Need help choosing an ISP . . .

[AncientPC]

You guys probably get enough of these questions, so I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.

01) Is it easy to share a network connection with just a switch? If this takes more than 3 sentences to explain how then I'll probably settle for a cheap router.

02) Can a router be used as a switch / hub? I already have a 5-port 10/100 switch but just wondering.

03) How does an NIC/DSL card differ from a 10/100 ethernet card or just a 10BaseT ethernet card? Could I just buy an ADSL modem and install it myself?

04) The main question, which DSL provider should I choose based upon DSL Reports? Both @Home and RoadRunner is not available in my neighborhood.

It seems like I should choose DirectLink.net, but don't know whether I should choose the SWBell plan or the Verizon plan.

I'd rather buy a router than pay for 2 static IP's . . .

My take on Verizon:
I might take the bronze annual plan (256/64, $20.58/month) but I'm leaning more towards the enhanced bronze annual plan (768/128, $26.00/month).

Verizon set up fee . . .
With an annual contract, I still have to pay for the line fee right?

Enhanced bronze line fee: $32.50/year
DirectLink activation: $25.00
Verizon activation: $60.00
ADSL modem: $199.00

It also points out that I need an Ethernet 10BaseT network card . . .

My take on SWBell . . .
I've heard bad customer support for SWBell so I don't know . . .
I don't know whether to take the static / dynamic package, I have some uses for static IP but not enough to pay an extra $10/month I suppose.

Also, their deal seems better than Verizon's (theoretical benefit/cost comparison). DynamicDSL annual for $215.00 (1.5m/128k, $17.92/month).

SWB Line fee: $39.00/month
DirectLink activation: $25.00
SWB setup fee: $200.00 (waived with 1 year contract with SW Bell)
ADSL hardware: $198.00 for equipment and labor (ADSL modem, NIC card, splitter, installation, and configuration)

Bottom line:
At first I might go for SWBell, but the line fee is itself $468/year as compared to the Verizon's $32.50/year. This offsets any price advantage SWB may have by having cheaper monthly ISP fees.

In the end, I think Verizon's enhanced bronze annual plan sounds the best. Thanks for reading this much . . .

 

[Viper GTS]

01) Is it easy to share a network connection with just a switch? If this takes more than 3 sentences to explain how then I'll probably settle for a cheap router.

Yes and no. It's easy if the DSL equipment you have is a router, or if it's a bridge & your ISP allows multiple connections. It's impossible otherwise. Your only other option in that event would be to buy a "broadband router" and use that, or set up a slow PC to act as a proxy. I'd recommend the broadband router, due to it's ease of set up & use. The ideal situation would be if your provider supplied hardware supported DHCP & NAT, then you should be able to hook it right into a hub or switch & have it do everything automatically.

02) Can a router be used as a switch / hub? I already have a 5-port 10/100 switch but just wondering.

Routers perform entirely different functions than switches and hubs. That having been said, the broadband routers with four ports can be used as a makeshift hub by simply ignoring the WAN side of the router & hooking devices into the four LAN side ports. Practically, though, why spend $150 on a router to do the job that a $50 hub can do? If you don't need the routing capabilities of the broadband router, don't get one.

03) How does an NIC/DSL card differ from a 10/100 ethernet card or just a 10BaseT ethernet card? Could I just buy an ADSL modem and install it myself?

A NIC & a DSL card are two different things. If your DSL "modem" is external, then it will connect to your PC via either a USB connection (yuck) or through a standard ethernet card (good). There is no reason whatsoever that you have to use the NIC that they send you if you already have one. As far as the internal DSL "modems," they're in actuality a lot closer to ethernet cards than they are to modems. You do NOT want an internal modem, sharing that connection can be a bitch. For example, with the Intel 2100, TCP/IP does not bind directly to the 2100. It instead binds itself to NDISWAN, which then binds to the 2100. Because of this, the ICS that is built into 98SE & later will not see the 2100 as a shareable connection. Get the external hardware, & don't be cheap about it - Get the one that is a standalone router (if such is available).

04) The main question, which DSL provider should I choose based upon DSL Reports? Both @Home and RoadRunner is not available in my neighborhood.

You probably won't have a choice on this one. Whatever company does your phone will be the one that provides your DSL. You will, however, have a choice of ISP's.

I'd rather buy a router than pay for 2 static IP's...

Be prepared for headaches, then. A lot of stuff does NOT like to run through NAT. VPN, VoIP, many games, file sharing programs, even FTP programs will simply fail to work unless you set NAT entries. Even with the NAT entries, you may still run into trouble. Do you game? Would you like to be able to have both of your computers logged into the same game at the same time? Depending on the game it might not work. Statics are a GOOD thing.

Viper GTS