Upgrading and Repairing PCs

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 500Kbps. Divide $50 by 500Kbps, and the cost per Kbps equals 10 cents.

Use this formula with any broadband or dial-up 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 upfront—as you will need to do with satellite, fixed wireless, and ISDN Internet plans—divide 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 an analog modem, the cost per Kbps is 29.9 cents per Kbps—almost 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 19.3, from slowest to fastest when download speeds are compared.

Table 19.3. Comparing Typical Speeds for Various Types of Internet Connections

Connection Type	Speed
V.34 annex analog modem	33.6Kbps
V.90/V.92 analog modem	53Kbps (due to FCC regulations; hardware capable of 56Kbps)
ISDN (1BRI)	64Kbps
ISDN (2BRI)	128Kbps
ADSL	384Kbps[1]
DirecWAY or StarBand (two-way)	500Kbps
Cable modem or fixed wireless	512Kbps[2]
ADSL	512Kbps[1]
ADSL	1GB[1]
Cable modem or fixed wireless	1.5Gbps[2]
The values in this table are estimated ratings from the vendor; substitute average actual values when available.

^[1] DSL bandwidth depends on the package you select; higher bandwidth packages carry higher monthly fees.

^[2] Cable modem/wireless bandwidth can depend on the package you select; higher bandwidth packages carry higher monthly fees. Also, speeds can vary with network traffic; ask vendor for details.

Another way to compare Internet connection types is by feature, as in Table 19.4.

Table 19.4. Comparing High-Speed Internet Access by Feature

Service	Always On?	Shared with Other Users?	Ties Up Phone Line?	Reliability Affected By?	Connect Type
Cable modem (two-way)	Yes	Yes	No	Cable outages	Ethernet or USB
Cable modem (one-way)	No	Yes	Yes	Cable outages; phone line outages	Ethernet or USB; might need external analog modem
Fixed wireless (two-way)	Yes	Yes	No	Transmitter outages	Ethernet
Fixed wireless (one-way)	No	Yes	Yes	Transmitter outages; phone line outages	Ethernet or PCI slot; might need external analog modem
DirecWAY (two-way)	Yes	Yes	No	Satellite outages	USB
StarBand (two-way)	Yes	Yes	No	Satellite outages	USB
DSL	Yes	No	No	Phone line outages; telco network changes	Ethernet or USB

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 56Kbps connections, you might still be able to 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 ISP—especially one that uses its own client, such as AOL—be 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 dial-up connection can be configured manually with the Dial-Up 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 backup service, or if you travel occasionally and want a low-cost way to work online when you're away from broadband, consider the following prepaid services, which let you purchase blocks of time as desired:

• Slingshot (www.slingshot.com)

• AOL PrePaid Card (www.aol.com/prepaid_aol/index.adp)

• MaGlobe Prepaid Global Internet (www.maglobe.com)

Because prices and local access numbers vary, check with the vendors before you purchase a starter kit to ensure that coverage is available in the areas you prefer and to verify that a toll-free number option (which uses prepaid service time at a faster rate) is available as an alternative.

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 20, 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.