Picking the right high-speed Internet service

By Jennifer Bosavage and Carey Holzman

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Once you determine you're going to get a high-speed connection to the Internet, the choices are more than a little overwhelming. Your decision to leave dial-up was straightforward, but now you've unearthed a treasure trove of speeds, deals and incentives. Here is how to evaluate which service is best for you.

First, understand there are really three different types of services you'll be investigating: satellite, phone (in the form of Digital Subscriber Line or DSL) and cable services. Second, realize that some of the information over load here results from the fact that just because you have cable doesn't mean you have to go with the cable company's offerings; likewise, many phone companies also offer various options. You can generally mix and match. However, if you have cable television, you won't be selecting satellite service, and vice versa. But you could select the phone company's service regardless of your television setup. Third, and finally, know your budget and get a grasp of what each service includes. Remember, too, price isn't the only factor.

Overall, there are a number of factors to consider when purchasing high-speed Internet services:

1. Availability. In many markets, there are still limited offerings. You may not have much of a choice depending on where you live. If you have options, the next step is to check out the plans each provider offers.

2. Buy what you need. Go into this decision knowing what you need - don't settle for less but don't buy what you do not need. Few people actually need the top speeds offered, but do note both download and upload speeds. If you're a shutterbug (check out our article on online photo sites here), you'll need and want faster upload times. 

3. Check out the bundles of multiple services. Once you know how fast a connection you'll want to purchase, investigate the bundles offered. It may make sense to get a digital voice phone deal (see our article here on the topic), or perhaps the phone company offers an unlimited calling plan that is more reasonably priced.

4. How satisfied are your neighbors with their service? Finally, investigate the company's reputation. Are customers generally happy? Try to find customer satisfaction surveys. Customer care can be particularly important if you're planning on installing equipment yourself. And there's no better time to find out how providers treat their customers than before you become one.

Summary of Features

To read more details, see our article on FAQ for DSL and cable here.

Satellite Connections

Certain sparsely populated areas of the country have limited choices for Internet connection. Some remote locales have no cable television because it's far too costly to run cable. So, the choice for high-speed Internet in those areas is between the phone company and the satellite provider(s). DSL, too, is not available everywhere. Ironically, many areas that are mountainous only offer satellite because they are so remote and sparsely populated, although mountains can block your signal if the receiver (dish) is not correctly positioned. In areas that do offer cable, some people choose satellite TV mainly for the diversity of programming (you can just about watch anything at any time). When there is a choice, however, bear in mind that satellite connections are affected by cloud cover, weather and geography. You can read more about the ins and outs of satellite connections in our article here.

A satellite connection works pretty much like satellite TV. Your computer requests a connection through a satellite modem, which broadcasts that request via a dish that's on top of your house. The fact is there is latency, or lag time, built into this equation. If you're just looking at Web pages, you may not notice that. But streaming video or interactive gaming, for example, are affected as would be other offerings that may be bundled with satellite service, such as digital voice phone service. And, while it's faster than dial-up - nine times faster according to EarthLink - it's still only 500 Kbps for downloading. Uploading? Even the fastest download connections are slower going the other direction. HughesNet, formerly DirecWay, offers an entry-level plan that lets you download at 700 Kbps and upload at 128 Kbps.

Expense is another consideration. Not only must you pay a monthly service charge (EarthLink is $69.95; HughesNet is $59 for that aforementioned starter package), but also you need equipment: the receiver, cables, modem and installation. Pricing varies from provider to provider; expect to spend hundreds of dollars here. For example, after a $100 rebate, HughesNet equipment and installation costs $399.98.

The best that can be said about satellite connections is that they go where no one else will: The desert, the plains, and the sparsely settled rural parts of the country. If you live where there is no DSL or cable, or you just hate the cable and phone companies, satellite is the best if not the only choice. Likewise if you are a TV junkie, satellite is the choice because the selection of programming is virtually limitless. But your Internet connection won't be as fast or reliable as the next two options: DSL and cable.

