high speed dial-up?

fishman · Aug 19, 2003

I was checking out some of the internet providers mentioned in the "all hail AOL" thread and came across the concept of "high-speed dial-up". The concept as I understand it is that graphics are compressed by the provider and delivered to your computer where they are uncompressed. Don't understand it, but that's not important or really that unusual.

Has anyone sprung the extra few bucks for this type of service out there in TBN land? Is it worth it?

Currently, dial up or satelite are my only options, and $13.95 at peoplestar sounds very attractive, particularly when I'm paying $21.95 with MSN using the exact same access number!

cowboydoc · Aug 19, 2003

I'm using it at home with Juno and it made a pretty big difference.

DAVELR · Aug 19, 2003

We use DSL at work. Alot faster than dial up. More expensive too. you can use one line to talk on and for your computer at the same time.

shado · Aug 20, 2003

It's just a funky method of not downloading detailed graphics, the images look like junk & if you really want to see a clearer picture, you hit another request to fill in all the details. The actual speed is not any faster than 56K (can't get that fast anyway), just let's pages load in faster. You get the same result if you just set your browser to load in text only. So there's a sucker born every minute & this deal just provides more evidence as such. Not that I'm calling anybody any names here, just quoting from the past.
J.W.

OkeeDon · Aug 20, 2003

It's a pretty good compromise between text only and full graphics, because most of the graphics are just junk, anyway. It's really good for RV people who want to minimize the time they are on line, but want the opportunity to selectively see more detail in the fuzzy graphics. It's included free with KOAKonnect internet service @21.95/month if I recall correctly.

BillG_in_TX · Aug 20, 2003

fishman,

Here are a couple of reviews on the service:

PC Magazine - review on EarthLink and NetZero versions
CNET - Editors' Choice for Propel Accelerator. Read the User Comments.

Overall pretty favorable reviews.

Hambone · Aug 20, 2003

I have dial up at work, it comes in around 46k.
I have direcway satelite at home and it is very fast. Sometimes I hate using net at work, just seems like so ssllllloooowwwwww.
Satelite you can download usually around 600k.

OkeeDon · Aug 21, 2003

If my wife and I ever get around to some serious RV'ing, where we're going to be away for several months at a time, I'll make the investment on a mobile Satellite receiver for the RV. Right now the equipment (which inludes GPS, gyros and other back box magic to keep it aimed at the satellite) is around $5K to $6K and service is around $100/month. Like everything else digital, prices are dropping.

I can sort of justify it because we won't be spending much else for entertainment, and because if things work out, I'll be running a web site that can make me some extra $$$. Plus, we can continue to download audible books from audible.com.

Glenn9643 · Aug 21, 2003

Like your Direcway, Hambone???

Hambone,

Sounds like you are happy with Direcway. Do you have 2-way satellite? I'm using oneway (AOL-Plus DirecPC) and my service seems to be suffering lately. I considered the 2-way system but when I ordered waited two weeks for an installer, so I opted to go for oneway with AOL, as that would also give me an ISP when traveling. Now, I stay so p***ed with AOL I'm ready to change, even if it means going back to a local ISP with slow dialup. If you have the 2-way dw, are there any problems? How about "lag" time? Seems that this site is terribly slow but some of it may be my system, with up going through telephone dialup and down through the satellite???

fishman · Aug 21, 2003

Shado,

Hmm, I didn't realize that it didn't transmit everything in its entirety. That certainly isn't what I was hoping for. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Thanks.