When shopping for an Internet provider, most people have primary two options: Broadband or Dial-up. The Internet server you choose determines all prices, services, and speeds.
Broadband is by far faster than dial-up. Typically available in Satellite, DSL, or cable, Broadband service is more expensive than dial-up but pages load more quickly, download speeds are incredibly fast, and you do not tie up the telephone line for hours.
If you are looking for the easily recognized AOL to be on this list, you will not find it. Too many users come forward and claim it took them months to get their accounts cancelled. They felt pushed into offers that they truly did not want or need. These issues continue to have people steering clear of this company unless they are the only provider in the area.
Comcast/Adelphia:
Comcast is the country’s largest cable Internet provider. With rates averaging, $56 a month including equipment rental, Comcast’s cable Internet is expensive. With Comcast you can expect:
$99 installation rates, though special offers are often available
Free self-install packages
You must purchase the additional Ethernet cables in most cases
Comcast recently bought out Adelphia and are currently switching many Adelphia areas to their service. A high number of customer complaints are popping up due to Internet outages and lost or missing emails. They promise all of these glitches will be fixed, but many customers feel the high cost is outweighing any faster speeds.
Technical support with Comcast/Adelphia is very good at saying they have no idea what the problem is and that a technician will have to go to the house. Expect these “house calls” to occur up to a week later. This is costly for anyone working from home.
Cablevision
Cablevision’s Optimum Online is very similar to Comcast. Cablevision offers a special deal of $30 to start, but the rate will jump to $60 within a year. Users state that tech support is mediocre.
Satellite Providers
Dish Network and DirecTV are now offering satellite Internet services for their customers. In general, reviews are on par with the reviews given by Comcast users. One major issue is that these satellite Internet providers can be even higher than Comcast.
DirecTV offers a package with Wild Blue Internet and basic satellite channels starting at $80 per month. It is available in certain areas.
Dish Network’s Internet service is not available in every area. In areas where the service is available, rates start at $50. An additional one-time lease fee of $200 is required at time of hook-up. That $200 fee is reason enough to ignore this offer. The rates are no better.
DSL
DSL is a better option, but it is not in every area. To hook up to a DSL provider, you must be within three miles of a telephone sub-station. Yahoo, Earthlink, and Verizon are top DSL providers.
Yahoo DSL
Reviews of Yahoo’s DSL are great, but some feel the $200 fee charged if you cancel your service early is a little excessive. Yahoo offers or requires:
EarthLink
EarthLink is the highest rated DSL provider out there. Customer service is highly rated.
$150 early cancellation fee
Must have phone service installed
Eight email accounts
$200 equipment fee, discounts are available
Rates are $20 for the first six months, then $40 a month
Speeds of up to 3 MB per second
You install the service yourself
EarthLink’s system protection is included.
Verizon
Overall, Verizon customers claim they are happy. One issue is that some find they have to reboot their modem once a month due to system slow-downs.
Speeds start at 756 KB per second
Special rates start at $15 a month for six months and then increase to $30
Software protection is included
Modem is included in the price
9 email accounts
When you cannot afford or do not want to pay for Cable or Satellite Internet, DSL is an excellent option. Unfortunately, it is only available in limited areas.
With those two options out of the way, dial-up Internet remains. With dial-up, your computer connects to the telephone line for all Internet usage. Dial-up can be extremely slow. Disconnects occur from time to time. If you are online for long periods of time, your phone bill will skyrocket. If you are paying $20 a month in local calls and another $20 for your dial-up service, you may be better off switching to DSL or Cable.
People PC
At under $6 per month, People PC is an affordable choice for many. Speeds average 56KBPS, which isn’t great, but not bad for someone on a budget.
NetZero
NetZero offers accelerated dial-up for $15 a month. While they claim their speeds are faster, most people still found they averaged 56KBPS during peak times. NetZero has a huge number of local calling areas, however, so just about anyone can use their services.
550 Access
Get your first month for 99 cents. That is an excellent deal and many new customers are signing up. Overall, 550 Access is doing well. Their monthly rate is a mere $5.50 and they offer some nice virus and Spam filters with all email accounts.
