Expert: Bobbert - 1/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hello Bobbert,

I have a Dell desktop computer and for years I have had dial-up internet, mostly because it is the only way I can access the internet in the area in which I live.  I do have Direct TV but the cost of the satellite connection is a little more than I can afford right now.  My conncection is so slow downloading anything at all takes hours, and loading a website alone is very slow.  My connection speed averages from 19,200bps to about 24,000bps. Yes, it is just bps.    

I have been told there is alternative and I would like to ask you about it.  A friend told me about an "AT&T Air Card", which is mainly used for Laptops, but he says it can be plugged into the USB port on a Desktop and I will have instant internet access.  I was concerned that it used phone lines as the connection, but he says it works like Cell Phone technology, and as long as I have a good signal on my cell phone I will have a good internet connection.  Is this true?  And if it is, do you know the approximate costs involved, and what I need to do to get started?  And if this is not true, can you offer another alternative to speed things up a little?  I have lived with this slow conncection speed for so long, and I would love to be able to download YouTube videos, music, etc. like everyone else.

Thank you,
Gary

ANSWER: Such solutions do exist, AT&T is not the only provider - you can also look at Verizon and Sprint, as they also offer services that utilize their cell networks for Internet access. Generally these solutions are not inexpensive, as they don't target home users, but mobile business users (Such as police officers and other public servants, who need Internet access "in the field"). Speeds are limited by the network, and generally will not approach what you would expect from conventional broadband.

Alternately, a number of areas do offer satellite/wireless connections in lieu of other broadband services - sometimes these are bundled with DSS service, as you've noted, othertimes they're available directly from a telecom provider (again, such as Sprint). Finally, you may consider DSL if your phone company offers it, which will exceed the capabilities of dial-up connections by at least four-fold.

With your current access speeds, I'm wondering if perhaps your modem itself is partly the culprit - I know of no dial-up services that won't let you use a 56k v90 or v92 modem, and given the relatively low price of (by older standards) exceptional modems, I would consider that if you're using rather old equipment; you may at least double your speeds.

-bob


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Bob,

Thank you for the fast reply.  To respond to a couple of points you made; DSL and Broadband is not available in my area.  The phone lines have not yet been upgraded to fiber optic, and they are still the old copper lines, which is why the connection speed through the phone lines is so slow.  

As for my modem, I do have a 56K V90 modem but that is not the problem.  The phone lines themselves are the culprit.  I have had to frequently complain to the phone company about excess noise in my phone lines, which is one reason my speeds are so slow.  The noise is cutting down on the connectivity.  In fact, I just called them again this morning to report humming and static, and they are supposed to start working on it this week.

In my areas the only "bundled" packages are offered through the local cable TV providers, but that is not an option where I live.  I wish it were.  As for my equipment, my Dell is about 4 years old, which I guess is relatively obsolete by technology standards these days.

So if I'm understanding you correctly, since I don't have access to DSL, Broadband, or cable (bundles), I only have two other options;  a satellite modem through Direct TV, which would be very costly, OR an Air Card, which would also be very expensive. And I could always just live with things the way they are, which I've done for about 10 years now.  Oh well...at least I can access the internet...

Thank you very much for your time and fast response.

Gary

Answer
Sounds like you've got a handle on the situation - unfortunately you've done more or less everything you can do from your end; everything else is on the telco. Your Dell and its modem should not be causing you trouble at all, in terms of speeds - Pentium 3's are more than capable of getting up and running at 56k, so I wouldn't worry there (not to mention that, for the vast majority of everyday tasks, your machine is probably above and beyond the actual need).

Regarding the wireless solutions, yeah, that's the quick and dirty of it - a lot of money for not a lot of bandwidth, but you can access it anywhere.

One final alternative that you might consider, which may or may not require you to purchase some additional hardware, would be Multilink PPP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307849

If you meet the listed requirements, namely the multiple phone lines, you should be able to get away with a potentially unlimited number of devices (you'll be functionally limited by what you can install in the machine and afford in terms of phone lines, but if your ISP supports it and a second phone line is within reason, you could run a pair of modems and still see improved speeds over what you have - depending on the additional cost per line, you may be able to increase to a third line or more - don't expect fully linear gains in terms of bandwidth, but with two devices you should be able to approach 56k speeds).

If you need to purchase an additional modem, you might want to consider shopping online from a retailer like Newegg or Amazon - inexpensive PCI modems are as cheap as ~$10, with higher quality USRobotics and Diamond parts in the ~$25-$30 range.

I would first suggest contacting your ISP first, and inquiring about multilink, if they will support you (there may be an additional charge associated).

-bob