guide-to-isp.com

There will be problems such as poor service or downtimes that may help you consider changing ISPs. It is only normal since why should you pay for something that you are not satisfied with?

There are a lot of ISPs in your area. But the question is which one. Price should not be a basis. You should check out based on word of mouth and preference of majority of your population to make a decision.

Connection to the web is important. But consistency and good quality is equally important. Make sure you study your options thoroughly.

When planning your internet marketing campaign and taking your website as a whole into account, make sure you bear in mind the small but significant number of users that still use a dial up internet connection. There are many site owners, webmasters and designers that gain access to the web via high-speed connections and it is easy to forget that there is around 45 per cent that still use dial-up globally. Your website may look like it loads up quickly on your own high speed broadband connection but what about on a 56k connection? You may be shocked by the results.

If your site appears to load quickly on your own connection it’s likely that on a 56k connection it will take forever. It is well known that sites that load quickly on high speed connections can take between 30 to 80 seconds on slower connections. It can be that slow that a browser will ‘time out’ and your site won’t appear at all. If this is an issue that your site suffers then around 45 per cent of your hits may not even get to see your site properly. To make matters worse the users who have not been able to access your site will now probably avoid it in the future even if you improve the loading times. You have a web development issue that needs solving if you want to make the most of your online presence.

On 56k connection you should be aiming to get as fast a loading time as possible but make sure it is not slower than 25 seconds. If you aim to get loading times below 10 seconds you can create yourself a big advantage over your competitors as surfers will always return to fast sites.

At www.clickconsult.com, we are experts in internet marketing and can help with all your related website issues.

The difference between DSL and cable is that DSL is delivered over a standard telephone line, while cable requires cable television service. In both cases, the lines can handle other transmissions in addition to Internet service. For example, you can use your telephone to make and receive calls while online with DSL, because DSL utilizes separate frequencies from telephone communications. Similarly, you can watch television while online with cable Internet service.

Before going into the other differences between DSL and cable, note that a DSL subscriber will have to be within a certain distance from a telephone hub to get good DSL service. Therefore, DSL is not available in all areas, though this is becoming less of a problem. Any DSL provider that services your area can tell by your telephone number whether you are eligible for DSL service.

DSL and cable packages vary in price according to speed. DSL basic speeds of about 128 kilobits per second (kbps) are far faster than dial-up and will likely satisfy the average user. Much faster packages are also available.

An advantage of DSL service is that your speed remains the same, no matter how many people are using the service. With cable Internet service, the number of users in your local area can affect bandwidth availability and result in slow service. Your personal experience is dependent upon the number of active users at any given time.

There’s another significant difference between DSL and cable service. While major DSL providers have introductory prices as low as 12 US dollars (USD) plus change per month, cable Internet service tends to be three to four times more expensive. The low introductory DSL price is only for new subscribers in most cases and requires a one-year contract, but it’s a great deal.

Cable Internet service is fighting back by offering digital packages that include cable television, Internet service and digital phone service in a single bill. For some people with large phone bills, the savings can offset the cost of cable Internet service. The best option is to check into both DSL and cable services in your area and see what each has to offer.

via [WiseGeek]

the most common situations that can result in slow Internet service is the present of a virus on your hard drive. Computer viruses can be transmitted in a variety of ways, most commonly through an attachment to an email. The computer virus will integrate into key programs on the hard drive and silently use up a great deal of resources. By diverting some of the resources to running the virus, an Internet service slow down is inevitable. Fortunately, installing virus protection and removal software will help to remove viruses from the hard drive, as well as prevent new ones from infecting the system. As part of the task of preventing slow Internet service from occurring, it is important to make sure the antivirus software is updated regularly.

Along with viruses, there is a wide range of programs created to grab control of software on the hard drive and use it without the knowledge of the system owner. Programs of this type are often referred to as Trojans, since they can creep in before they are ever detected. Along with worm viruses, Trojans use up resources and create an Internet slow down that will be noticeable. The typical Trojan is acquired by opening email attachments, allowing the program to grab the address book and begin to send out more infected attachments to every email address on the hard drive. Antivirus software updates usually identify new Trojans and viruses, and can remove them from the system, provided that the Trojan is not configured to shut down the system if removal is attempted.

Spyware and Adware are relatively innocuous programs that silently download when web sites are visited and are used to track the Internet activity of the user. The collected data is normally used in developing marketing campaigns and creating email texts. Unfortunately, spyware and adware also use up resources that can slow the system down a great deal. Removing the programs will reverse the incidence of slow Internet service, and make it easier to enjoy a more robust speed.

