More Broadband for Your Buck

Are you getting all the ISP you pay for? Here's how to make the most of your connection, and what to do if it's time to switch providers.

For many broadband users, the novelty has worn off. High-speed Internet access is now just another monthly bill, like electricity or water service. But broadband is different from a traditional utility: There's more to good broadband service than eliminating the wait for a dial-up connection, or loading your favorite Web sites in less than 30 seconds. Are you surfing at the speed you deserve? Are you taking advantage of extra features your ISP provides? In short, are you getting your money's worth?

We'll show you how to test your broadband service to make sure you're receiving the speed you're paying for. We'll tell you how to enjoy the full benefit of the services most commonly available with broadband accounts--from multiple free e-mail in-boxes to Web storage space--that customers rarely or never use. And if you've decided you're fed up with an ISP that can't resolve a nagging problem, we'll tell you what questions to ask as you shop for a new broadband provider, as well as what you need to do to make the transition smooth and (relatively) painless.

Get the Most Out of Your Broadband

Check your speed: Most of the time, you should be able to connect at 75 percent to 80 percent of the top speed available at your location. But a number of factors can affect speed: With DSL, performance drops as distance increases between your modem and the local phone company office. Cable modem service can slow down as more cable users connect to the Internet in your immediate neighborhood. During peak usage times (such as after-dinner hours), both kinds of service may seem slower because network congestion can overload both your ISP and the Web site you're trying to visit.

Most broadband ISPs deliver residential download rates that range from 256 kilobits per second to 1.5 megabits per second; cable connections are typically faster than DSL. Nearly all ISPs limit the speed at which you can send e-mail or upload files to servers to a greater extent than they restrict download speeds.

If you're not sure what level of service you pay for, check your bill or call your ISP. Next, measure the actual speed between your ISP and your computer. One method is to use your ISP's own speed-testing tool, if it has one (see "Test Your Broadband Speed").

Broadband consultant John Navas recommends hand-timing a download test. Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to download a 3-megabyte or larger file hosted at your ISP. When the download is done, right-click the file, choose Properties to determine its exact size in bytes, and divide that number by how many seconds it took to get the file. Multiply that result by 10 for a rough estimate of your megabit download speed.

Test several times and average the results. If you consistently get less than half the speed you pay for, a traceroute tool--such as Sam Spade, TraceRoute3D, or VisualRoute--can tell you if the problem originates with your ISP. Traceroute utilities display a bread-crumb trail of the path that data takes from your PC to any other on the Internet, checking how quickly each router responds. If the problem persists, and a traceroute shows a slow router hosted by your ISP, call your provider for repair service.

Shop around: Many DSL providers limit basic account speeds, and charge more for faster connections. This has sparked a price war among the largest providers, which now offer basic, no-frills plans at rates as low as $25 a month. If you only check e-mail and want to surf occasionally, consider a cut-rate DSL account.

Tweak it up: Often, you can can snap sluggish connections out of their torpor by power-cycling your cable or DSL modem (unplug it for a few seconds, then plug it back in) and your home gateway or router (if you use one). But you shouldn't have to power-cycle repeatedly to maintain an acceptable level of performance. Slowdowns can also be the result of incorrect networking settings in your operating system. Out of the box, Windows XP usually handles a broadband connection's high-speed data flow pretty well, but all versions of Windows can benefit from a small tweak to get the best results. Check out the Navas Cable Modem/DSL Tuning Guide for tips.

Use Your Extra Features

Along with the connection itself, your ISP provides other essential Internet services: bonus e-mail addresses, online file storage, software, and more. You may get these services from different providers--AOL, MSN, and Yahoo all partner with broadband ISPs, for example.

Make use of multiple mailboxes: You probably have your e-mail situation in hand, but did you know that many broadband ISPs give you several mailboxes? Most services let you create three to five e-mail addresses for a single account. That lets you separate business from pleasure by using a different address for each purpose. You can even offer the extra mailboxes to family members or coworkers (and shut down mail accounts at other ISPs you might be paying for).

Skip the portal software: Often, a broadband provider will send you an installation disc with software (such as MSN's MSN Explorer) that acts as a portal to the Internet. Most of this software is strictly optional, and in some cases it can be buggy or difficult to use. Though new Internet users may find portal software or home pages useful, old hands will want to stick with their own browsing and interface preferences. As long as you've properly configured your network connection, you probably don't need the additional software (but to be sure, check with your ISP first).

The one possible exception to this eschew-the-provider's-software rule is the Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet dialer that many DSL providers use. Windows XP comes with its own built-in PPPoE support. (For instructions on configuring it, visit Microsoft's site.) You may also be able to use PPPoE settings in your gateway or router, if you have one, instead of PPPoE software.

Learn how to connect from the road: Most ISPs let you check your e-mail through a protected Web page--a nice convenience. On the road, however, it's better to have full Internet access. Major ISPs such as AOL, AT&T, EarthLink, and MSN have a network of dial-up access numbers, but most cable companies and baby-Bell DSL providers don't. Your provider's customer support can tell you if the company provides dial-up access, or any other away-from-home service. Verizon announced earlier this year that its broadband customers can use wireless access points that the company installed throughout Manhattan free of charge. Now that's an ISP trend we can get behind.

