Recommendations for an ISP
I need to upgrade my home Internet service from dial-up to something quite a bit more robust. I want a connection that could, oh, support someone with an intense computer job telecommuting for ten hours a day. It needs to be able to handle the typical things we like to do on a T1 line: audio, video, uploads, downloads, speedy Web surfing, etc. If you live close to me and you’d like to chime in, please do. If you don’t want to comment below, you can contact me at jkbaumga [at] some major Internet search engine e-mail service .com.
Thanks!
Addendum 2/7: Great recommendations so far! I should have anticipated I would get more recommendations for FiOS. Several people suggested it to me before I asked in this space, but unfortunately, it is not available where I live (yet). Part B of the question, then, becomes do I go with an ISP who could potentially provide FiOS in the future because upgrading to that service might be easier if I’m already using that ISP?
February 6th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
You should buy service from Speakeasy. Verizon and the cable companies, because they own the lines, can probably give you a better price, but not a better deal.
Speakeasy is free software friendly, competant, extremely responsive, offer unbelievably reliable service, and don’t require that you buy a phone line. I was actually very excited to be moving to Cambridge so that I could use them.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
If you can get Verizon FIOS, get it. Otherwise, get a cable modem. Much faster than DSL, and, from what I’ve heard, far fewer annoyances.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Cable. More reliable in my experience and you get phone as a completely independent fallback solution.
Check the upstream speed - the lower of the common 4000/384 combination - since that affects your own outgoing communication quality. 128kbit/s won’t really do the job. 256kbit/s is sufficient but will suffer during internet multitasking.
February 7th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Using the ISP who can provide FIOS will increase disruption when you switch because your service will be out during the switch and you’ll have no fallback if there’s a problem with it. Using the dissimilar option lets you switch to FIOS later with the option of having several months of transition time with both services available.
February 8th, 2007 at 12:52 am
It’s cool to have the newest thing, but then again, being on the bleeding edge can also be pretty rough. I’ve read about Fios installs taking a long time because the folks doing the work just haven’t done it often.
I think for most people, cable modem is just fine. Low latency, so good for voice or video. Bandwidth is plenty for virtually anything you’d want to do. Cable modem companies are selling service now to businesses, complete with SLA. Your home cable modem is riding on the same infrastructure, so it should be good.
Personally I’ve heard of more people having strange issues with DSL than cable. My cable pretty much just works 100% of the time.
February 12th, 2007 at 10:37 am
FiOS is very nice, the installer I had was quite competent and accommodating, and I have never noticed service downtime. FiOS is a Verizon brand name, and Verizon is, AFAIK, the only company offering mass-market residential fiber-optic service. What does this mean to you? Not a whole lot. Fiber has greater potential but right now you can buy similar-speed service from Comcast or RCN via coax cable for a similar price. And any broadband service, including DSL, will be acceptable and will feel totally great compared to a modem.
So buy something simple and cheap. I’ve had cable modem service from both Comcast and RCN, and have found Comcast slightly more reliable and better-supported but RCN is usually slightly cheaper for the same speeds.
Finally, if you have/want home telephone service or television cable, you can buy these from the same provider as your internet access, and this might be convenient for you as the services can be billed together. Comcast, RCN, and Verizon all offer bundles, although Verizon TV is delivered over FiOS only (I think) and isn’t even available in all municipalities where FiOS is available (I think) because in Massachusetts a new cable utility must be approved by each municipality it serves, rather than just state-wide as in most states.
Looking back at what I’ve just written, it basically summarizes to: here’s a bunch of information. But just do whatever’s cheapest/easiest because it’s all OK.
March 24th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
I would suggest either FiOS service, an integrated T1 Line (think of multiple T1 Lines) or a DS3 line. All-in-all any of these choices should provide enough bandwidth for your business.
High Speed Internet Access and Broadband Provider