Not all reasons for slow Internet service are due to clandestine programs and viruses infecting the hard drive. In some cases, the ISP is the origin of the Internet slow down. Routers and servers used to provide the service may be overloaded or experience a technical issue that temporarily slows down the speeds provided by the Internet Service Provider. This is true for high-speed solutions as well as for dialup service providers. At other times, the origin of the slow Internet service may be the local phone connection. Depending on the number of connections that the local phone company multiplexes on the wires that make up the system, there may simply not be many resources available to establish the connection. This is often the case in rural areas, where there are limited options when it comes to Internet connectivity.

One final reason for a slow loading of a web site will have nothing to do with the speed of the connection or the programs running on the hard drive. If the current level of traffic volume to the site is very high, and the server hosting the site cannot handle the traffic, the perception is often that of slow Internet service. However, this is not really a case of a slow Internet connection, but an overwhelmed server. Generally, if the user will simply back off and visit the site at a later time, the site will load much faster on the follow up attempt.

via [WiseGeek]

As far as hosting is concerned, you may be wondering what can possibly make them different from others? Normally they would all seem the same. But take a look closely and you will see the smaller fonts in the details given.

When choosing a web host, not just any host will do. There are specific features that you need to look for, as well as additional features that will be required depending on what your plans for your website are. It is important that you make sure that your web host is able to accommodate your needs from the very beginning. One of the first features you should look for in a web host, no matter what your plans are for your site, is the guaranteed uptime.

This paper introduces Stone Gate Multi-Link
Technology as a solution to enterprises’ ISP multi-homing needs. It discuss how Multi-Link
Optimizes the use of network providers such as ISPs and realizes the benefits of virtual
Private networks. It describes Multi-Link operating principles and functionality with
Respect to other relevant technologies. You can benefit from implementing
Multi-Link in your network. Stone Gate Multi-Link represents significant advance in multi-homing technology.

When you connect to the Internet, you might connect through a regular modem, through a local-area network connection in your office, through a cable modem or through a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection. DSL is a very high-speed connection that uses the same wires as a regular telephone line.
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Here are some advantages of DSL:

• You can leave your Internet connection open and still use the phone line for voice calls.
• The speed is much higher than a regular modem
• DSL doesn’t necessarily require new wiring; it can use the phone line you already have.
• The company that offers DSL will usually provide the modem as part of the installation.

But there are disadvantages:

• A DSL connection works better when you are closer to the provider’s central office. The farther away you get from the central office, the weaker the signal becomes.
• The connection is faster for receiving data than it is for sending data over the Internet.
• The service is not available everywhere.

In this article, we explain how a DSL connection manages to squeeze more information through a standard phone line — and lets you make regular telephone calls even when you’re online.

Telephone Lines
If you have read How Telephones Work, then you know that a standard telephone installation in the United States consists of a pair of copper wires that the phone company installs in your home. The copper wires have lots of room for carrying more than your phone conversations — they are capable of handling a much greater bandwidth, or range of frequencies, than that demanded for voice. DSL exploits this “extra capacity” to carry information on the wire without disturbing the line’s ability to carry conversations. The entire plan is based on matching particular frequencies to specific tasks.

To understand DSL, you first need to know a couple of things about a normal telephone line — the kind that telephone professionals call POTS, for Plain Old Telephone Service. One of the ways that POTS makes the most of the telephone company’s wires and equipment is by limiting the frequencies that the switches, telephones and other equipment will carry. Human voices, speaking in normal conversational tones, can be carried in a frequency range of 0 to 3,400 Hertz (cycles per second — see How Telephones Work for a great demonstration of this). This range of frequencies is tiny. For example, compare this to the range of most stereo speakers, which cover from roughly 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz. And the wires themselves have the potential to handle frequencies up to several million Hertz in most cases.

The use of such a small portion of the wire’s total bandwidth is historical — remember that the telephone system has been in place, using a pair of copper wires to each home, for about a century. By limiting the frequencies carried over the lines, the telephone system can pack lots of wires into a very small space without worrying about interference between lines. Modern equipment that sends digital rather than analog data can safely use much more of the telephone line’s capacity. DSL does just that.

via [HowStuffWorks]

Pic Link

HowStuffWorks

ISDN, which stands for Integrated Services Digital Network, is a system of digital phone connections which has been available for over a decade. This system allows voice and data to be transmitted simultaneously across the world using end-to-end digital connectivity.

