The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Ditching Dial-up Roger Brown

With the increasing affordability of broadband Internet, members who haven't already made the switch will be considering the possibility. But it's a jungle out there - lots of unfamiliar names, strange terms and some rather nasty and expensive traps.

This brief survival guide tells you some the important things you need to know.

What type of connection?

Most members will have the choice of ADSL, Cable, Wireless or Satellite as a means of connecting to the Internet by broadband. Each has its benefit but the major factors you should understand are these:

Cable
Pro
- Potentially the fastest though speeds do vary. Will be fully set-up by the ISP.
Con
- Not available in all areas and where available there will be a limited choice of supplier (maybe only one).
- Not suitable if there is any possibility of moving house
- may not be transferable.
- Not available for units or other leased premises.

ADSL
Pro
- Widely available - should be available if there is a phone line (though there are some exceptions)
- Fast, especially if ADSL2 is available, but speeds can depend on distance from the local telephone exchange
- Wide choice of suppliers
Con
- Speed suffers in proportion to distance from the exchange
- Usually requires customer to install a simple connection filter. This causes occasional difficulties for some phone systems and centralised security alarms.
- Not available for some types of shared telephone lines (pair-gain, RIM).

Wireless

Do NOT consider this form of connection unless you have a specific reason. Costs can be exorbitant especially if connection involves use of a mobile phone. (Not to be confused with WiFi.)

Satellite

The slowest and least reliable form of broadband. Unsuitable unless there is no other possible alternative. It also suffers from significant delays when browsing and completing online forms such as some Internet banking sites.

Selecting a plan

Having established what you believe may be the best form of connection, members will then want to select a specific ISP and connection plan. For the moment ,the best idea is to simply establish what plans meet your cost and other criteria - don't be concerned about selecting a specific ISP at this stage. The best available resource for this is the community based website Broadband Choice at bc.whirlpool.net.au  Here you will find all available ISPs and their plans listed - there is also a handy plan search utility.

Here are some general tips about what to look for and what to avoid in an Internet connection plan.

Data allowance

All plans come with a specific amount of data usage which is included in the monthly fee. "Data usage" means ANYTHING that results on data being downloaded to your computer such as viewing web pages, reading mail and newsgroups, chatting on-line, listening to music files and watching video. In some cases (and this is indicated in the Broadband Choice listings) "data usage" may also include data being sent out from your computer (uploads). This can include sending mail, posting to newsgroups, chatting on-line and (most importantly) sharing files via a file sharing service such as Bit-Torrent.

Make sure you understand what's included in the data allowance for any plan you consider and try and be sure that the data allowance for any plan you select is adequate.

As a very rough guide (and bear in mind that every user's requirements are different):

-- Individual users should not consider any plan with a data allowance LESS than 1GB. More is better - remember, broadband users inevitably want to experience the benefits of the new medium and even the shortest movie (compressed format) would be at least 700MB. A 45 minute television series episode would be at least 350MB.

-- Families should not consider less than 10MB data allowance especially if children are likely to use file sharing services to download and share music files. More is better.

When you do settle on a plan and obtain the connection, your first task should be to establish EXACTLY how you monitor daily usage to ensure you do not exceed the data limit. Most ISPs have a web page where daily and progressive usage can be monitored.

Excess Charges

So what happens if or when you exceed your data allowance?

Well if you've by now searched for and found suitable plans using the Broadband Choice website, you may have noticed that in some cases any extra data attracts excess charges. And these are HEFTY!!

For example a typical level of excess charges is $150/GB. That means that if on a monthly plan of $30 per month you exceeded the data limit by 1GB (that's around ONE movie and could be downloaded in not much more than 10 minutes on some connections) your monthly bill would rise to $180 per month. Some users have faced excess bills of THOUSANDS of dollars under this sort arrangement - especially where file sharing services were involved.

Do not ON ANY ACCOUNT accept a plan that charges for excess data - and especially if the computer is likely to be used by family members. And remember, some of the worst instances of excess charges have involved the use of a grandparent's computer by visiting grandchildren.

Shaping

So what's the alternative to excess charges?

The alternative is that when you reach the limit of your data allowance your connection speed will be slowed to near dial-up speed. That's not great but you won't be charged any extra - if your plan is for $xx per month, that's what you pay, end of story. This procedure is known as shaping.

Do NOT accept any plan which does NOT provide an absolutely fixed price and that your connection speed will be "shaped" if you exceed your data allowance. This particularly applies to families.

Connection speed

Some plans limit connection speeds - often to quite low levels, down to only five times as fast as dial-up.

Go for as much speed as you can afford. You may feel that even a fivefold speed increase would be perfectly adequate after years of dial-up but you'll quickly change your mind. Broadband is a whole new experience. You'll never want to go back to slower speeds and you'll find that the faster your connection, the more you can enjoy what's on offer. Faster is better.

Selecting an ISP

Hopefully by now you've isolated some plans that appear suitable and you're down to the final stage of choosing an actual plan and Internet Service Provider. But which ISP? Many of the names are unfamiliar and you have no idea of whether they can actually deliver what they offer.

Here are some suggestions to help you choose:

• Don't assume that a well known name is necessary better. That's by no means certain.
  
• Scan the forums attached to the Broadband Choice site to get a feeling for how Whirlpool members see the ISP you're considering.

But bear in mind that Whirlpool is not known as "Whingepool" for nothing - forum users are usually very demanding. You can also consult the Australian Broadband Survey at whirlpool. net.au/survey/2007/ to get a feeling for the performance of ISPs in various key areas. These resources will help you zero in on factors which may influence your decision.

For example, are you the type of person who may need some "hand holding" to get you up and running, or to resolver difficulties. If so go for one of the ISPs who rate highly in customer service - even if they aren't quite the cheapest. And on the other hand, if you are a good self reliant troubleshooter, paying more for premium customer service may not make as much sense.

• Personal recommendation, especially from someone in your area is always useful.

And lastly, why not simply use the Westnet service our club recommends?

Pro
- Westnet is a good quality ISP with an excellent reputation for customer service. For many members they would be an excellent choice.

Con
- Westnet is not the cheapest - and these days that may be important to members
- delivery is by ADSL. For some members cable would be significantly faster
- ADSL2 plans are at present delivered via Optus and aren't as comprehensive as offerings from some other ISPs

This guide is not exhaustive - some factors are only briefly mentioned. But it should alert members considering the switch to the major issues and pitfalls. And exploring the Internet resources mentioned in this short guide will allow further investigation of any issues of concern.

Reprinted from the December 2008 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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