Comparing High-speed Internet Access

One way of making sense out of the confusing morass of plans available from cable modem, DSL, fixed wireless Internet, and satellite vendors is to calculate the average cost per Kbps of data downloaded ($/Kbps). You can calculate this figure yourself by dividing the service cost ($SC) per month by the rated or average speed of the service ($SPD):

$SC / $SPD = $/Kbps

For example, a typical cable modem service costs $50 per month, including cable modem lease, and has an average (not peak) speed of 1000Kbps. Divide $50 by 1000Kbps, and the cost per Kbps equals 5 cents.

Use this formula with any broadband or dialup service to find the best values. Don't forget to calculate the cost of required equipment (as in the example). If you must pay for equipment or installation upfrontas you will need to do with satellite, fixed wireless, and ISDN Internet plansdivide the upfront cost by the number of months you plan to keep the service and add the result to the monthly service charge to get an accurate figure.

How does a typical 56Kbps modem compare, assuming 50Kbps download speeds? Using Juno Web ($14.95 per month) and assuming no charge for a dialup modem, the cost per Kbps is 29.9 cents per Kbpsalmost three times as much for service that is at least 10 times slower than a typical cable modem.

Generally, the services stack up as shown in Table 17.3, from slowest to fastest when download speeds are compared.

Table 17.3. Comparing Typical Speeds for Various Types of Internet Connections

Connection Type	Speed (Kbps)	Connection Type	Speed (Kbps)
V.34 dialup	33.6/33.6	Basic DSL	384/128
V.90/92 dialup	53/33.6	Satellite (two-way)	500/60
ISDN (1BRI)	64/64	Premium DSL	3000/128
ISDN (2BRI)	128/128	Premium wireless	3000/256
Basic wireless	256/256	Cable modem	8000/384
The values in this table indicate various vendor maximum ratings; maximum values available in your area will depend on specific vendors and offerings. These figures do not indicate actual average speeds and do not take into account turn-around (ping) speeds or other issues such as network traffic.

Another way to compare Internet connection types is by feature, as in Table 17.4.

Table 17.4. Comparing High-speed Internet Access by Feature

Service	Always On?	Reliability Affected By?	Connection to Network
Cable modem	Yes	Cable outages	Ethernet
DSL	Yes	Phone line outages	Ethernet
Fixed wireless	Yes	Transmitter outages; obstructions	Ethernet
Satellite (two-way)	Yes	Weather; satellite outages	Ethernet

Having a Backup Plan in Case of Service Interruptions

Because no high-speed connection is immune to service interruptions, you should consider having some type of backup plan in place in case of a significant service outage.

If your high-speed Internet access uses an ISP that can also accept dialup connections, you can use your regular modem for emergencies. However, this might require an extra charge in some cases. You could also consider using a free trial subscription to an ISP that uses a conventional modem. If you temporarily switch to a different ISPespecially one that uses its own client, such as AOLbe sure to back up your current Internet configuration information before you install the client software. Your best bet is to use an Internet-only ISP whose dialup connection can be configured manually with the Dialup Networking Connection Wizard or Network Setup Wizard in XP. Then, you can construct a new connection without destroying your existing configuration.

If you don't want to spend $15$25/month for an additional dialup service, or if you travel occasionally and want a low-cost way to work online when you're away from broadband, consider using a broadband vendor who also offers dialup connections such as EarthLink (www.earthlink.com) or SpeakEasy (www.speakeasy.net). Having both broadband and dialup access is essential for those who travel because broadband connections are not always available when on the road. Also, if your broadband connection goes down for some reason, you can usually check the broadband carrier or network status online using a dialup connection to access the company's web pages.

Note

Each type of Internet connection uses a particular combination of TCP/IP settings. TCP/IP is the protocol (software rules) used by all computers on the Internet. TCP/IP is covered in Chapter 18, but for now keep in mind that different TCP/IP settings are required for modem access and access through a NIC or USB port device (cable modem, DSL, and DirecWAY or StarBand). Modems usually have an IP address provided dynamically by the ISP when the modem connects with the ISP. The other types of Internet access devices might have static IP addresses that don't change or have dynamically assigned IP addresses. IP addresses are just one of the network settings that, if changed, prevent you from connecting to the Internet.