DSL (and Fiber Optic Cable)

Your phone company may offer up to two different high-speed Internet technologies, called DSL and fiber optic service or FIOS. You can get a DSL hookup for about what you pay for dial-up service through a provider such as America Online. Many providers offer entry-level service (756 Kbps) for $20 a month. And some offer promotions for even less: Verizon's starter package is $9.99 monthly for the first three months; upgrade to 3 Mbps (roughly 20 times faster than dial-up) and pay $19.99. If budget is your prime concern, DSL is a good value. Typically providers offer several e-mail accounts (often more than cable companies) and lots of email storage (2 GB is typical).

Also, consider that many DSL modems come with routers already built into them. Without getting too technical, know that a router is a critical security component to any high-speed Internet connection. Most cable modems, on the other hand, are completely bare of protection, potentially leaving your computer and its data fully exposed to the world. Furthermore, cable companies often do not warn their customers of the dangers of not purchasing an add-on router.

We have more to say about this topic in this article about the details of properly securing your PC for high-speed Internet access.

However, because DSL runs along phone lines (though it does not interfere with your making phone calls, as dial-up does), it is slower than cable. The FIOS service, if available, is the faster of the two phone offerings, but it is also more expensive. How fast your DSL speed can be has to do with how far away your home is from the source of the DSL. The further you are away from the source, the slower your connection. For this reason, you must check with your local DSL provider to see if you qualify for service, and if so, what the rated speed will be.

Whether that is noticeable to you will depend on your needs. Gamers quite often complain about upload times, for example. Cable technology supports approximately 30 Mbps of bandwidth; in contrast, most forms of DSL don't reach much beyond 10 Mbps. To counter that unfortunate fact, the phone companies are promoting their latest entry: fiber optics.

Fiber optic cable, which is not available everywhere, is run directly into your home; forget about copper wiring and television cables. It transmits data in the form of light over glass. Think about this: On one strand of fiber that is roughly the diameter of a human hair, you could download a feature film in approximately 4 seconds. Each fiber can be split into 160 channels. So, it's clear fiber optics can compete head-on with cable company offerings in terms of speed. Further, companies such as AT&T and Verizon are pricing services in the realm of cable connections.  For instance, Verizon offers several packages. The entry-level FiOS can download at up to 5 Mbps and upload at 2 Mbps and costs $39.99 a month. Once you approach 30 Mbps/5 Mbps, the offering's price jumps to $179.95 a month. Verizon's service has received positive reviews in major magazines such as Consumer Reports and PC Magazine and is currently available in some parts of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Also, check out some of the phone companies' bundled packages; these so-called "triple-play" deals offer discounts on phone, Internet and television services (yes, television can be handled through these fiber optic cables) when they are purchased together.

Cable

Cable companies seemingly invented the triple-play concept. Prices vary widely from area to area. Frequently promotional rates start as low as the $19.99 per month deal currently offered by Comcast. But those increase -- often doubling --after the introductory period ends. Be sure to understand how long your contract is and for how long the promotion is in effect. Also, some rates are for new customers only; if you have cable TV with the company already, you may not be considered "new." Further, you may have to agree to install the cable modem yourself for the low rate. Like the phone companies, email and storage are provided with the service; in general, they are simply benefits of joining and are unlikely to make or break a deal.

Theoretically, cable is faster than DSL. In fact, the Optimum Online service offered through Cablevision boasts download speeds of 15 Mbps - five times faster than a fast DSL connection. So why say "theoretically" faster? Because cable slows down when many people in a neighborhood are online at once; DSL offers consistency. Fiber optic is faster still. Remember that movie mentioned earlier that could be downloaded via fiber in four minutes? It takes seven minutes with a 15 Mbps connection. Slower, yes, but not by much.

The good news is that cable companies are currently working with new technologies to resolve the issue of slow downs due to heavy usage. If you already have cable TV, many cable providers will offer discounted packages or 'bundles' combining your TV, Internet and even your telephone service to encourage you to utilize them for combined services. This means paying just one bill for all of those services and calling just one company for help when any of those things go wrong.
 
A final word on speed

Your high-speed Internet service provider may offer a variety of speeds at different price points. Which speed is right for you will vary depending upon your usage and your expectations.

The good news is no additional equipment or changes to your computer are necessary to upgrade your speed (if offered) from your provider. A simple phone call is all it takes and the change to your service (and your bill) typically takes affect within 24 hours.

Even before you choose your high-speed provider, there are some simple steps that you can do to improve your Internet access. This article describes these in more detail.