Broadband for the Masses





	Introduction IN THIS SECTION: Broadband for the Masses: A Pretty Broad Overview What type of DSL package should you get? How critical is speed? DSL: A Short Background Definitions: DSL Digital Subscriber Line: a service that uses a plain old telephone line to deliver high-speed internet access to homes and businesses. Because DSL runs on a separate frequency on the telephone line, you can have high-speed internet access and use the telephone at the same time. Cable Functionally identical for the sake of this discussion, however, instead of using a telephone line to give you high-speed internet access, you get it through your cable line. The discussion on how to set up a router for DSL applies to cable internet service as well. Broadband For the sake of our discussion: a high-speed internet connection, e.g. Cable/DSL, Satellite, ISDN, T1. Broadband for the Masses: A Pretty Broad Overview There’s a bit of detailed information here about setting up broadband internet services. More than anything, I just want to put it in perspective as a way to use current technology to assist a small business, non-profit, NGO, etc. Like putting a simple network in place to share resources, broadband enables companies to share information across greater geographical distances at higher speeds. How critical is speed? The web reached a point a couple years ago where the amount of information available and the practical, inexpensive means towards getting that information grew apart completely. For all the advantages the web held, it became more and more tiresome to wait 15 minutes to download that attached file someone sent you, or to wait 5 minutes for a graphics-rich page to load in. Current methods of document distribution, such as PDF, take significant amounts of time to download. Frequently, more than one person needed to be on at the same time. Certainly, a modem could be shared, but a shared connection on a modem makes for an even slower browsing experience. Additionally, networking over long geographical distances to share private information, in the form of a tunneling, Virtual Private Network (VPN) requires a large amount of bandwidth. Many small organizations coped by adding second phone lines, and sharing smaller numbers of people per modem, however, the problem of speed remained, and the cost of an extra line had to be budgeted in. Additionally, as a dial-up account monopolizes line usage, an organization finding itself online nearly constantly would have to dedicate a line to internet access. The end result is a company, with an extra line or two for dialup access, the cost of the access, and the cost of the calls to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) coming in at $30 minimum. So, I’m arguing for broadband based on two points: The internet is evolving past the point where a dialup connection is practical for daily use in a business setting. Broadband offers a way for businesses to take advantage of emerging technology. The cost of DSL is on average only marginally higher than a reliable dial-up connection. What type of DSL package should you get? DSL, by itself (and internet access via cable as part of a package) will on average be $50/month, though recently there have been yearly promotional deals starting at $35. Hunting Tips: Get the lowest cost one you can find. Don’t mention that it will be for multiple users. Don’t mention the word business. Don’t say you want a “really fast” connection. Don’t let them charge you $200 for a “highly trained” technician to “wire that place up professionally.”(You can do all this yourself.) DSL: A Short Background DSL comes over your phone line on a higher frequency than voice communication. This is why you can talk on the phone and download Braveheart on Kazaa at the same time. Generally, the DSL provider will want to activate DSL on a line that already has active telephone service on it. This is cheaper for them, and it will make no difference to you. They will first take a week or four to “provision” your line, meaning that they activate the DSL service on it. During this time, they will probably send you a “customer self-installation kit.” Keep in mind that the DSL service will NOT be active on your line until you get a call or a postcard from the DSL provider telling you such.