can be inhibited by phone traffic, and distance away from the phone company/booster boxes.
Educate me here will you? $30 a month for DSL seems cheap...is that an introductory period price?
I pay $61.45 month for residential+ speed....theres a slightly cheaper version for less speed and one commercial one that is a lot faster yet, but costs like $110 per month.
Mine is almost instant....when I check out my mother-in-law's AOL it's so painful waiting for things that It now seems almost worthless....
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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After I posted this, my networking guy dropped in unexpectantly to see how things were going. He told me of another alternative. He said that I could go cable, get this little box that hooks in somewhere and that for $40 +$65 (for cable service) I can call anywhere for the free (- the monthly fee of $40). He said that I could even take this box with me if a travel and hook it up in my hotel room and can make free calls there.
Now I have to do more figuring. I do have a major problem if I go DSL or cable. I'll only be able to get my email messages at work as cable and DSL aren't available where I live ( I live 30 miles round trip from my shop). So I can't get my messges at night or on weekends.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Todd, i don't think DSL is inhibited by phone traffic since it's direct, also the frequency is not the same for data and voice. distance from phone company is correct in that it may not have proper signal strength. cable however does suffer from "traffic" since many neighborhoods share the same outlet (so if all your neighbors have cable internet and are concurrently downloading large files, everyone's speed dips). all things equal cable has a higher capacity for speed than DSL, but it's not noticable for most people.
-------------------- Scott Pagan Admark Graphic Systems Admark Motorsports Graphics 9700 Metromont Ind Blvd Charlotte, NC 28269 www.admarkgraphics.com Posts: 325 | From: Charlotte, NC | Registered: Nov 2001
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Laura...I have DSL as I said. My e-mail addy has nothing to do with whether I am on DSL or Dial-up when I access my e-mail. I can get my e-mail from my laptop, on dial-up, when I'm in Mexico. I use "Webmail" to do that.
If you use the same ISP for DSL at work as you do for dial-up at home the e-mail address will be the same, or at least you will be able to access the work e-mail from your home computer.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
When you're online, you can only pull so much bandwidth doing any one particular task.. meaning that there's a point where more speed (Cable vs DSL) is absolutely pointless depending on what you're doing online. If all you're doing is checking email and web browsing, a 1.8Mbit connection like mine is gonna be way overkill. First off, you can only download as quickly as the server (such as the letterville BB server) you're connecting to will allow. Then you have to remember the web browser will only utilize so much bandwidth regardless of the website and your connection speed. You could however, open 10 browser windows at once and visit 10 different websites at the same time and the speed of each one would not suffer one bit thanks to the extra bandwidth, but that's like watching 10 channels on TV at the same time - most people don't do that.
On the otherhand if you're a habitual multi-tasker like me and you've got 3 web browsers going, a couple FTP sessions cookin, email downloading and uploading and you're streaming high quality audio in the background to pipe into your shop stereo system, the extra bandwidth is nice to have.
If you travel and want to take your connection with you, wireless/satellite might be the way you want to go, but then you gotta lug around a friggin satellite dish.
You should be able to log in to your email from anywhere regardless of what ISP you use to connect. I can get my email from any location and any computer because my mail resides on my stickerpimp.com server which is independent of everything. I can access it through a web browser or a regular email program. Webmail is essential these days.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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My head is spinnin'....not sure if I understand all that guys....
Mike - I took my laptop with me on my last trip...I hooked up wirelessly to the hotel's signal, they charged me $10 per day...gave me a password for access to their signal and I could surf the net, check email and everything...
Is there a way to do the same thing without having to pay the hotel? Or are you totally at their mercy?
PS - My cousin tried satalite internet service and DSL in his area (Grand Prairie, TX) and said Satalite was absolutely worthless, and DSL was very slow as well...he ended up getting what he called a "T-1 connection." It must be fast because when I send him a huge file, it pops up like instantly....and I do mean instantly.
I've been really happy with my cable modem....for the most part. But there has been times when they screw something up down the road when servicing someone's cable problems that affects me....and I usually don't figure it out until dinking around for a few hours.
I'm sure they all have their + and -'s.
Here's an article that you might find helpful Laura:
Broadband Internet: Worth the switch? What you need to know about making the move to broadband: DSL, cable, or satellite.
Tens of millions of consumers now have broadband Internet service--DSL (digital subscriber line), cable-modem, or satellite connections that are always on and much faster than traditional 56k dial-up. If you're not one of them, what are you missing?
Plenty, judging by the response to a national survey we recently conducted of about 1,500 broadband and dial-up users. Broadband customers were four times as likely as dial-up users to be highly satisfied with their provider's speed and much more satisfied with technical support. Only 18 percent reported interrupted connections in the past month, compared with 55 percent for dial-up. Broadband users spent more time online, too, and were far more likely to download large files, watch video clips, and listen to Internet radio. Most had no intention of ending their broadband service anytime soon or of going back to dial-up.
To see how well broadband service holds its appeal over time, we checked in with two DSL users we'd interviewed two years ago. "To go back to dial-up service would be like switching from a hare to a tortoise," says Susan Buchsbaum, a resource center specialist from Stamford, Conn., who uses the speed to closely examine photos of merchandise when shopping online. She would stop shopping online if she had to go back to dial-up, she adds. Michael MacDonald, a database administrator from Aurora, Canada, still considers his DSL service a good deal, despite a recent price hike that brought his monthly fee to $45 from $40, because "the content is a lot better than two years ago and there is a lot more variety."
SOME ROUGH EDGES
Broadband has its shortcomings, our survey showed. Monthly fees for all types--typically about $40, compared with $20 for dial-up--are still on the rise. About 40 percent of cable-modem users, and nearly 25 percent of DSL users, experienced a price hike in the past six months. The typical increase for DSL was nearly $10 a month, compared with less than $5 for cable.
