High Speed Internet Service Providers

Making the right choice when comparing high speed internet providers with your current provider is not a difficult task as long as you have the right information. If you are thinking of upgrading you current ISP there are some easy steps you can follow to make the decision run smoothly. If you are not sure what you will be using the internet for, you may want to jot down some of them. Maybe it is for browsing news, downloading pictures from relatives, or to watch videos on Youtube. Whatever the your choice is, you need to begin by figuring out what is the right speed given your needs. After you have established an adequate speed level you can proceed to compare high speed internet service providers at the individual plan level. This will ensure an apple to apples comparison and help you save time and money. And always be sure to check out the latest online only specials they promote from time to time.

Charter Communications recently launched a new plan in their arsenal of ultra high speed internet offerings. Charter High-Speed Internet Max service will offer speeds up to 16 Mbps but will be limited to Missouri and Illinois for now. So it looks like the same problem persists across all internet providers and that is access. Not everyone will have access to these ultra high speeds. But over time Charter and the other ISPs will expand their offerings to reach more and more consumers in their quest for market dominance.

To put the speed into perspective, with 16 Mbps you can download a song in 2.5 seconds or 24 photos in 8 seconds. And with the internet moving towards a video platform, it will do wonders for steaming high quality video. So if you are the lucky ones, you should take advantage that you have ultra high speed in your neck of the woods. You can check the link above to see Charter High Speed Internet Max’s Prices and Plans.

Many times newer firmware is better configured and processes data faster than older, outdated models. So why not ask? Most decent ISP’s would like to retain your business so the “i’m thinking of switching” card plays well. If you current broadband provider doesn’t think you are worthy of a new modem, consider switching providers. There are so many online deals with cashback and freebies you can save a lot of money by switching every couple of years. However, the word of caution: if you are happy with your provider and are receiving little or no interruption to your service, don’t spoil a good thing without asking your neighbors how satisfied they are with their provider.

Many times when choosing between high speed internet providers, the ISP will only quote the download speed. This speed is usually higher than the upload speed and you should be aware of how long it will take you to send data, not just receive it. Lets face it, if you are considering sending pictures to your family members to keep them in the loop, this will affect your usability of the internet. So check the fine print before choosing an isp so that you make an informed decision.

There are several things you should consider if you want to get your moneys worth when it comes to your broadband provider:

1. Test your connection speed.
2. Update your modem if it is more than 2 years old. Your ISP is likely to do this free of charge.
3. Ask your ISP to check the configurations of your Modem so that the maximum allowed speed for uploads and downloads matches what your provider promised. You can check this on your own or ask them for assistance.
4. Check your lines. The more interference, the higher the chance you are loosing speed. Make sure no connections are loose. Test your speed as close as possible to the origination of the outlet. You may also want to test the connection at the origination point outside your house. Sure the cable company should be doing this, but you will save yourself time and money by not getting them involved unless absolutely necessary. Not to mention you will savfe yourself a big headache.
5. Consider using a software to automatically configure your network and windows settings. There are some free ones out there and others at affordable prices like Tweak-XP Pro.
6. Install Google accelerator - Its a trusted source and has already saved me 59.2 minutes this month.
7. Re-test your speed during the same peak time to see if your results improved.

In an effort to gain market share in the ultra high speed market, Comcast, the leading cable broadband provider, has released its new extreme high speed internet service clocking in at up to 50 Mbps. Their new “wideband” platform is giving Verizon FiOS a run for their money. There have been rave reviews about the 30 Mbps FiOS network and with time we’ll be able to compare not only speed, but reliability of each of their services.

Comcast is now able to offer ultra high speed through its first deployment of a next generation network called DOCSIS 3.0. Defined, DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications. This is a brand new technology that delivers high speed internet over fiber optic cable networks. This is also just the beginning. Comcast claims to be able to offer speeds up to 100 Mbps within 2 years and up to 160 Mbps at some point in the future as the technology and network is further advanced.

The ultra high speed wideband service has only been launched in the Twin Cities region and is not widely available. It is said that Comcast Specials will start at the $149.95 price point, it sure is designed for the ultra high speed aficionado.

If you have not already checked out the new Verizon FiOS Internet Service, you are missing out on what could be the upgrade of the decade. Remember clicking on the connect button, going downstairs to make yourself a sandwich and then coming back to your computer to see if your dialup service successfully established a connection? How about loading high graphic websites 10 years ago. We’ll the difference in speed from your 3Mbps connection can now be upgraded ten fold. Verizon launched its FiOS network. With full fiber optic lines running all the way to your home, they can provide speeds up to 30Mbps. If you give it a try you will feel your current broadband provider is living in the past. Check it out.

High speed Internet providers usually have some very good parental control features that you can take advantage of to monitor websites, filter e-mails, and limit the distribution of other online content. Because each ISP has a different set of features, it is recommended to understand what you are getting before you sign-up for service. But a very important one to look for is the ability to view a history of what your kids watched. So by setting up a profile for each user, it becomes easier to at least monitor what they are viewing. Almost all offer parental protection but be sure it is not just a 30 day trial. ISPs have a responsibility as do other companies making money by offering access to the internet.

Aside from the service provider filters, it’s recommended that you install and run as many parental controls as possible. More filtering software is never a bad thing. When it comes to Internet safety and protecting your children from viewing inappropriate material, it pays to equip your computer with as much protection as it can take. That way, you can reduce the risk while your kids are online.

