internet providers?

[dalopitz]

I am going crazy checking into the different avenues. I have satellite tv so checked in to that, YIKES, 99 dollars a month. Pinged eartlink on line but they said they don't have DSL in my area? Cable sounds good, although I don't want to pay for basic cable AND directv. Someone mentioned verizon, I'm going to check them next. I'm commited to finding something, as I sit here connected at 19 kbps. thanks all. deb

[calokie]

We have used RCN for two years now. We connect at 50.6. Their website is www.rcn.com. They even have web2mail so you can check your email from work and you get 4 email addresses. I think we pay around $215.00 for the year.

[mondoman]

I have the GMPexpress cable internet service due to the fact that I can not get ADSL..too far from switching office...FYI....cable modem =shared bandwidth with all subscribers that are using the system's bandwidth capacity, more users = slower connection, ADSL = dedicated bandwidth... your piece of the pie but after suffering for years with a 14.4, 56k dialup connection getting a cable modem was like going to warp drive. If you are in the GMPexpress franchise area you can expect to get 512kbps downstream and 256 kbps upstream @ 39.95 per month plus the cost of basic and expanded cable TV service for a total of 81.95 per month for both services. Hopefully you live in area serviced by Comcast as the downstream and upstream bandwidth allocated is substantially more generous. I am not certain of their pricing or package offerings. My reccomendation would be definately be get a broadband connection to the world. IMHO.....

[marianne]

I'm posting this in reply to a couple different postings.

Cable is better than satellite internet. It's more reliable. It's also faster. While Hughes and other satellite servicers will tell you satellite is faster that's true only in theory. Because there is a delay in the signal going to & from the dish, cable is actually faster than satellite. Satellite is not much slower than cable.

They cost the same at about $60 a month although if you subscribe to cable TV the cost for cable internet is around $45. There is a posting here that states satellite costs $99 a month. Here's the deal on that: it costs $99 a month for the first year of satellite: 60 goes toward internet access and $40 goes toward paying for the hardware (the dish & receivers). After the first year, the hardware is paid off and you only pay $60 a month.

If you want to get satellite or cable, I personally recommend getting cable. If cable is not available in your area, satellite is a very good alternative. If you don't want to spend $99 a month on satellite, get the hardware secondhand. I've seen the hardware available on E-bay. Also, I have satellite internet hardware which I'm willing to sell cheap. As you might have guessed, cable just became available in our area and I'm looking to switch :)

[zoomzoom]

OK... most major points covered well.... One MAJOR issue with Sat. technology is that you cannot use it for a number of things because of its technological drawbacks. For one, you cannot use Sat. for playing games online, video confrencing, or other situations where you would need a "live" connection".

Cable... not that I would reccomend this, but if you live close to your neighbors (i.e. apartment or townhouse) you could "share" a connection. A lot of people do this in northern VA in Condo complexes by settign up a wireless network and sharing the cost.

Final option... your connection speed is determined by a couple of things... ISP provider, computer, phone line quality, etc. I use to connect at 29.8 KBPS on a HP computer, when I upgraded to a new computer I magically sped up to 48.8 KBPS (same phoen outlet, same provider, same phone #). Now I use Earthlink dial up with an accelorator that speed me up 3 to 4 times faster for "surfing" the net and I am quite happy when compared to teh DSL line I use to have before I moved down here. Keep in mind that the accelorator really isnt speeding up your actual speed, just compressing, caching, and some other stuff. However, it satisfies my needs.

Best of luck.

[dustin]

Originally posted by zoomzoom

Cable... not that I would reccomend this, but if you live close to your neighbors (i.e. apartment or townhouse) you could "share" a connection. A lot of people do this in northern VA in Condo complexes by settign up a wireless network and sharing the cost.

Outstanding idea you got there. Wonder how illegal it is though....I'll have to suggest this to my parents since they're el cheapos like myself.

[zoomzoom]

I am not a lawyer, but.... having shared bandwidth is perfectly legal as long as someone is paying for it. Setting up a local area network is prefectly legal and it is your right whether it be in your home or in your neighberhood. With technology what it is now a days you can set it up pretty securely.

What is illegal is utilzing a local area network without permission and using their bandwidth.

[Elle]

Originally posted by zoomzoom
I am not a lawyer, but.... having shared bandwidth is perfectly legal as long as someone is paying for it.

But can both parties access at the same time?

[dalopitz]

Mariane, since I have satellite, I don't want to pay additional for cable. Satellite was so expensive. What are you looking for with your satellite equipment?
I was pretty sure I wanted Verizon but Verizon is not available in my area. Actually, I have not been able to find any DSL in my area (Leonardtown). Amazing!

[jazz lady (Premo)]

Originally posted by dalopitz
I was pretty sure I wanted Verizon but Verizon is not available in my area. Actually, I have not been able to find any DSL in my area (Leonardtown). Amazing!

I'm in the same predicament. I'm in the Leonardtown area, but can't get anything but cable or satellite. I'm out of range for DSL, at least for now. I love my DirecTV and am locked into their service for another year because I got them to set up my system for free when I moved. I'm not sure about forking out a bunch of money for their DirectWay service.

Right now, I'm stuck with s-l-o-w dial-up from home.