With ISDN, voice and data are carried by bearer channels (B channels) occupying a bandwidth of 64 kb/s (bits per second). Some switches limit B channels to a capacity of 56 kb/s. A data channel (D channel) handles signaling at 16 kb/s or 64 kb/s, depending on the service type. Note that, in ISDN terminology, “k” means 1000 (103), not 1024 (210) as in many computer applications (the designator “K” is sometimes used to represent this value); therefore, a 64 kb/s channel carries data at a rate of 64000 b/s. A new set of standard prefixes has recently been created to handle this. Under this scheme, “k” (kilo-) means 1000 (103), “M” (mega-) means 1000000 (106), and so on, and “Ki” (kibi-) means 1024 (210), “Mi” (mebi-) means 1048576 (220), and so on.

(An alert reader pointed out some inconsistencies in my use of unit terminology throughout this Tutorial. He also referred me to a definitive web site. As a result, I have made every effort to both conform to standard terminology, and to use it consistently. I appreciate helpful user input like this!)

There are two basic types of ISDN service: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI). BRI consists of two 64 kb/s B channels and one 16 kb/s D channel for a total of 144 kb/s. This basic service is intended to meet the needs of most individual users.

PRI is intended for users with greater capacity requirements. Typically the channel structure is 23 B channels plus one 64 kb/s D channel for a total of 1536 kb/s. In Europe, PRI consists of 30 B channels plus one 64 kb/s D channel for a total of 1984 kb/s. It is also possible to support multiple PRI lines with one 64 kb/s D channel using Non-Facility Associated Signaling (NFAS).

H channels provide a way to aggregate B channels. They are implemented as:

• H0=384 kb/s (6 B channels)
• H10=1472 kb/s (23 B channels)
• H11=1536 kb/s (24 B channels)
• H12=1920 kb/s (30 B channels) – International (E1) only

To access BRI service, it is necessary to subscribe to an ISDN phone line. Customer must be within 18000 feet (about 3.4 miles or 5.5 km) of the telephone company central office for BRI service; beyond that, expensive repeater devices are required, or ISDN service may not be available at all. Customers will also need special equipment to communicate with the phone company switch and with other ISDN devices. These devices include ISDN Terminal Adapters (sometimes called, incorrectly, “ISDN Modems”) and ISDN Routers.

via [Ralphb.net]

Cable Internet Access or Cable Internet refers to the delivery of Internet service through Cable modems, along with DSL technology, are the two primary types of broadband Internet access.

Bit rate of business cable modem service typically range from 2 megabits per second (Mbit/s) up to 50 Mbit/s or more.
The upstream rate on residential cable modem service usually ranges from 384 kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 20 Mbit/s or more. Many cable operators offer different service tiers, some with ‘home’ and ‘business’ designations.

There are two potential disadvantages to cable internet:

1. Like all residential broadband network technologies (e.g. DSL, FTTX, Satellite internet, WiMAX), a fixed channel capacity is shared by a population of users (in the case of cable internet, users in a neighborhood share the available capacity provided by a single coaxial cable line). Therefore, service speed can vary depending on how many people are using the service at the same time. This arrangement allows the network operator to take advantage of statistical multiplexing in order to provide an adequate level of service at an acceptable price. However, the operator has to monitor usage patterns, and scale the network appropriately, to ensure that customers receive adequate service even during peak usage times. Some operators also use a bandwidth cap.

2. Many cable Internet providers are reluctant to offer cable modem access without tying it to a cable television subscription. They do this by charging higher rates, say $60/month for cable modem only access, than if one bundles it with a cable TV plan where it might be $40/month for cable modem service plus $40/month for cable TV service. This is because you receive free basic TV with just internet service. This has ramifications similar to those of the lack of naked DSL. Cable internet access providers who resell access from cable companies, such as Earthlink, are generally not subject to these higher rates. However, they cannot give you internet access if you don’t have cable service.

Cable Internet Equipment

Broadband cable internet access requires a cable modem (CM) at the customer premises and a CMTS located at a cable operator facility (typically a headend or hub location). The two are connected via coaxial cable or, more commonly, a Hybrid Fiber Coaxial plant. While access network technologies are sometimes referred to as “last-mile” (or “first-mile”) technologies, cable internet systems can typically operate where the distance between the CM and CMTS is up to 100 miles (160 km).

via [Wikipedia]

While they may offer good prices for subscribing, new players in the ISP market must be analyzed thoroughly. It should not be a short term investment but more on a long one.

Managed hosting providers offer customized solution than other pre-packaged basic web hosting solutions. ASP codes allow you to link your web pages to a database, where users can interact with the web page by logging in and using their own personal settings or they can interactively place orders on your web site.

Give your servers the benefits and security of a state-of-the-art data-center. Choose between the private racks, remotely managed racks, cages and Internet connectivity options.