Sree's Thoughts on Moving Up to Broadband Access
Sunday, July 27, 2001

Many of you who use a regular Internet Service Provider may be considering upgrading your connection to the higher speeds offered by what is known as "broadband" technology. These give you faster connections, but there are disadvantages.

Here we will consider the two most common ways to get faster connections to the Internet: cable modems (which are provided by the cable TV companies) and DSL, or digital subscriber lines, (provided, typically, by phone companies). Depending on where you live and what technology you use, these connections can be significantly faster, upto several times, than your regular dial-up connection. Rarely is the "pipeline" ever really 50 times faster, as sometimes advertised.

However, keep in mind that in many places there isn't even really a choice, since both kinds of services are not offered everywhere yet.

Some tips to when considering moving on up:

ASSESS YOUR USAGE:
What do you primarily do with your Internet access. Are you using it mainly for e-mail and a little Web surfing? Then you may not find the increase in speed that tangible. If, however, you use the Web to download a lot of digital music files, photos, etc, then it is time to upgrade.

CHECK YOUR BUDGET:
Regular dial-up Internet Service Providers charge about $21 a month. High-speed connections can go for as much as $50 a month. Make sure that this doubling of fees is worth it to you.

CHECK THE COVERAGE:
Since high-speed connections aren't available in all areas yet, you should contact your local phone and cable companies to see what they offer.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Cable-Modems.org:
http://www.cable-modems.org/

EverythingDSL.com:
http://www.everythingdsl.com/

Check Your Current Connection Speed: http://performance.toast.net/

Verizon DSL:
http://www.verizononline.net/

Time Warner's RoadRunner Cable Modem:
http://www.twcnyc.com/

Sree's Tips
Mailing List

To join the LOW-volume "Sree Tips" e-mail mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to sreetips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. No more than once a month, you will receive an e-mail message with tips and tricks about new, useful and fun Web sites.