Home Internet Service Options

Below you will find a summary of some of the available options for connecting to the internet from home. Please note that none of these services are offered by our department, please contact the providers for more information.

Types of service

• Dial Up - uses a modem and your phone line to dial in to a provider. Dial Up is the cheapest option, however it's also the slowest and you cannot use your phone while connected. Most Dial Up services connect at 56 kb/second. Dial Up is not suitible for downloading large files or watching streaming music/movies.
• Cable - Cable modems use your the cable network to connect you. They are relatively fast and do not use your phone line. They connection may slow down if a lot of people in your local area are online at the same time, however it is rarely bad.
• DSL - DSL uses phone lines to connect at high speeds. An additional line is installed in your home so your main phone line is not needed. DSL service can be difficult to get if your home and local phone network are outdated, and the speed of the connection depends on how far your home is located from your neighborhood phone exchange (farther away means lower speeds)

In short, DSL can be cheaper and has some advantages, however it can be difficult to get depending on the network in your area. Cable is somewhat expensive, but easy and quick to install. Dial Up is slow, but cheap.

The following service providers are a few we are aware of. This is not a complete list so you may wish to check around. Many of these companies also offer additional features or introductory pricing that is not shown here, so it is a good idea to check them out.