Why on earth would anyone want to restrict free content on the internet. Believe it or not there are some activists out there pushing for censorship on the internet. This is not only a problem here in America, but it has become an issue in other countries around the world. And by “problem” i mean the people creating the fuss. The internet is the ultimate expression of free speech and your voice can be heard all over the world. Why suppress that. Ultimately, the responsibility and right to filter information belongs to the user.  It is fairly easy to block certain type of content if you don’t want it. So keep freedom of expression alive so we can continue to progress as one society.

In recent news, Videotron launched two new ultra high speed Internet plans.  While coverage is extremely limited in comparison to industry giants like Quest DSL, it is a great start. Ultimate Speed Internet 30 and 50 clocks in at speeds up to 30 mbps and 50 mbps. Now, users can enjoy super high speed internet in their homes. This type of internet access is ideal for people that use more than one computers at home. With speeds like that, multiple users can download streaming video simultaneously without noticing much of a slowdown. So if you are a high speed internet junky, be sure to check them out.

So for part two I will be discussing some of the measures you can take to safeguard your children by configuring your browser. There are several browsers out there, and these are easily downloadable by you kid if you have not setup the proper user accounts. Be sure to not allow the installation of new programs by non administrator users. See previous blog post for more details. Now for the details.

Many high speed internet providers like Comcast DSL or Time Warner offer free parental controls so it is a good idea to make sure those are configured as well as your browser settings to get maximum protection. We’ll be using internet explorer for the purpose of this example. But settings are similar for the other major browsers as well.

Click on the Tools menu on your browser and select internet options. There are several section you can configure and I recommend you get familiar with all of the terminology. But for a quick start you would select the Security tab. Here you can configure the level of security for several different internet zones. Be sure to set it at a level that makes sense for your kids use. You can also set the list of restricted sites in this section.

After configuring the security tab you can select the Privacy tab which primarily controls cookies from being placed on your computer from unwanted sites and also controls pop-ups. The last thing you want is for unwanted ads and images popping up while your kid is surfing the net.

Finally the Content tab. You will want to enable the content advisor feature. Here you can actually choose what users are allowed to see in certain predefined categories. You can block a great number of sites by configuring these settings as well as restricting viewing sites that have no rating. In other words if it is a malicious site, and they did not get approval for their content, and do not have a rating, it will automatically block that particular site.

Take action now and tune in for part 3 — Making sure your high speed internet service providers software is protecting your children & how to use it.

Lets face it, your broadband ISP’s cannot cover all the bases when it comes to protecting your children. So the best thing you can do is become proactive in your fight agains unwanted content on the internet by taking action at every level possible. This will be a series of three, where I discuss some of the more common ways you as a parent can change settings on your computer, your browsers, and at the internet provider level to filter unwanted content.

ISP’s like Att Yahoo DSL are not ultimately responsible for protecting your children. It is up to the parents to use all the tools available. You can start with your local computer and activate some configurations to help in this effort. I will focus on Windows Vista for the sake of this blog post, but similar features are available in previous versions of windows. You can create a block list that does not allow your child to view certain sites. Or if your child is younger and in extreme cases you could actually specify exactly wich sites your child is allowed to view, like say nickelodeon.com.

This is how: Go to your control pannel and select “user Accounts & Family Safety.” You will then be given several options of which you will want to “setup parental controls for any user.” After this step simply select your childs name from the user list. If you don’t have a differnt login for your child you may want to set this up first. You then select “on” under the Parental Controls heading to activate this feature. Then choose the “windows vista web filter” option to begin establishing the rules by which you control how your child connects to his high speed internet.

Be aware that Time Warner Road Runner Internet usually promotes a special offer for a 6 month period, but locks you in for 1 year. So when comparing providers, be sure to add that into the mix to figure out what your average price per year will be. See how Time Warner’s FAQs compare to the rest.

Qwest DSL stands strong against its rivals. There were very few things that consumers need to be a ware of. For the most part, the promotional prices are valid only if you have a qualifying service or plan to use an additional service from them, like phone & internet service. Also, the modem may be free, but it depends on which service you choose. See the Qwest FAQ’s.

Charter Internet certainly surprised me while doing price comparisons with other high speed internet providers. They offer more for the monthly promotional rate than even some of the slower DSL providers. However, you must take hidden fees into consideration when comparing. Read more on the newly posted Q&A.

Comcast FAQs, the second review is now posted. I must say that I’m looking forward to reviewing them all. Especially coming from a marketing background. Reasoning for certain pricing strategies, policies, and benefits stand out like a sore thumb and i hope to cut through the clutter and provide a good comparison base for all high speed internet service providers.

Compare the latest ISP’s and only pay for what you need.

Alright. The first review on the fine print of your favorite ISP’s is now posted in the Pages section. I was pretty impressed with the findings and feel AT&T Yahoo DSL is going to lead the pack with their offers & variety of plans. Overall, they have well rounded plans that include all the major functionality you would expect & a little more.

Welcome to the High Speed Internet Providers resource blog. The goal is simple – Assist consumers in all aspects of their ISP’s. Whether you are looking to find a high speed internet provider for the first time, looking for the latest offers, or staying on top of some important information about different providers, you have found the right place.

We plan to cover the basic differences between the major high speed internet providers as well as specific topics of interest like parental controls, the fine print in contracts and the latest online only promotions that really stand out.

For most, this blog may seem simplistic. But if you are new to the world of high speed internet, we plan on providing information in plain English. And if you don’t understand terminology or would like to know more about any topic related to high speed internet, simply post a comment or send us an inquiry through the about us page on the parent site: High Speed Internet Providers.

We truly look forward to providing some great information about high speed internet providers and hope you will help us in growing our site & online community.