| How Much Does Internet Access Cost? |
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| Typical costs: | - Low Cost Internet Access: It's possible to get dial up modem Internet Access for as little as $6 a month, up to $22 a month. Examples of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) include Juno at $10/month, Earthlink at $15-$22 a month, Fry's/Outpost at $6-$9/month, and NetZero at $10 a month.
- DSL service at 1.5 Mbs can cost $30 as little a month; 3Mbps service can cost $35 a month; combined local phone+DSL plans usually cost around $50/month. Many service providers offer discounts as low as $15/month for the initial 3-12 months.
- Cable modems at 3.5+Mbs usually cost around $45+ a month, but can be as low as $30.month. There may be discounts, as low as $20/month, for the initial 3-6 months. There may be some discounts if you are also a cable subscriber. Popular nation-wide providers include Road Runner, and Comcast Cable. You'll need to check with your local cable company.
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| What should be included: | - Typical Internet Access will come with an account that will enable you to send and receive email and put up a small personal website.
- High speed access, especially DSL, often will come with a dialup modem service you can use if the DSL connection is down.
- High speed providers (DSL and cable modem) will often provide the DSL or cable modem for free with a one year subscription.
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| Additional costs: | - If you need a technician to come to your location to help you install the high speed service, the service call can cost $100-$200.
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| Discounts: | - Many providers will give you a promotional lower rate for the first 3-12 months. Be sure to also know what the rate will change to afterwards.
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| Shopping for internet access: | |
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Article updated November 2006 |
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Recent Posts |
| Amount: $46.00 per month |
Pretty happy with Comcast Cable Modem
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| Posted by: PCGuyinCali in San Jose, CA. | Purchased: August, 2004 |
| Provider: Comcast | Type of Connection: Cable modem |
| Speed: 2.3Mbps |
Even though DSL was available at our home, I subscribed to the Cable Modem because I wanted the fastest thing possible. Right now, according to CNet's bandwidth test
(http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html), I'm getting 2.3Mbps, which is OK, but almost as slow as a good cable modem. We got an introductory rate of $14/month for 2 months, before it went up to $46/month. We also get standard cable from them; I don't know if this gives us a small discount on Internet access. |
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| Amount: $40.00 per month |
T*Mobile at Starbucks is expensive
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| Posted by: Coffee Fiend in San Mateo, CA. | Purchased: March, 2007 |
| Provider: T*Mobile Hotspot | Type of Connection: wifi |
| Speed: happy with the speed |
| I occasionally get my work done at cafes, especially when contractors are working on the home and I need to be productive elsewhere. In March, I signed up for the T Mobile because I go to Starbucks a lot and they had a deal where your first month was free. But I was checking my bills over recently, and I realized $40 a month is a lot considering a few months I didn't surf at Starbucks at all. I'm thinking about cancelling my plan and either paying by the hour or subscribing only during months when I think I'll be working there a lot. Also, more and more restaurants offer wifi for free. |
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| Amount: $42.99 per month |
Verizon Fios Internet
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| Posted by: Josh In Tampa in Tampa, FL. | Purchased: January, 2008 |
| Provider: Verizon | Type of Connection: High Speed Fiber Optic |
| Speed: 10 Mbps Down / 2 Mbps Up |
| I've had Verizon's Fios service for a few years and I am very happy with the speed for the cost. This is a far superior speed product when compared to DSL or Road Runner. The Verizon customer service isn't the best, but the speed and reliability of the internet connection make up for it. |
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| Amount: $32.99 per month |
Gotta watch A T & T
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| Posted by: Travlee in Lafayette, LA. | Purchased: July, 2008 |
| Provider: A T & T | Type of Connection: DSL |
| Speed: fast enough |
| We've had DSL service with BellSouth/AT&T for about 9 years. Service is okay...but if your internet goes down it will take them sometimes 2-4 days to get service back up and don't expect them to credit you for those days...won't happen. My BIG problem with them happened about a year ago. A friend of ours got DSL service from AT&T at the same speed as ours (they have 3 speeds; we are in the middle)and the cost was about $8 a month cheaper. I called customer service to see why his rate was so much cheaper and was informed that the rates had gone down about six months ago. Asked why OUR rate hadn't gone down and was told that you had to ASK them to do this because they had no way to change all the customers rates. REALLY! I bet if the rate had gone UP they would have somehow FOUND a way to change everyone's rate. Maybe not legally wrong but ethically and morally WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! Now I check the rates on the website every couple of months in case I need to "ask" again. |
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