Which ISP speed is best for me?

[bill30955]

Hello Forum. I am attempting to move from dial up(don't laugh)to a higher speed ISP.
I have a Dell Dimension with a 2.4 GB Celeron processor, 768 MB RAM, running Windows XP SP3 with an Intel Graphics controller.  I need to go on line for news videos , download tax forms, bank statements, pay bills , send and receive email. I may be cancelling my Comcast TV plan in November and may be relying solely on my computer for news , either in video or text form as well as the other things I do on line. What download speed would I absolutely need to buy.   I have looked around and have seen many plans and all have little gimmicks attached. Bundles with TV, internet ,phone etc. I was thinking of getting Verizon's 3Mbps/768Kbps DSL for 29.95/mo. It has a 20.00 shipping and activation fee for the modem. They also say "WiFi included". Is that a router?   Would this DSL plan be OK for what I plan do do on line. Would it be fast enough for my needs. Would the videos show properly without all the "buffering" pauses that I see with dial up?. I long ago stopped using my NetZero dial up except for text pages. Any advice about what I need would be appreciated.    Thanks

[2x3i5x]

Wireless internet is what they mean by WiFi. So I think they offer both wired and wireless options in the package (so you can go wired or wireless whenever you feel like it).

3Mbps that should be good for watching videos without you having to wait for buffering to complete before the next part of the video will play..

[bill30955]

Thanks for your help. Verizon requires a 1 year commitment for this plan and I did not want to be disappointed with the speed and have to pay for opting out of the plan. If 3Mbps/768Kbps would not be fast enough I would go to a higher speed plan. 

[jason2074]

Check also for some people(neighbors,friends) you know or knew using same or other ISP to avoid such disappointment. It's always worth having a little information on people not just on paper or advertisement.

[bill30955]

Most of my neighbors bought into the Comcast high speed internet plans. I would consider it but I am not sure that I need the highest speeds. And the price is almost double the Verizon DSL price. I won't make a move until 8-15-10 since my neighbor let me use his Comcast high speed connection off of his router which is next door to me and within range. The neighbor is leaving the area on 8-31 and I will make the move before then for that reason.  Guess I got used to the higher speed and can not go back to dial up.

[jason2074]

I'm sure that going elsewhere to live is bound to have another internet connection when you bought your PC with you to suffice your transactions and custom needs. Having aware of both a dial-up and a DSL connection(you have already use) comparison will surely give you a link or idea of satisfaction and expectation.
Good Luck.

[2x3i5x]

you might give Charter a look.

I don't know how much it costs for charter but my former roomate had already subscribed to it when I moved in and he let me use his connection off a router.

And the service was very good. It also has wireless networking available.

[rthompson80819]

I would also recommend increasing your RAM by as much as you can afford, or your mother board will support.

Also, double check that the Verizon plan isn't really a two year agreement that the cost doubles in the second year.  That's their standard plan where I live.  And it's in the really fine print.

[2x3i5x]

you want high speed internet if you're still used to using a landline phone. It allows the phone to work 24/7.

[keyboardboy1]

In my area world call provide better services.

[Computer_Commando]

The least expensive broadband service I am aware of is AT&T DSL, $20/mo, no contract, no telephone service required.  In some areas the introductory rate is $14.95/mo for 12 months.

[2x3i5x]

The least expensive broadband service I am aware of is AT&T DSL, $20/mo, no contract, no telephone service required.  In some areas the introductory rate is $14.95/mo for 12 months.

I am using the AT&T $19.95 / month service right now. It's reliable but it's only 768/384 speeds for this price, which is not good enough if you want to watch streaming videos without buffering (the HD or HQ vid's particularly). It beats dialup by a whole lot though.

But then again, DSL extreme may be cheaper??? For $29.95, I can get their internet service which they say you get 3-6mb download speed and 512-768 upload speed. And I see they have month to month contract options, so you can go one month at a time instead of being hacked up 1 yr.