How to choose the right ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

First and foremost, here’s a super simple breakdown of common ISPs. SBC/Yahoo, AOL, and Comcast are the worst ISPs in the history of the internet. Don’t even consider them as an option. Cox is pretty awful too as well as MSN. Earthlink is so-so but only choose them if it’s the only option. Verizon is pretty good but has all sorts of various issues to work out. In some select places, they’re the cheapest, fastest connection available though. TDS, Road Runner, Time Warner, Adelphia, and Charter are all pretty good. There are many more ISPs out there but I don’t know enough to make an accurate judgment about them.
Step 2

All the ISPs listed previously should have a place on their website where you can put in your address and it will tell you if they offer service where you live. But instead of going to every single ISP’s website and checking, it’s better to narrow it down first. You need to decide what kind of connection you need. In general, DSL sucks and you never get even close to the speed they say you do. But most DSL speeds are decent enough to check your e-mail and surf the web. If you plan to download a lot of large programs, you’ll want to get something faster though. If you plan to download a lot of music, that’s sort of up in the air as MP3s are pretty small. If you plan to use any sort of movie service from Youtube to AOL video to funny video sites to digital movie rental/streaming sites, you’re definitely going to need a connection faster than normal DSL. Also consider how many computers are going to use the connection simultaneously. If you have DSL and one computer is playing an online game while the other is being used to surf the internet, or especially watch streaming videos, the gaming person is likely to lag and/or disconnect and the surfing person is going to notice a massive slowdown.
Step 3

Speed and price are the 2 big comparison points. So let’s talk about exact speed. Typically DSL packages are either 1.5 megabits per second (aka mbps) or half that at 768kbps. First of all, it’s never cost effective to get the 768 package. It’s usually only a few dollars less but that speed is too slow for most internet use even on a single computer. If you’re leaning towards DSL, TDS is the only decent DSL ISP I know of. But don’t be so quick to jump to them. Most DSL companies give you about 50-75% the speed they say they will so you can expect about 1 megabit tops from a 1.5 megabit connection. The worst cable packages are around 3 megabits, which is double to triple the speed of traditional DSL but unlike DSL, you often get at least 90% the rated speed. There are special DSL connections that can break the 1.5 megabit limit but the cost for them is almost always higher than cable of the same speed so it’s rarely a good choice. Charter typically gives 5 megabit connections and Time Warner, Adelphia, and Road Runner (all owned by Time Warner by the way) are 7-8 megabits in most locations. At the time this article was written, Road Runner offers a reasonably priced Turbo package at 15 megabits. For a real comparison though, ask your neighbors how fast their connections seem to be and how they feel about their ISPs in general. You can even send them a link to my other article about how to test their internet connection speed to get an actual number. Some DSL connections are great in some areas and even cable connections have overcrowded neighborhoods so that’s a great way to get the real story.
Step 4

Thus far I haven’t mentioned any other connection types so I’ll do that now. T1s and other higher up T connections are about $200 per month minimum with many hundreds of dollars in equipment to buy. T1’s are 1.5 megabits in download speed but also 1.5 megabits upload while traditional DSL and cable connections are a half megabit or slower for uploads. They’re basically 24 phone lines put together and you can pick a certain number for actual phones and the rest for data. They’re basically only useful for businesses that need internet and multiple phone lines. As for a fiber connection, that’s usually a couple thousands dollars per month and only used by huge businesses. The speed varies greatly but typically is 50 mbps on up to hundreds of gigabits per second. Verizon however is the first company to make a home fiber connection. At this time it’s being tested in Texas and New York. It’s about $30-40 per month for a 25 megabit connection. Even with a new patent lawsuit every day and being sued nonstop for other reasons, that’s a connection worth considering if you can get it! And finally, there’s a satellite connection. If you live too far out into the middle of nowhere to get cable, you’re stuck with 2 choice. It’s dialup or satellite. Dialup is ancient and completely unusable for the internet in general these days. Satellite is usually close to DSL speeds but it still blows dialup away. The problem is there’s a huge response time delay so you won’t be able to do anything in realtime like webcam chats or online gaming. Also it cuts out from time to time. Other than that it’s a great option. And finally, wireless connections that connect to cell towers disconnect a lot, have slow response times, and are generally slower than DSL so they only work well for laptops that move around a lot instead of household connections.
Step 5

So now that you can compare speeds, it’s time to talk price. DSL is usually cheaper than cable but that’s because it’s slower and less reliable. But keep in mind that DSL companies usually make you buy the modem and/or phone line filters for $50-100 combined plus installation costs (or they make you install it yourself.) Cable companies typically don’t charge for the modem or installation. Also, DSL and cable companies alike typically give you a discount if you use their other services. If you have your phone service and DSL through the same company, you usually get a discount. If you don’t, call them and they’ll give you one, especially if you mention switching to cable. If you have Time Warner cable, they’ll give you a gigantic discount on cable internet that brings it down to within $5 of fast DSL. Some packages even make it the same price. So make sure you take into consideration all costs before making a decision. In general though, it will usually end up that cable is 0-25% more expensive than DSL for a connection that’s in reality 300-600% faster. So it’s always more cost effective to go with cable, but because of the extra expense, it’s only a good choice if you need the speed. Otherwise just save the money and go with DSL. Of course if it works out that cable is the same price or even cheaper, go with that.
Step 6

Finally, when you make your decision try to get a good deal. Most ISPs have one week specials around holidays or just whenever where they’ll give you a much lower price for a year or two. It’s worth it to wait around for a deal like that. There’s also sometimes a special bonus for switching from certain companies that are in direct competition. If you mention to Time Warner that you’re considering switching from SBC/Yahoo or Dish Network to one of their services, they’ll give you a discount. When you do sign up, pick as short of a contract as you can if there’s no discount for a long contract. Most ISPs don’t have long term contracts though and if they do, it’s usually because they’re awful and need to prevent their customers from dumping them. Some companies don’t even require a contract at all. One that does that might make a good first choice because that way you can try them out and switch if things aren’t going well. And finally, if you do choose DSL with a contract that requires a fee for cancellation and it’s horribly slow or disconnects at times, just pay the fee and switch, it’s worth it!

Comments

mchapman said

on 6/21/2008 enjoyed your article, very informative.......mary

on 6/21/2008 I like your article! 5 stars! But I have Comcast and every time there is a problem, it is resolved to our satisfaction! They have even reduced our monthly bill a couple of times! Just wanted you to know!