Publish or store files online: Just about every large broadband ISP gives its customers some server space to host a Web page and to store files. If you're not using this valuable feature, you should. Do you regularly e-mail photos, or have you sent out an electronic resume? Instead of sending these files as large attachments, you can post them in your Web storage space or page and then e-mail links to them. (See "Step-By-Step" to start learning basic Web site building skills.)

Some services, such as Comcast, grant you as little as 25MB of storage space--enough for a basic Web site and a few documents. Some offer more; Cox Communications, for example, provides 70MB. An anonymous FTP service or online file storage feature lets you host larger files for family, friends, coworkers, or clients. Extra storage can be expensive (as much as $1 per megabyte over the limit, each month), and your ISP won't always alert you when you exceed the limit, so keep close track of what you upload.

Use the news: If you can't find a particular nugget of information on the Web, the next best place to look is Usenet, the ownerless collection of discussions arranged by topic into so-called newsgroups. (If you want information about cable and DSL broadband, for example, check out the comp.dcom.modems.cable and comp.dcom.xdsl groups.)

Almost every provider carries newsgroups, but few carry all of them (there are tens of thousands). Some of the bigger ISPs avoid groups devoted to music, movie, video, and porn attachments. Outside of these groups, which probably account for the bulk of the data flowing through Usenet, thousands more groups are dedicated to every conceivable topic, from user reviews of power tools, organized by manufacturer, to TV show fan clubs. You can check out newsgroups using any copy of Outlook Express, or with a free news reader like Forte's Free Agent.

If you don't see a newsgroup that you used to get through an earlier ISP, ask your new provider to carry it; Comcast, for example, has a newsgroup (attbi.newsgroup.requests) dedicated to such requests. If your ISP still won't carry a newsgroup you want to use, you can sign up for third-party services (such as AllTheNewsgroups.com), which charge a small monthly fee but provide unfettered access to the entire Usenet universe.

Think dynamic: When you sign up for broadband service, you may be given a choice between a dynamic IP address--which will change occasionally--or an unchanging, static IP address. You might think a static IP address is better, because serious Web-heads want them (static IPs make hosting servers easier, for instance) and ISPs often charge extra for the privilege. In many cases, however, even advanced broadband users can take advantage of the less-expensive dynamic address, with no loss of functionality.

If you run file, game, or Web servers through your broadband connection, for example, you may not need to switch to a service offering a static IP address: Sites like DynDNS.org will let you distribute a single, unchanging domain name to users, who can then find you no matter what your IP address is on a given day.

Be Careful Out There

Know your terms of service: A router creates a network of PCs and can connect them all to the Internet. But even though many broadband service contracts specify that you may connect only one PC at a time to the network, as long as you don't invite an ISP representative into your home or office, the provider can do little to determine what is installed behind your router.

If you plan to violate your terms of service and install more than one PC, you're taking a chance. At the very least, don't expect to receive technical support from your broadband provider. At worst, you may lose your service altogether.

But if you want to throw caution to the wind, many routers do offer a useful feature for cloning your MAC interface address, allowing all the PCs within a local area network to appear (to the outside world) as just a single computer.

Use a firewall/router: Most residential broadband services provide a modem, an ethernet cable, and setup instructions--but hardly any information about security. If you don't have a firewall, your computer is a sitting duck. (Visit "Protect Your PC" for firewall reviews.) A router can provide additional protection by preventing unwanted Internet scans from reaching your computer.

How to Shop for Broadband

If your broadband service starts to look chintzy compared with what your friends and colleagues are getting, you might decide that you're throwing your money away. But when it's time to switch providers, where do you start?

First, know that your choices are limited. Of the hundreds of broadband providers doing business in North America, only a handful are likely to offer service in your neck of the woods. And broadband coverage is certainly not yet universal: Sometimes major suburban--or even urban--areas are broadband-bereft. If you reside in a slow-speed zone that lacks both cable and DSL, you may be limited to an expensive satellite-based service, or to DSL over ISDN (called IDSL), a costly, up-to-144-kbps version of DSL.

You can save a lot of time shopping for broadband service by asking friends and neighbors what they use. But don't rely solely on word of mouth: Check the phone book and newspaper ads for local services offering introductory pricing. You can also use Web sites--such as BroadbandReports.com, BroadBandBuyer.com, GetConnected.com, and Broadband.com--that promise to help you find broadband Internet service in your area.

With the exception of BroadbandReports.com, however, our informal sampling of these services indicated that they sometimes yield inaccurate and incomplete results. Registered users on BroadbandReports.com rate the providers they use and publish speed-test results, making this site (unlike others) an extended word-of-mouth service.

Just because many companies provide both a high-speed connection and the services (e-mail, news, and server space) that work over it, you don't have to buy everything from the same company. AOL, MSN, and Yahoo provide their consumer-geared services via other companies' broadband connections. If you like AOL's community and interface, for example, you can get it at a reduced rate if you "bring your own ISP." You may be able to find a local broadband ISP that offers great customer service, e-mail, and hosting. The main risk of this approach: Your favorite small, local ISP might go out of business due to competition with the large broadband providers.

