The other day I was helping a client via my remote desktop tool (over the Internet) and I thought this person really had a problem, but they weren't talking about that -- they were talking about Outlook.
It was like they were ignoring the elephant in the room.
So, finally, I asked. Er.. um.. pardon me, but.. don't you think there's a problem with your Internet?
"What do you mean?" they replied.
Huh? So I said, "Well, no offense but, it's slower than molasses in January." (I suspected a hefty spyware infection..)
Fortunately, my client laughed, and told me that where they lived, all they could get was dial-up Internet. And it was running "pretty good" at 28 Kbps.
Kilobits? That's so.. early-to-mid-1990's!
Tip of the day: If you live in a "rural area" and neither cable nor DSL service is available (yet), and you would like to join the world of "Mega" (aka "broadband"), you do have some options you may not be aware of.
Option 1: Satellite.
Satellite providers, such as HughesNet and WildBlue, can provide up to 1.5 Mbps (equal to basic DSL) for residences, and faster for (pricier) "Business" plans.
Option 2: Microwave.
This is also know as 'fixed wireless' and 'wireless broadband', and has a range of about 25 miles from the transmitter. (It works kind of like a radio station). Often, these are set up by small, independent ISP's, and finding them is done by geography. KeyOn is one that covers the area my client was in, and you might try an indexing service like this one, to locate a provider near you. This will give you speeds "up to 50x's faster than dial-up".
Option 3: (The wave of the future?) WiMax.
WiMax is also a microwave technology, capable (I have read) of speeds of up to 70 Mbps. US residents will have to wait for this technology to become ubiquitous, but if this sounds appealing, take a look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX.
Today's free link: http://www.broadbandreports.com/ is the place to go to find a service near you (the "Find Service" tab). But it is much more than just that; you can find reviews of ISP's, and there's tools for testing and tweaking your speed, and much more.
Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix
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