Recommendation for ISP? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Benzadmiral · #1 12-20-2007, 01:41 PM

Hey, all,

My employer, the university, is cutting out its free dial-up service, which I've been using for more than 5 years. (They say not enough people are using it.)

I've got a fast connection here at work, so I'm not sure if I need anything flashy at home. Certainly not at the prices most suppliers charge. My current home computer, a cast-off Windows 98 machine, works well for my purposes. I've been checking into dial-up services, and one called "Lanset" (http://www.lanset.net/ ) out of Sacramento, CA, offers service for $8 a month -- which is a lot better than $30 to $60, or having to buy a $75 DSL modem from A T & T. Lanset also offers a "Speed Maximizer" option, described on their page, which will cost a additional $4 a month -- but right now they have a special going, offering it for free.

Anybody ever use them? Good experiences or bad? Any other suggestions?
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Matt L · #2 12-20-2007, 01:50 PM

AT&T sells a service here for $15/month. I'm not sure if the modem is free with that one, but they sent us a rebate for the modem with the faster service (and still no commitment).

xtreme barton · #3 12-20-2007, 01:51 PM

well if it means anything .. i live in sacramento .. and i have never heard of them .. if its free try it out and test it .. but as far as i know all dial up service prices are matched by dsl .. you if im not mistaken i think the modem is free with rebate too .. dial up is the worst ..

i bought one of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833314032&ATT=33-314-032&CMP=AFC-C8Junction&nm_mc=&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Network+-+Wireless+Adapters-_-Belkin-_-33314032

havent paid for internet for about 8 months now

i love my neighbors

Benzadmiral · #4 12-20-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt L

AT&T sells a service here for $15/month. I'm not sure if the modem is free with that one, but they sent us a rebate for the modem with the faster service (and still no commitment).

That's just it -- the basic cost for me for their DSL is $10/month, and that's great. But they want $75 for the modem, and a 12-month commitment. Essentially I'm going from free to $195/year in an eyeblink!

The FastAccess DSL page from A T & T doesn't list Windows 98 machine -- you need NT, 2000, or better. Now I have a another cast-off machine from the school, sitting at home; I think it's a 2000 -- but I don't even know if it runs!

What about the other dialup providers, like PeoplePC or Net Zero?
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Matt L · #5 12-20-2007, 02:26 PM

All that you need to use DSL is a working ethernet card and DHCP client. If you can get one for '98 (yes, you can) you can use the DSL modem.

And about going from free to $195/year, you free up your telephone and get much faster service. If you don't use the phone much (by using wireless, for example) you can probably get a metered service and lower your telephone bill by a bit. That's what we have here.

Skid Row Joe · #6 12-20-2007, 02:34 PM

Earthlink dial-up. $9.95 a month.

BAVBMW · #7 12-20-2007, 02:58 PM

Another vote for the DSL. We stepped up to one of the faster offerings they had, and it's still under $20. No costs for any other hardware. As a bonus, it regularly tests out at fast than what we're paying for. Can't be beat. Who is your phone company there?

MV

Benzadmiral · #8 12-20-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Earthlink dial-up. $9.95 a month.

I looked at Earthlink. That 9.95 is only for the 1st 3 months -- then it goes to $22 a month, or $15 if I sign up for a full year. Their DSL's normal price is $45/month.

Copper.net looks good, too. They trumpet not only their speed, but home-grown service and support, and reviews seem to be good.
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Whiskeydan · #9 12-20-2007, 08:13 PM

Steer clear of Time Warner/Road Runner. There's a few of us filing a complaint with the attorney generals office regarding Time Warners service.

kknudson · #10 12-20-2007, 08:46 PM

Whats your time worth ?

The difference in speed from dial up to even basic DSL will be amazing.
And the DSL modem is a one time cost.

Dial Up connentions can be difficult also.
When I used it the best I ever got was under 20k, thats with 56k modem.

Ken300D · #11 12-21-2007, 08:19 AM

I would certainly choose DSL if you have it available, provided the cost is reasonable. To me, DSL should be no more than $25 a month.

If you want to go the dial-up route, there are a large number of "national" ISPs that simply are resellers of several modem-pool networks. For example, UUNet provides dial-up modem pools in many points-of-presence across the USA. The ISPs just resell that service. In such a case, you are buying UUNet no matter who the ISP is or what they charge.

So, as an example, check out www.isp.com as a national provider, and look through their phone numbers for one near you.

Ken300D

Benzadmiral · #12 12-21-2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken300D

. . .
If you want to go the dial-up route, there are a large number of "national" ISPs that simply are resellers of several modem-pool networks. For example, UUNet provides dial-up modem pools in many points-of-presence across the USA. The ISPs just resell that service. In such a case, you are buying UUNet no matter who the ISP is or what they charge.

So, as an example, check out www.isp.com as a national provider, and look through their phone numbers for one near you.

Ken300D

Ken, ISP.com certainly looks fantastic. I care more about price and reliability than speed, at least right now. Their high-speed looks like a good bet (good reviews around the 'Net), and I've checked several of their local access numbers by dialing them from on-campus. If they were long-distance, the phone robot would have stopped me, or the university's robot would have demanded my long-distance access code. Instead my calls went right to the shrill "I wanna connect!" tone.

I'll check a couple of them from home this afternoon before I call ISP.com.
.

powerpig · #13 12-21-2007, 06:39 PM

Go with AT&T, ask for a student discount using your work .edu email address, purchase the DSL modem on Cragslist or Ebay for $10, get a VOIP provider for around $10 a month unlimited long distance and calls, port your phone number to the new provider and you're done. Total: $20 a month and a one time $10 for the modem. Use gmail for your email address in case you change providers in the future. That's about as cheap as you can get and have high speed net and digital phone. Here's more info on ISP deal's.

AT&T (Formerly SBC) Yahoo! DSL Basic regular prices are now $14.99/month for 1 year. Up to $50 cash and 2 months free with faster speeds plans.
ALSO $10.00 per month Basic DSL for Qualifying Customers; click "See Important Details" at bottom and read who qualifies
They serve AR CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NV, OH, OK, TX, WI

Comcast has high speed Cablemodem service for $19.99 for first 6 months. now $125 cash back. Free Wireless Router and Free Cable modem after rebate. No contract required.

Triple Play special Comcast $99/month for Digital Cable/High speed Internet/Digital Voice. (Up to $375 back!)

BellSouth has $19.95 DSL with free DSL Modem, Wireless router after rebate. Up to $125 cash back; $125 more if you switch from cable
ALSO See $10 Monthly Plan in AT&T section above

Time Warner Cable has up to 8Mbps $29.95 Cable Internet service for 6 months. $25 Cash back. Free Wireless Router. Free activation and install.

Verizon High Speed Internet $14.99 for life with 2-year agreement; first month free (up to 768 Kbps). Modem included.
Service within CA, DC, HI, FL, IN, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Verizon FIOS Fiber optic up to 15Mbps; up to 5Mbps = $29.99 months 2-7. 1st month free.

EarthLink Broadband has $12.95 DSL for 6 months (up to 6Mbps) with free equipment/activation; or $29.95 High Speed Cable Internet for 6 months (up to 5Mbps). Service available in many areas.