New ISP

rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
edited December 2003 in Science & Tech
My MSN dial up subscription is about to expire. I am looking for a new provider. I am not sure which direction to go, cable? DSL? I am sure some of the Short-media members have some input on this topic. If you wouldn't mind sharing some opinons with me I would appreciate it. Please keep in mind I don't not want to fork out a ton of cash monthly. Oh yeah, I really don't like AOL. Any ideas? Thanks

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    HE FINALLY POSTED

    This guy is a friend of mine :rolleyes: who signed up about 6 months ago :D

    Anyways, welcome to the forums ;)

    Okay, is Wide Open West cable available in Oxford? My parents who are like anti-tech just got WOW cable for $17.95 a month. It's only 128K, which is only a bit faster than dialup, but hey, at least it's a start.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    The big factors are availability and what you're willing to pay. For the money, though, I would go with cable. Dollar for dollar it's faster than DSL and despite the DSL propaganda, DSL is also a shared system, the bottleneck just occurs further away from your home.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    I moved this thread into the net/com forum....
  • rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
    edited December 2003
    I figured it needed to go somewhere other than where I put it.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    "12.65 1/4 w/ 355 cid" Is that a bored Chevy 350 small block?
  • rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
    edited December 2003
    Why yes it is. .30 overbore. 12.65 is the best time I got out of it this summer.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Cool. I wish I had the money, space, and knowhow to get myself a 70 'Cuda 440, fix it up, and run it at the track. Either a 'Cuda or 70 Chevelle SS. Those are probably my 2 favorite cars.

    Sorry for crapping on the thread. Good luck in your ISP search. :)
  • rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
    edited December 2003
    One day you will get one. If you go with the Chevelle spend the cash on a big block. It is worth it in the long run. The hardest thing is, veiwing the very first scratch on a new paint job. I knew it was coming so when it happened I just accepted it and moved on.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2003
    Another vote for Cable. Use it for a week and you'll never go back to dial-up, even if you have to work a couple hours OT to pay for it. :thumbsup:

    Welcome to S-M! :wave:
  • rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
    edited December 2003
    The only real advantage I have seen on cable modems compared to dial up is the download time significantly reduced. Going from page to page my pc functions equally as fast as the cable modem owner accross the street. Might there be some unseen advantages that I am unaware of. We need to keep in mind that the cable modem accross the street is attached to an emachine. Back to the original question, what else would I gain with a cable modem? And should I use the supplied Modem that comes with the package or pick up some other one at the local Comp USA?
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Dialup: 56kbps down, even less than that up. Cable 1500kbps down, 384kbps up. Besides the speed avantage, you're freeing up a phone line, you can't get disconnected, web pages will most definitely download faster, filesharing.

    Yes, definitely go with a self-install kit, either from a retail store or from the cable company itself. You'll save yourself a lot of money.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2003
    The only real advantage I have seen on cable modems compared to dial up is the download time significantly reduced.
    That's like saying the only real advantage a 27" TV has over a 5" TV is size. True, but that's a lot!
    Going from page to page my pc functions equally as fast as the cable modem owner accross the street.
    Every page you view has to be downloaded at some point. Maybe you're using one of those programs that pre-cache pages linked to the main page (the equivalent of download the whole site in one shot) in which case secondary pages will appear instantly. You still have to download the page. As far as using the "Forward" and "Back" buttons, you won't see much improvement the second time you view the page.
    ...what else would I gain with a cable modem? And should I use the supplied Modem that comes with the package or pick up some other one at the local Comp USA?
    There are five main advantages:

    1) The huge speed increase already mentioned
    2) The fact that you are always connected (no thumb-twiddling waiting for your modem to dial and get authorization, etc)
    3) Greater reliabilty. Unless dial-up has changed significantly in the last few years, you probably get bumped off line often enough to irritate you
    4) Cable leaves your phone line free (or eliminates the need for a second phone line just for the computer)
    5) With a cheap router, you can have multiple computers online simultaneously

    I think your point about your neighbor being on an emachine might have something to do with your not being so impressed, although I have a K6-3/400 in the bedroom which cooks right along on the Internet (but not on much else! :p ).
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    rob, it'll be like the connection at your office, basically.
  • rjerominekrjerominek Oxford, MI
    edited December 2003
    See this is why I am not that pissed about the whole dial up experience. I started this whole conversation this morning and my son and myself went to a Christmas parade, had lunch, came home and now 5 -6 hours later no disconection. The only time I really get mad at the dial up is the last few seconds of an ebay auction. I usually get cheated out by those who have an extremely fast connection. Thanks for your opinions and comments about which direction to go.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    you have a rare dialup then... Most disconnect after an hour or so...
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