Some Questions to Ask before you Sign Up

Here are a few questions you may need to ask your internet service provider. Not all of these questions will apply to you or for what you want to do. You may need to ask additional questions for your specific needs. Please see the Internet Access section below if you are unfamiliar with the difference between low and high speed access.

  1. Basic Fees:
    There are usually two basic components:
    - for Internet Access, and for Web Hosting
    - are you quoting me for one or both ?
    - are there startup fees ?
    - is there a minimum contract period ?
    - are there cheaper rates for longer contracts ?
    - what currency is being used - U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, Euros, etc. ?

  2. Basic Fee For Internet Access:
    - is this for high or low speed ? and what speed ?
    - how much connection time per month ?
    - if for high speed, is some low speed connection time included ?

  3. Basic Fee For Web Hosting:
    There are usually two types of web hosting service:
    - full service or
    - basic web presence (often included in Internet access fee)
    - what services are included in each ?

  4. Extra Charges:
    - do I buy or rent the modem and from whom ?
    - can I use my existing modem ?
    - are there extra telephone charges ?
    - are there extra charges for file storage ?
    - are there extra charges for file transfers ?
    - what are the other types of extra charges ?

  5. Web Hosting Services:
    - can I use my own domain name ?
    - can I have password protected directories ?
    - can I use forms processing ?
    - do you provide error logs ?
    - do you provide usage logs ?
    - do you provide technical support ? (via phone and/or your web site)

High and Low Speed Internet Access
Low Speed Access is usually via a telephone connection (normally you can use the telephone line for either voice/fax or Internet access but not both at the same time). Typical speed is about 56 kb/s (kilobits per second).

High Speed Access is usually via a telephone DSL connection or a cable connection - neither normally interferes with existing (non-Internet) services. Typical speed is about 1 or 2 Mb/s (megabits per second) or about 50 times faster than low speed access.

Notes: Congestion on your connection (all the portions between your PC and your ISP) may slow down either type of access. Also your ISP generally uses different speeds for uploading and downloading files.

Bob Alden Technologies Last update: May 25, 2002 Web Design Home Page