Select Your Speed

If you end up choosing a DSL service (or, in a few cases, a cable service that offers a range of speeds at different prices), you'll need to select how much bandwidth you want. Residential DSL almost always comes in a flavor called Asymmetric DSL (or ADSL), which offers several tiers of download speeds, ranging from 256 kbps to 1.5 mbps, coupled with 128-kbps upload speeds.

If you routinely download hundreds of megabytes of digitized music, video, or software, you'll see a substantial difference between the slower and faster speeds. If you just surf the Web, use e-mail, and download the occasional streaming video clip, you'll probably be happy with 384-kbps service.

Mind Your Contracts

Many DSL providers require you to sign up for a minimum of one year of service. As long as you don't have to skip town suddenly, this isn't usually a problem--after all, you're switching to what you have determined is currently the best available service you can get in your area. Just be mindful of any early-termination penalties. Cable service providers often let you buy service on a month-to-month basis, with some companies offering discounts for yearly contracts.

Of course, a large number of broadband users already have lots of experience with switching ISPs. That's because many have had two or three previous service providers go out of business or get swallowed up by a competitor.

Now, broadband providers seem to have moved into a second phase of battle--fierce competition over prices. As broadband becomes more mainstream, DSL providers in particular are willing to slash prices to grab market share.

That competition is a market dynamic you can use to your advantage. Knowing how to get the most from your current broadband service, and how to shop for a new one, puts you in the driver's seat.

Crank Up Your Dial-Up With a V.92 Modem (or Two)

Not everyone can receive broadband service, and not everyone needs it. If you're a low-volume e-mailer and an occasional Web surfer, you may not want more than a $10-per-month dial-up account.

As long as your provider supports it, you'll get the best results if you connect using a modem built to the International Telecommunications Union's V.92 specification. Though V.92 modems don't download data appreciably faster than the preceding V.90 generation of 56-kbps modems, they do have four important traits:

• They can log in to the ISP up to 50 percent faster, via the Quick Connect feature.
• Their faster upstream data rates let you send e-mail attachments more quickly.
• A slightly faster downstream data rate may let you download files a bit quicker.
• They won't disconnect from your ISP when you receive incoming calls. Thanks to Modem On Hold, you can surf the Net and never miss an incoming call, without having to add a second phone line (which usually costs more than a basic Net account).

If you already have two phone lines, and you plan to keep them, you may be able to double your pleasure by installing a second modem and connecting through both simultaneously, a process called modem bonding. Both modems dial the ISP, so you can surf twice as fast (see Modem 56k Central for details about setting up modem bonding). This arrangement can give you dial-up speeds approaching 100 kbps (depending on the quality of your phone lines)--close to the least-expensive DSL options. The key to both modem bonding and V.92's enhancements is your ISP, which must specifically support them. For more on V.92, including a list of V.92-compatible ISPs, go to V92.com.

Test Your Broadband Speed

How fast is your connection, really? That depends. Your PC and the ISP that connects it to the Internet are only part of the route that data travels between here and there. Broadband analyst John Navas says that hand-timed tests provide the best measure of your broadband performance, but you can still get a good thumbnail sketch of your connection speed by collecting the results of automatic tests from different sources. Always run a test from the location closest to your home.

Broadband provider Speakeasy.net can test your download speed from any of the company's locations in major cities nationwide. DSLReports tests both downstream and upstream speeds between your PC and one of two sites in California. And PCWorld.com's own Tools page offers partner PC Pitstop's Internet speed test from servers in California. Run each of the tests multiple times at different times of day, and average the results. For more links to sites where you can run speed tests and make speed tweaks to your PC, peruse Eric Arnold's great big list of bandwidth testing sites.

Countdown to Switching ISPs

Changing from one broadband ISP to another doesn't have to be a nightmare if you take the right steps.

T-minus six weeks: Start looking for a new service. Contact your existing ISP to find out its e-mail and Web site forwarding policies, and what you need to do to disconnect.

T-minus four to five weeks: Order the new service; determine your new e-mail and Web site addresses.

T-minus one week: Call to confirm that the installer is still planning to show up at the appointed time. Inform frequent e-mail correspondents of your new e-mail and Web site addresses, and the changeover date.

T-minus three days: Make sure that you have copies of any important files (such as Web pages) that you stored on your current ISP's servers.

T-minus one day: Disconnect all wireless or wired networks from the PC that will connect to the new service.

B-Day (Broadband Day), before installation: Disconnect your current broadband modem, if you have one.

B-Day, after installation: Plug in the new broadband modem and any networking hardware. Reconfigure your e-mail program to receive mail from your old service, and to send and receive mail using the new service.

B-Day plus one: Test all Internet applications to make sure they work with the new service. Send a reminder to contacts about your new e-mail address. Upload Web pages or other files to the new ISP's servers.

B-Day plus seven: Evaluate your new service's speed. If you're switching from a dial-up account and your broadband service is working well, ask your dial-up provider to discontinue service and to forward messages to your new e-mail in-box.

PC World Contributing Editor Scott Spanbauer writes the Internet Tips column.