Internet Access: T1, Frame Relay, T3 Bloomington IL

Dial-up and high speed Internet are two terms that have been thrown around Bloomington quite a lot in the last few years. What exactly is the difference between the two, and why should we care one way or the other? Does having high speed Internet really make that much of a difference?

The answer: absolutely. Dialup Internet uses a phone line modem to connect to the world wide web, which has two basic effects on Internet service. First, because it is using the phone line, it ties up your phones – anyone calling your house in Bloomington will get a busy signal, and you’ll be unable to use your phones while online. Second, because phone lines are meant to transfer voice information and no more, your connection will be slower than any other possible option around Bloomington. A file that might download in a minute or two on a T1 line or a satellite Internet access line could take upwards of an hour on dialup.

The difference is cost, and even that isn’t much of a difference lately. You may see advertisements around Bloomington for “free” dialup Internet access providers – be very careful. First, these are the slowest even of the dialup Internet access providers, for the simple reason that they don’t get their pay from their customers. Instead, they get it from advertisers. If you use a free dialup service in Bloomington, you’ll get loads of junk mail and constant pop-up advertisements.

On the other hand, if you go with one of the more mainstream dialup services around Bloomington you’ll be looking at a price tag of twenty or thirty dollars a month. Your service will still be slow, but at least will be as clean of advertising as any high speed service. The problem arises again from the price. Dialup Internet access providers are on the way out for a reason – they simply can’t compete. Satellite Internet access is often as cheap or occasionally even cheaper than dialup. Super high speed options like cable Internet or T3 lines may cost more, but have the effect of allowing every computer in your house to be connected through a wireless hub or LAN. High information transfer options, like many T3 lines for example, can even allow you to provide fast Internet access to an entire network for work or at a Bloomington school, or any other situation where you need Internet access for a large number of computers.

So what’s the price range in high speed Internet options around Bloomington? Your cheapest options are going to be either DSL or satellite access. DSL is somewhat similar to dialup in equipment, if not in actual use. Some phone lines are equipped with a second high transfer data line which allows large amounts of data to be moved back and forth at very high rates of speed. If the phone lines leading to your Bloomington home are DSL equipped, you can get DSL high speed. While generally too slow for labor intensive work applications, DSL is still very fast and will serve quite well for most home applications – it’s still, after all, dozens of times faster than dialup. DSL rates run between twenty and thirty dollars a month depending on your location in Bloomington, so check with your local Internet access provider to see if your home is wired right.

Satellite Internet is also a very cheap access option. Often only twenty dollars or so per month, satellite is affordable and easy to set up. You’ll have to buy the dish and to make sure you have satellite coverage in your area, but once you’re set, you’ll be flying easy with fast Internet and low costs. The problems with satellite Internet access is its dependency on the Bloomington transmission tower. If you’re a long ways away from the tower you may find access choppy, especially on overcast days with a low cloud cover. Rain especially can cause problems by coating your receiver dish with a reflective layer of moisture. Also, if there are any technical problems with the tower itself, Internet access for everyone in Bloomington serviced by that tower shuts down.

Satellite Internet access is generally fairly reliable, though, especially in heavily urbanized areas. If you live in the southern California urban environment, with little rain and dozens of satellite Internet access towers, you’ll be set to browse as long and as hard as you want, while paying actually less than most dialup Internet access providers. Satellite Internet access in Bloomington is cheap and affordable, so it’s a good place to start checking. Make sure before ordering, however, that you actually can get a signal from your home or business in Bloomington.