So what is cloud computing, anyway? We’re hearing more about this. It’s pretty simple. Cloud computing is using a file or an application that is not stored on your local computer, but in a server elsewhere. A well known example would be Google Docs. You do not actually store these documents on your computer, they are hosted elsewhere. You log into your Google account to access and edit them, and you choose with whom they can be shared. Yahoo mail and Hotmail are other well known applications of cloud computing. More and more people are using cloud based services. Even Microsoft is releasing its latest version of Office as a cloud based application, and is beta testing it now. What this means for the internet is that speed will become even more important to users of these applications. Storage is no longer a problem, but speed is necessary to access and download information, as well as keeping your browser up to date.
Posts tagged ‘High Speed Internet’
In expectation of higher demand during this holiday season, Charter Internet is launching several new offers on their bundled services. They have some of the strongest pricing incentives in the business and maintain a high level of quality and service. Below is a summary of their new offering:
Two new Charter Double Plays will be available 11/13.
Cable TV Limited Basic +5M Internet: $39.98/month for 6 months
- $74.98 ($49.99 + $29.99) installation charge
- Roll-to pricing: $54.98/month
Cable TV Limited Basic + Phone: $39.98/month for 6 months
- $29.99 installation fee
- Roll-to pricing: $54.98
Be sure to follow the link to see all the current offers available in your area.
Some of our recent observations have found that Comcast Specials are taking over the Cable high speed internet market. We are starting to see less and less advertising on the Time Warner Cable side with only a bunch of ad sense scattered over the net. This hardly helps the internet community make informed decisions about service providers. so for those that are abandoning your dial-up service, the best advice we can give you is to make sure you look through all the features each high speed internet service provider has to offer. Comcast for instance has some great features including things like Mcaffee Security Suite. They also have excellent parental controls that will enhance security on your home computer if you have children. So be sure to compare apples to apples and features to features as we have done. This will help you get the most out of your dollar.
There are several things you should consider if you want to get your moneys worth when it comes to your broadband provider:
- Test your connection speed.
- Update your modem if it is more than 2 years old. Your ISP is likely to do this free of charge.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Install Google accelerator – Its a trusted source and has already saved me 59.2 minutes this month.
- 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.
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 At&t DSL Specials 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.