You may have tried one of the traditional online
services such as America OnLine,
MSN, AT&T, Compuserve or WebTV. They do a good job at making your
first Internet experience as easy as possible.
There
may come a time, however, when you wish to "go it on your own" and
sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Shaw
(high speed cable) or Telus
(high speed ADSL) are my preferences (British
Columbia, Canada). They are "always on" and don't interfere
with your phone service.
The online
services connect you to the Internet, so do ISPs. The big difference
between the two is "content." The online services provide proprietary
content ... and lots of it. Most ISPs provide very little original
content, you must venture out yourself (onto the
Web, Usenet, ect...) and find it.
You will
probably discover that an ISP can provide you with just as good
of service, or better, at the same price or less.
Not all
ISPs are created equally. Some are very good, some are very bad.
Here are some questions that you should ask of any potential ISP
before you sign on the bottom line:
- What's
the cost? This may not be the most important factor but it's a
good place to start. Most ISPs charge around $20 a month. If you
shop around you may find one for $14 a month. Unlimited Internet
- Always On: High Speed Cable (i.e. Shaw.ca)
or ADSL (i.e. )
usually charge $35-$45 a month, but have specials sometimes where
the first month is free and the next 6 months are at a special
reduced rate.
- Do
they offer discounts if you prepay the entire year upfront? (This
is a good option, providing that it fits into your budget, if
you choose a good ISP. It's a bad option if the ISP turns out
to be less than desirable.)
- Do
they offer a free trial? Try-before-you-buy is always a good thing.
- What
modem speed do they support? A good ISP will support 56K. You
may not have 56K modem yourself but this will provide some indication
of the commitment that this ISP is willing to make.
- What's
the ratio of modems to users? 6 to 8 users per modem is quite
acceptable. Find out what number you would dial in on ... and
try it a few times. Does your call through or do you receive busy
signals?
- What
software does the ISP supply? What software will you need? Is
there an extra charge if the ISP supplies the software? (Most
of the software that you need can be obtained via the Internet
at no cost.)
- How
good is the customer support? Some will provide customer support
24 hours a day, 7 days a week...with a "800" number. Most aren't
quite that good. Call their customer support number a few times
before you decide to sign up. Take it as a bad sign if you frequently
get a busy signal.
- Do
they charge a "setup" fee? Some do...most don't. If you live in
a city with many ISPs find one that doesn't charge you for the
privilege of bring your business to them. And will they
come out & set you up, and if so is that included in your
'package'. Shaw sends out a techie who will install your software,
connect you to the net, get your email working, etc, and it is
all included in your 'package'. Telus charges extra to have someone
come to your home, they prefer to 'courier' you their start-up
package & you have to 'setup' yourself, with phone support
from them.
There
are a few of ways to find Internet Service Providers in your area.
Find a CanadianISP for
Canada & Find An ISP for the USA. CanadianISP.com
website allows you to search for an Internet service provider (Dial-up,
ISDN, DSL, Cable, Satellite, Point to Point and Wireless - everything
other then dial-up can be considered broadband / high speed)
anywhere in Canada. Customers can post reviews, and ISPs submit
their own services. All for free.
You may
also wish to check out The List. They have a large listing
of ISPs broken down by area code, Canada & the USA.
You can
also check your local phone book, or ask your friends.
