Connection Speeds:

If you have need of it, a high-speed connection is both convenient and timesaving. If you spend a lot of time online, you should probably look into getting a faster connection to boost your productivity while online. Otherwise, it may pay to wait a year or so and see if prices come down as availability once again increases.

What type of connection speeds are there?

Analog connectivity, such as 56K modems, and 28.8 connectivity require dial-up access. This means that every time you need to access the Internet, the modems must dial a number to obtain a connection.

Broadband solutions, are permanent connections that are always “on.” They provide immediate access to the Internet without having to dial any numbers. Cable Modem, DSL and HST are known as broadband connections and are much faster than analog.

Cable Modem

A connection through a coax cable through your digital cable provider allows you to connect to the Internet at high speeds. Cable’s largest advantage is its availability and ability to produce multiple upstreams (when sending). The biggest downside to a cable connection is the slow-downs you’ll experience during gluts of service when several people are sharing the network.

Digital Subscriber Link (DSL)

This is a connection using your phone line and a special modem. You have to be within so many feet of a phone station “hub” and your line has to be of a newer type to qualify. Good portions of the population (especially in urban areas) match these criteria and can get a DSL connection. The modem uses a sound frequency well above the human ear’s limits and will not interfere with normal telephone operation. Most connections average about 400-650K per second in download (some are faster) while anywhere from 128-256K in upload speed is available as well. The biggest downside to this type of connection is the availability. The biggest boon to this technology is its reliability and that network slow-downs are less common than with a cable connection.

Satellite (HST)
This is the most expensive alternative for getting a high-speed connection to the Internet. If you live in a rural area or a spot where other options are not available (as I do), then this is probably your only hope for a high-speed connection. These come in two varieties, 1-way and 2-way. One-way satellites are like television receivers: they only accept signals. You’ll still have to use your modem to connect for uploads. A 2-way connection, however, both sends and receives and is telephone-free.

Average speeds for this type of connection are 600K and higher for download and 128K for the upload. Averages tend to be higher because there are far fewer users on the network to slow things down. The biggest up side to this technology is that it is available just about everywhere. The biggest downside to this type of connection is two-fold: price and reliability. Expect to spend $600 or more for the equipment and another $50 or more a month for the connection. You’ll also experience down time (which will not be reimbursed by the ISP) during severe weather (called “rainouts”). Most satellite providers provide a dialup backup service as a part of their plan.