I need to choose an ISP for either DSL or Cable. We do no have cable TV and do not plan on getting it.

So far, the best price I have found is with Yahoo! SBC. They give you DSL for under $30 / month. Any other offers seem to increase to about $50 after the first 3 or 6 months.

What are your experiences with ISPs? Is this a good deal?

I am paticuarly confused about this one page on their website. It claims that it will "give" you an installation kit, but it will cost you $150? WTF is an installation kit? And why would I need one? Then it says they will "give" me a dsl modem for $100. Why would I need that? I already have an ethernet card. To further confuse me, they add "$99 free credit." What? So what do I have to pay for here? And why? I don't get all this installation kit crap.

Here is the site:
http://www02.sbc.com/DSL_new/content/1,,52,00.html?

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You may already have an ethernet card, but the "DSL modem" will be a DSL router and a chunk of phone and cat5e cable. DSL runs over phone lines as cable runs over cable lines.

Maybe somebody else can explain the details of the cost, but it looks like if you buy other hardware, like the wireless kit, they give you the router and install kit free or credit on your bill or something. ANd maybe their modem is free or something from them after the credit, not sure. It is a bit confusing.

DSL tends to be slower then Cable here in RI

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"Ever since I was a boy, I have always kept your laws, now I want to follow you and join you in your noble cause. Jesus turned to him and said, 'Sell all you have give to the poor.' Rich young ruler hung his head, not to follow, walked instead." - Vanishing Lesson

Mystic, you use AIM or MSN? This is something that needs to be realtimed.
Dj Yoshmo AIM
Yoshmaista@hotmail.com MSN

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The $149 Wireless Home Networking kit is optional and will allow you to create a wireless home network. If you are just connecting one machine to the internet, you will not need this.

Even though you have an Ethernet card, it needs something to connect to. Broadband is not like dial-up. You will need an external modem which connects to the broadband service. In the scenario of DSL, you will need to connect the DSL modem to the telephone line. The DSL modem usually has two ports on the back: a USB connection and an Ethernet connection. Use the Ethernet connection to connect the modem to your computer.

The $99 instant credit appears to be a rebate. I guess that you pay $99 for the modem and then they credit you $99 on your bill, making it free.

$26.95/ month seems to be a really good deal for DSL. Most dial-up services such as AOL and MSN are charging around 21.95/month, so this seems like a good offer.

Although your speeds are going to be 384Kbps to 1.5Mbps downstream, it will be much faster than 56k, but I'd also consider what cable plans are available in your area. I know I am getting 3.0Mbps / 256Kbps on Comcast and am paying ~$45/month. It really depends on what kind of work you are going to be doing online and if more speed will benefit you.

We have SBC in my dad's office in Northern California and although it is resonably fast it is not very relieable. It probably crashes on average once a month for no reason.

Bell Sympatico is pretty good for DSL.

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We have Sprint Broadband, it works just fine..

I have Quest DSL at my Work, it s bit slower :/

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-Han Solo

I use Sympatico, but its for Canadian residents only.



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[="Mothers stop cooking take off your aprons; Fathers stop looking at every sports station; Take a second, and think of every poor nation." - Nas=]

Massassian since: March 12, 2001

Cable generally owns DSL, so if you can get it, go for it. Most cable companies don't require you to have cable to use their internet anymore, either.

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I have SBC Yahoo! DSL and it is a pretty good ISP for only 26 bucks a month. The installation kit is just the DSL modem, a ethernet card, a Cat5 cable, and a few DSL converters for use with the phoneline. All of that is only 100 bucks so it's a fair deal. You can also buy the DSL at Best Buy as well but it has to be a SBC Yahoo! DSL brand.

-- SavageX

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I'd recommend Blueyonder, but since you don't live in the UK, it's not much help... although our 768kbps service runs over a co-axial cable to the modem, then through CAT5e cable to our ethernet card. I don't know how different it is over the water.

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Sell your soul for a cookie?

Price is key here. I live in the San Fransico Bay Area in California. If there are any other ISPs in my area that are cheaper than $30 / month (no strings attatched), then please tell me.

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Please send me e-mail...

Well, the only "strings attached" with SBC is that you have to be signed up for a year or you'll have to pay a 100 dollar fine if you end the contract prematurely. Other than that, SBC is fine.

-- SavageX

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"...and if you don't like that, then you need to be slugged in the face repeatedly, until my hands are soaked in blood. Have a nice day!"
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