Dialup, DSL, or ISDN choose the best connection

When we decided to run this article we had no idea that there would be as much to cover.

In order to get on the Internet with a computer you must first make a connection. That is done when your computer contacts your ISP (Internet Service Provider) who allows you access to the Internet. That connection is by means of regular telephone lines (dial-up), specially configured phone lines (DSL or ISDN), or Cable.

The first two, dial up and DSL are the most popular for home and small business.

A dial up connection is most popular among home users and is the slowest. At 56kbps a large picture or sound file could take 10 minutes or more. A large file 4MB or more could take hours. That means that you’re not only online but on the phone also you pay for the phone call and the connection time to the Internet. This connection is good for sending small e-mail files or downloading text only documents (small ones).

Online game play and MP3 downloads regardless of what size your computer, on a 56K it will run slow. There are some factors that affect speed on the Internet among them are congestion, a 56K rarely realizes 56 thousand bits per second speed. We have seen as fast as 53K and only at certain times of day or night. The bandwidth reduction is more apparent with a cable connection.

DSL is becoming more popular and affordable for home users, and is a must have for most small business. DSL is an always-on fast connection 384 kbps (downstream)/128 kbps (upstream) seven times faster on downloads than 56K. That large picture or sound file now takes a minute or two, that four hour download takes 3 to 5 minutes.

Our personal experience we downloaded a certain web browser on a dial up it took overnight 6-8 hours, that same browser and a newer version took 12 minuets on a DSL connection.

Businesses can maintain an always on Internet connection and not tie up a phone line, this is good when running an e-commerce website that orders are e-mailed to be filled. A DSL connection can support multimedia better than dial up, more and larger e-mail files can be sent and received. DSL comes in different configurations, ADSL with different download and upload speeds and SDSL with the same up and down speeds pricing ranges $40 to $350/month.

DSL has its limits; it is not available everywhere, the further you are from the phone company office the slower your DSL speed. Expect to spend $200 or more depending on the configuration you want.

We now us a cable connection to access the Internet and it is much more efficient that even DSL.