Any ISDN users out there?

[Analog]

I'm thinking about upgrading to ISDN, DSL is not available in my area. Anyone have any good/bad comments about this? I'd have to go thru Ameritech.

 

[dman]

Look into iDSL. ISDN is generally a per minute charge plus extra cost for ISP stuff. iDSL is using same technology (as ISDN, same speeds, etc) but usually unlimited. DSL Reports has price comparisons. There are also forums there with users who can talk about both (I haven't used either but did shop prices).

IIRC iDSL Price was $69/mo + some fixed charge for a year contract, usually comes out to $99/mo.

Also, see if there are any Wireless ISP's at the same website (wireless, not satellite though, sat = last resort).





DSLReports ISDN forum

 

[Linflas]

I just recently had my iDSL disconnected. I was paying $62.00 a month for it and loved it when it was my only alternative to dialup. I am not sure if you can still get iDSL for that price but I would get it if you can. The advantage of iDSL is that you get a fraction more bandwidth than you do with regular IDSN 144/144 for iDSL vs 128/128 for ISDN.

 

[rudder]

decent ping times for gaming. I had it for a while when my wife had her home office. It beats dialup and you can play day of defeat and not get completely wiped out every second.

 

[Alchemist99]

we have it at work, it's ok i guess, anything beats dialup , but everthing pales in comparision to my cable conection at home.

 

[Chaotic42]

We have Ameritech ISDN at work. Not only is Ameritech a horrible company, but their service sucks. I'd much rather have dial up than the 128K ISDN we have at work.

<mumble>
I don't know why we can't just trade advertising for cable modem or a T1...
</mumble>

 

[Spac3d]

I don't know if it is still around, but I remember seeing a modem that supported two phone lines and used them both at once. It may even be cheaper to have 2 phone lines and 2 connections and bridging them *shrug*

ISDN is really expensive for the speed you get.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

IDSL is ISDN w/o voice capabilities. But it also comes without per-minute charges that non-centrex ISDN lines come with. STANDARD ISDN LINES TREAT EVERY CALL AS A TOLL CALL. Centrex ISDN lines run about $300/mo. IDSL tends to average about $100/mo.

Edit:
When I say IDSL is ISDN, I mean it in the literal sense. IDSL combines the three channels in a 128k ISDN line and connects it straight to a DSLAM instead of the voice networks. You cannot use an IDSL line for voice, even when not connected to the internet.

 

[Shawn]

I didn't know IDSN still existed, especially with cable being $40/month for 1500/256.

 

[Electric Amish]

Yeah, my friend is on 128mbps ISDN and it costs him over $100/mo.

amish

 

[Shawn]

Why not get Satellite Internet?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Why ISDN exists:
1: It's a point to point connection. You can link two of your own computers without anyone else in the middle.
2: It does voice, two lines.
3: Not everyone can get cable or DSL. I sure as hell can't.
4: It's very reliable. (Satellite SUCKS for reliability compared to the other options)

Remember, not everyone is trying to connect to the internet with thier outgoing connections.

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: iloveme2
Why not get Satellite Internet?

Too much latency.....at least for gaming.

amish