Why the increases? Mark Kersey, an industry analyst for ARS Inc., told us, "Prices are going up mostly because of less competition. Some companies folded or consolidated. Eighty-five percent of broadband is controlled by 10 companies."
Actually, among the people we surveyed, more have a choice of high-speed providers than in the past. About 40 percent of broadband users who signed up in the past year said their provider was the only one available, compared with nearly 60 percent a year earlier. But having more than one provider to choose from, our survey also showed, hasn't produced meaningful price competition. Users who had a choice of providers now pay about the same per month as those who had no choice.
FIGHTING OFF HACKERS
Broadband's higher speed and stability carry risks. They expose you to hackers and online criminals far more than a dial-up connection does. For more information about how to minimize risks by using a barrier known as a firewall.
Given the increased exposure to hackers, you would expect broadband Internet providers to strongly encourage new users to protect themselves with a firewall. However, nearly 50 percent of broadband users told us that their provider had never mentioned a firewall when the service was installed, while nearly 30 percent said they couldn't remember what protective steps their provider had taken. Forty percent of the broadband users we surveyed said they don't use a firewall.
TAKING THE PLUNGE
If you're planning to sign up for broadband, our survey shows that--providers' ads notwithstanding--cable and DSL suffer interruptions and slowdowns at similar rates. To find a local cable Internet provider, ask your cable TV company which providers serve your address (in some areas, there may be more than one). To find a range of choices in broadband, visit www.broadbandreports.com. If neither cable nor DSL is available, consider two-way satellite. DirecWay (www.direcway.com) charges $60 a month, plus a $300 to $400 early-termination fee
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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I can only speak to my own experience. When we lived in LA, I had DSL and to be honest, it didn't knock me out. It kept disconnecting and just didn't seem super fast. For the last year, I've had cable and it's fantastic. Only once in a year has it gone down and that was the whole cable service to the neighborhood. And then of course I have the option to switch to dial-up using my laptop or one of my other computers.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Any ISP that is providing DSL service SHOULD also provide a dial-up account for back-up purposes at no extra cost.
This past weekend my DSL was so slow that I ended up using my laptop with the free dial-up account for most of the day Sunday.
Something else for potential DSL customers to ask about before they sign up.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
quote:Originally posted by Todd Gill: My head is spinnin'....not sure if I understand all that guys....
Mike - I took my laptop with me on my last trip...I hooked up wirelessly to the hotel's signal, they charged me $10 per day...gave me a password for access to their signal and I could surf the net, check email and everything...
Is there a way to do the same thing without having to pay the hotel? Or are you totally at their mercy?
Todd it depends if the hotel has their security setup right, or wrong, depending how ya look at it. If they don't have a good IT staff their network might let anyone with a wireless modem plug in and piggyback on their signal. Even if their setup won't allow it there might be enough wireless signals from other sources that *will*. I can drive around my town all day long with a wireless card in my laptop and find wireless signals that'll get me free access. These signals could be businesses or residential users that don't realize radio signals can be utilized by anyone within a certain distance, and don't know how to setup their wireless security to keep that from happening.
All you have to do to find a signal is turn the computer on, plug in a wireless adapter then open your web browser. If your homepage loads up as it normally does, bingo, you have a useable signal.
It's called WAR Driving.
A lot of the Open Source advocates are now into developing large areas of freely available wireless access that anyone is welcome to use. Seattle is now about 50% covered between the Open Source guys and all the coffee houses with lax IT security in place.
T1 connections (1.54Mbps) are OK but my DSL at 1.8Mbps is still faster. Then there's the T3 which is 45Mbps and the OC3 at 155Mbps.
I don't have many problems with my DSL connection and when I do have an issue it's usually my computer that's hosed or I just need to reset the modem and get a fresh connection. Constant problems are more likely lousy phone lines, a faulty filter (I had to have one removed from the house by the phone company) or maybe even just a loose connection elsewhere in the building causing noise on the line.
My connection stays active for months on end usually with no problems, the logs on this BB probably even show I've had the same IP address for a very long time.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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believe it or not...I went back to dial up... Why ? our Cable company sucks... Everytime the wind blows or it rains, our entire comunity loses cable and dsl... There never going to fix it, like I said, they suck...
I'm just screwed. I have been concidering wireless
-------------------- Leonard Sappington lenopam@verizon.net Posts: 123 | From: Clinton, Indiana | Registered: Mar 2004
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-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
i use my local baby bell (Bell South) at home. they bundle home phone, wireless/cell phone, DSL all on one bill. my DSL in the bundle is about $26 a month. granted it's a "lite" version (256mb down/128mb upstream), but it's plenty fine for my home use. for my area it's a good buy. cable runs around $45/mo. and the full speed DSL is about $45/mo. before bundle discounts. like Leonard mentioned if you're not happy with your provider, it's not worth getting at all.
-------------------- Scott Pagan Admark Graphic Systems Admark Motorsports Graphics 9700 Metromont Ind Blvd Charlotte, NC 28269 www.admarkgraphics.com Posts: 325 | From: Charlotte, NC | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
Part of what is stopping me is that I switched all my local and long service to AT&T. But SBC doesn't offer all that here...only local. Which means that I'll have to use AT&T distance still.
So now I have to sit down and figure out if I am going to save by dropping a phone line, dropping my current ISP (14.95 a mo), droppping AT&T local and going with the DSL, AT&T (for long distance) and SBC (for local).
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Things are complicated in the USA I guess. Too many choices!!!!!!!
Make your decision Laura..No one else can do it for you.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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), and I don't have any computer "at home" so I don't have that need.
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