I am pondering what kind of high speed internet to get for my computer. I am currently working with a dial up connection and would like to know what kind of high speed hook up I can use to my advantage. I am primarily using the connection for downloading music off of Limewire. Love my music so give some really good input. Do I go with Comcast or should I wait to see what is out there? Also, if I do decide to go with any of the popular high speed connections, what else must I look out for? Thanks for your input.

Curlyben

What you are looking for is some kind of Broadband connection.

Domestic Broadband generally comes in 2 types Cable and ADSL.

Cable uses the same wires as you cable TV while ADSL uses your telephone line.

What the best service to go for is depends on your monthly budget, but as Broadband connection prices are dropping rapidly you can get alot of bang for your buck.

I would recomend, as a minimum a 1Meg connection, although there are faster they are also more expensive.

fredg

Hi,
I also have the ole telephone line dial-up, through an Internet Service Provider.
There are no cable or DSL connections available in my particular area, as yet.
In your local area, do you know what cable or DSL is available to you?
For example, if you know the name of a cable company in your area, say Adelphia, or who ever, you can go online, go to the website for that company, and type in your zip code, other info, and find out if it's available in your area.
The other suggestion of looking for at least a 1 Meg connection is very good, and I have seen ads for a 750 KB connection, with more money for 1 Meg.
I would first see what is actually available in your area, then telll us what is available, and possibly the different connection speeds offered, if any.
Hope you do get something, dial-up is for the birds!

ScottGem

A good source of info about broadband connections is dslreports.com.

The difference between cable and DSL is that cable is a shared medium while DSL is a dedicated line. With a cable connection you connect to a node in your area with other neighbors. This node then connects to the cable company's network. Heavy activity on the node could affect your performance. However, most cable companies keep a limit to how many connections they make to a node to limit that problem. Most cable connections are faster then DSL generally around 3Mbps. Some cable servies do offer different tiers at different prices like DSL.

With DSL, you are connected directly to a nearby Central Office (CO). DSL can then guarantee a constant speed between you and the CO. The CO is then connected directly to the Internet. However such speeds start at a fraction of cable speeds. To get comparable speeds you have to pay for a higher tier.

Also, what broadband is available to you depends on where you live. You need to check with your local providers.

labman

Cable works great for me. I had an extremely poor local phone company. I went with cable. I dropped the local clowns and saved almost enough on my phone bill using Vonage VOIP to pay for the broadband. I now pay a total of $72 for high speed broadband and complete local and long distance phone. Phone quality is better than my old line, and I have more features than Iwill ever use.

Comcast may be offering VOIP now. Vonage and others are available anywhere you have hot, running ethernet.

Curlyben

Psssst Scott I'm currently running an 8Meg ADSL line soon to be upgraded to 24Meg ADSL2+
All for a mere £30 a month (about $50 !!!) including phone

labman

I will leave the discussion of different broadbands to Scott and Ben that know more than I do. I am not even sure what speed mine is. I do notice AMHD pages load much faster than some other sites. Can't imagine say All Experts pages require so much more data, that they take 10 times as long to load. Down load speed is limited by the speed of the server and your system as well as your connection. Some of my problems may be servers that don't work well with the Konqueror browser I am using. I do without the ones that don't work at all.

ScottGem

In the US most DSL lines start around 750 Kbps, then start jacking the prices up as you get faster. Cable systems are improving their infrastructure. I pay $45/mth for my cable access with speeds generally in the 6-8 Mbps range.

jstnvme

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone, I looked into what my provider is and it's Comcast. So, I have Comcast cable, with availabel digital cable, and hiph-speed internet. 4meg for $35 a month for first 6 months and then obviously pay more the rest of the way. For $2 more per month, I can jump to 6megs, or $10 more per month I can go to 8megs. Now, I am thinking about what I really want the high speed internet for and that is my never ending quest for lost music. So, should I go with the 6meg since it's only an extra 2 bucks, or should I splurge myself with the 8meg=144 times faster than 56K dial-up?
Also, say I do get Comcastic about this, does anyone know the installation charge? and is it a bad idea for wireless connection? I live in Chicago.....
and I have over active sweat glands.
Thanks!

ScottGem

Most cable companies allow you to do it yourself. This involves putting a splitter on the cable line and running a cable (you can get all you need at RadioShack) from the splitter to the Cable modem, then a Ethernet patch cable from the modem to your PC or a router if you have multiple PCs. You then need to register the modem with the cable company and viola.