Know your Internet connection types

Rick has called me a cheater for using my user group notes and product reviews in place of a daily column. So, today I am not only writing an official Shotgun article, but I am also turning it in early.

I have seen several clients lately who are using the full priced AOL dial-up service. That means they are paying $25.90 for dial-up Internet. One person even had a seperate line for the Internet (add on another $20/month).

This is proof that AOL is like crack.

I thought I would give a breakdown of alternatives to paying AOL's outrageous price. Suprisingly, the solution does not have to mean dropping AOL, but in my opinion it should.

First, if you want to keep AOL, but don't want to pay the $26 per month for it - call AOL and tell them you are going to cancel and switch to NetZero (only $9.99/month). They will out of no where suddenly realize that they have a special discounted rate available in your area! Since we have helped people do this from all over the US, it appears that this special rate and area is limited to anywhere north of Mexico, south of Canada and between the Atlantic and Pacific.

Most people who have tried this recieve a new $14.99/month rate, but since the rate hike, I have had a few people get offered $9.99 rates to match NetZero.

The key to the best discount seems to be related to how determined you are to switch. They seem to save the big discount rate as a last result.

If you are ready to leave AOL but can't afford the $25/month for DSL or DSL isn't available in your area, switch to NetZero, Juno or Netscape (AOL's cheaper sister product).

If you are ready for broadband there are a variety of options.

The fastest and most expensive is cable Internet. It typically costs around $60/month, but it is about a hundred times faster than phone line.

The best deal for speed and price is DSL. Depending on where you live DSL will range from $15-$25 for the basic 256k speed. This is 10x faster than your phone line connection.

If you can't get DSL or cable, then microwave wireless Internet might be available in your area. This type of access works similar to cell phone service. Microwave wireless (different from WiFi wireless) costs a little more to setup - around $100 - but it costs roughly the same as DSL and works at about the same speeds.

The last option for broadband if you can't get any of the others is satellite access. This is the most expensive option in every way and it is also the least stable, but if it is all you can get, it is well worth it. Satellite access costs hundreds of dollars to setup and ranges from $50-$100 per month.

Before you sign up for any service, do your homework. Most likely there are multiple companies that offer any given type of access (except cable, it is still pretty much a monopoly) shop around for the best company, the best package and the best price for your needs. 

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