DSL?? (inspired by Poobear123)

[mickey65]

I have thinking of switching from dial up to an alternative internet connection. I received an e-mail from my service provider about a special on DSL. Problem is..I don't know anything about how DSL works..or connects or anything like that. So..can anyone help me out?

The service would be 24.95/month and includes access, modem rental and 1GBdownload, 1GB upload of bandwith activity. There is a charge for excess use. What does this mean??? It also says there is an installation guide available for $39.95...does this mean it is something like the high speed and it has to be installed?


I am so computer not smart when it comes to things like this

 

[Poohbear123]

You have to have a modem, not a dial up one either, and the Company sends you this. It makes for a quicker delivery and response, but DH does NOT know the full mechanics of it so to speak! It is hooked up thru your Phone line, and if you have an Alarm System in the house, you have to put in a filter. We like it, and we have ours thru our Phone Service.

 

[mickey65]

Thanks

So the modem I have in my computer now will not go with DSL. Is it hard to hook it up? Is it worth the cost to have it? My dial up is slow, but I live with it....is DSL really fast?

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

I have DSL and I can answer some of your questions at least!

Is this through Bell or a different service provider? Side note: I just went to the Bell website and don't find that pricing option, so I'm guessing it's a different service provider. I think I could have been more help if it was Bell.

Yes, DSL is essentially "high speed" and yes, it has to be installed. You'll be given a special type of modem and since you said you can purchase an installation guide, I can read between the lines that means you have to install it yourself.

The charge for excess use means that they track how much you upload and download from the internet. For instance, reading a DIS page would use a very small amount of your download monthly limit. What would use a lot of bandwidth is downloading files such as music. Personally I don't like the idea of having a limit because I'd be worried about going over, but I really don't track my use to know if I even would come close to the 1GB limit.

DSL can be very fast... it depends on the speed that they cap you at. 1MB download is pretty common. That is fast. You will be sailing and super happy comparred to your dial-up. For instance, DISing you don't wait for pages to load really. Just click, and poof! Some companies offer DSL at various speeds though. Generally they are very fast. I'd have to know more details to know what their speed is though.

But yes, DSL is a good thing. Shop around to compare service providers.

 

[dizneegirl]

Let's put it this way... your dial-up modem has a maximum speed of 52 kb per second, and chances are, you're only getting in the 30s or 40s.

A DSL line has a download speed of 1.5 Mb per second... so in simple terms, DSL would be about 30 times faster than your dial-up.

Is it worth the extra cost? Only you can answer that.

If you do a lot of downloading (music, pictures, programs, etc), or online gaming (like WarCraft, not like chess), then yes, definitely DSL is worth the extra money.

If all you basically do is DIS, get e-mail and surf a little, it's really your call.

To answer your other questions... no, your dial-up modem will not work with DSL. You'll need a DSL modem or router.

Installation shouldn't be difficult... but if it's not included, and you're not computer-saavy, or know someone who is, I'd probably pop for the $39.95 for the installation guide... you may not need it, but better safe than sorry.

The 1 GB of transfer per month probably wouldn't be an issue if you're not a big downloader (though one of Dan's picture threads might hit it -just kidding). You would have to do a heck of a lot of surfing, or download a CDs worth of data, and then some, to get to 1 GB.

 

[mickey65]

Thanks!

#1 Disney Fan..it is with Bell...Bell Sympatico...sending you a PM

I do download a lot of music and some programs...so I guess I would have to find out how much you pay if you are over the limit.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Poohbear123]

My service is with Bell South my telephone service. AOL has one too, but we could not get it to work right! I LOVE it, Dan's Pictures load in an INSTANT now!

 

[Nutsy]

I found this very interesting as just today DH & I made enquiries about Cable internet, but found it is not available in our street, but DSL is. I had no idea I'd need new modems & have to have it installed. We have just aquired a second computer thanks to my Bro who is a computer salesman come tech dude.

I don't know that I fancy spending $$$$$ on installation & new modems just to have a faster service. For the one we looked at today it is $59.95 a month with a 300 mb allowance speed of 265/64 which I have no idea what it means, then underneath in the fine print is the catch * An Installation charge applies.

Looks like we'll be staying with the slow dial up connection here

 

[Diane]

I just called my phone company (Frontier) the other day to set up an account for DSL. I’ll soon be getting my first computer in my home, and the man who is putting things together for me suggested it – it’s what he has. He also used the terms “Lightning Link” and “First Strike.” I’m really not sure what it all means right now; but he does, and he’s going to install it. As he said, the phone company will send me a kit. I’m guessing that it contains the modem. Also, someone from the phone company will come to my house beforehand to ‘check the line.’ It’ll be interesting to see how this all works out.

 

[cotye]

Is Bell Sympatico the company you're thinking about? I'm with them now. I just got charged for excessive bandwith use this month. I went over by ten gigs and I'm being charged an extra 30 bucks on top of my usual monthly service fee. Really ticks me off. Thankfully I'm switching to cable modem service with no limits next month.

 

[Poohbear123]

COYOTE: We are not charged extra for that. This is with BellSouth here in Miami Fl. They sent us the WHOLE kit too, and my DH had to call a tech, in order to get it to work.

 

[cotye]

PB: Well stupidly, Bell Sympatico here decided some months ago to establish a limit... Apparently, I've been told that people are leaving in droves for cable modems where there is no limit to their service.

 

[mickey65]

Well I guess that answers my questions about getting it..since it is Bell Sympatico. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

coyote, yes we will be abandoning DSL for a cable modem simply for the cost. We pay $60 a month for DSL. They are offering it at $25 mickey65? Lucky you!
Also I think we will be able to get phone/cable tv/cable modem from our cable company for a fraction of the cost what we pay seperately.
I thought cable was going to be dead, I guess I was wrong.