High Speed Internet Connections and ISPs

• ISDN
• Satellite
• DSL
• Cable Modem
• Wireless

Satellite
Satellite internet access is another alternative to DSL and cable where they are not available. With a maximum download speed of 500 Kbps, it is approximately 4x faster than ISDN and roughly 9x faster than standard dial-up. Maximum upload speed is typically around 256 Kbps. One advantage of satellite is its ability to reach areas where DSL, cable and even ISDN cannot. On the downside, the monthly cost of satellite internet tends to be more expensive than other types of residential high speed internet access and the equipment and installation costs can be extremely high. Also, bad weather can disrupt service substantially and transmission delay or latency because of the distance to the satellite can be noticeable. Still, if you have a good view of the southern sky, then satellite internet may be your only reasonable option for a broadband connection.
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DSL
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. Like ISDN, a DSL connection can make use of your existing copper phone lines because the copper pair that makes up the line is actually able to handle a much larger range of frequencies or bandwidth than that required for voice communication. DSL makes use of this 'spare' bandwidth so that digital bits can be passed along the wiring at the same time a conversation is taking place without interfering with one another. Since the digital data is passed along at a different frequency than the voice data, you can be connected to the internet and talk on the phone at the same time. DSL is an 'always on' internet connection which means you have a dedicated connection to the internet at all times. This also means that you don't have to dial in to a telephone number as you do with a standard dial-up modem.

There are a number of different types of DSL but the one most frequently offered by ISPs is called ADSL or Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line. The term asymmetrical refers to the fact that maximum download speeds are faster than maximum upload speeds. ADSL is a distance-sensitive technology so that as the connection length increases, the signal quality and therefore the connection speed decreases. The limit for ADSL service is approximately 18,000 feet from the central office, although many ADSL providers place a lower limit on the service to maximize speed and quality of any given connection. As you approach the distance limit, a user may see speeds far below the advertised maximums while users very close to the central office could see speeds much higher. For this reason, most DSL providers place a bandwidth cap on both the download and upload speeds to make it 'fair' amongst users. If there were no caps put in place, the closest user to the central office could see speeds as high as 6.1 Mbps (Megabits per second) or 6,100 Kbps. However, with caps in place, the typical DSL user will see download speeds in the neighborhood of 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds anywhwere between 64 Kbps and 640 Kbps, but typically around 128 Kbps.

Some ISPs offer a 'premium' or a 'super fast' DSL service in which they simply charge the user more $/month for each reduction in the speed cap. Essentially, the closer the ISP allows you to approach the actual bandwidth limit, the more money they charge you for the service. Some DSL providers are even beginning to offer a VDSL service or Very High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line in which the theoretical maximum download speed is around 52 Mbps while the upload speed maxes out at 16 Mbps. VDSL is not widely offered at the time of this writing and is likely subject to the same types of bandwidth caps that are placed on ADSL services. One current problem with VDSL is that it can only function at 4,000 feet or less from the central office. Phone companies are apparently looking at overcoming this problem in some areas by replacing all the copper wiring with fiber optic cable right up to the point where the phone line branches off to your home. This effort is being termed "Fiber to the curb" or FTTC.
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Cable Modem
As with DSL, a cable internet connection is an 'always on' service. A cable modem allows your cable TV provider to offer you high speed internet access over the same coaxial cable that delivers sound and picture to your television. Cable internet and DSL are the most popular types of broadband connection in the United States and make up approximately 90% of the high speed user population.

While DSL speed is limited by distance from the central office, cable modem speed is limited by the number of users accessing the same cable. Cable internet access offers what is called 'shared bandwidth', meaning that a user shares bandwidth with his or her neighbors along the same cable line. When many customers are using the internet at the same time, speed will suffer. Cable providers also like to put bandwidth caps on their service, so even though the theoretical maximum speed for a download is 30 Mbps, the actual speed will typically vary between 1 and 6 Mbps, depending on the service provider. Upload speeds tend to be in the range of 128 Kbps to 768 Kbps. Overall, cable speeds are generally faster than DSL speeds, but ISP's still charge approximately the same $/month for either service.
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Wireless Internet
Wireless broadband connects you to the internet using radio wave technology. There are two primary types of wireless connection - mobile and fixed. The type of wireless broadband you can have installed in your home is considered to be a fixed wireless connection. The fixed configuation establishes a radio link between your computer and the service provider, typically by means of a rooftop antenna that has a direct line of site with a reception dish on a radio tower used by the base station.

Most wireless networks operate on a frequency of 6 GHz (Giga-hertz) or less and can offer speeds up to 150+ Mbps. My internet connection happens to be on a fixed wireless network that operates on a 5.1 GHz frequency using a rooftop microwave antenna with direct sight to a reception tower. I typically see download speeds of 5 to 7 Mbps on average. The network I'm on used to run on a 2.4 GHz frequency but found that the use of cordless phones and other wireless home electronics working on the same frequency caused a good deal of interference. Since moving to the 5.1 GHz frequency, I have seen very little, if any, interference.
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Recommendations
If you have access to fixed wireless broadband, then get it. It's price is comparable to cable modem access and speeds are much faster and more reliable.

If you don't have access to wireless, but do have access either DSL or cable (but not both), then get the one you have access to. It is likely that your service provider will have some sort of premium package for either technology in which you will pay more $/month for them to open the bandwidth. If you can afford it, go with the maximum bandwidth they offer right off the bat. If you can't, wait until you start earning some money online and then upgrade.

If you have access to both DSL and cable modem in your area, you'll want to weigh one against the other to determine which is the best deal for the most bandwidth. If you know the service level of one technology is better than that of the other, then go with the better service. If service is comparable or you just don't know, then you'll probably want to lean towards the cable since it's overall speed is faster. In addition, the monthly cost of cable is usually a bit less than DSL after any introductory pricing period ends.

You don't need to have cable television coming into your house, you just need to be cable serviceable. If you do have cable already installed, you can probably get a pretty good package deal set up. Incidentally, cable modem and cable television do not interere with each other. You can be online and watch cable tv at the same time.

If you're in an area where they have fiber-optics in place, and/or you know that you are very close to a phone central office (these locations are generally not made public), you need to check with your DSL provider to see if they offer VDSL. It will probably cost you more than cable or ADSL, but it will be worth it.

If your only options for broadband are ISDN and satellite, then find out if your satellite provider can give you a good deal on installation and equipment, essentially absorbing most of the cost. If you can work this, then go for the satellite. Otherwise, you may want to go with the ISDN. Even though ISDN is slower, the satellite latency issue combined with it's flaky behavior in bad weather may not be worth the huge up-front cost for equipment and installation.

To begin your quest for the optimal broadband connection, check online for wireless providers in your area. If you find one, determine if you are eligible for their wireless service and follow up with them. If not, and you live in the U.S., then I suggest you go to EarthLink to determine if you can get cable or DSL. Earhlink has more high speed internet locations nationwide than any other ISP. I don't use Earthlink any longer because I live in the middle of nowhere and they do not offer a fixed wireless service, but not too long ago when I was still using dial-up, I found that they had the best service of any of the other big named ISPs. Earthlink provides you with a form you can use to determine if high speed internet is available in your area. If you find that you are eligible for cable service, then I suggest you look at the Earthlink premium cable plan (8 Mbps downloads) Premium cable is not available in areas serviced by Comcast.

If you are in an area serviced by COMCAST then take a look at COMCAST high speed cable internet plans here.

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