The speed with which you surf or download information from the internet is based on several factors. Many are beyond your control, such as your ISP's connection to the Net, the "busyness" of the Net or if the server you are trying to access is slow. Your modem speed, your phone line quality and the quality of your connection to your ISP, also determine how fast you can surf and download information.

Let us take a look on how you can improve your internet surfing experience. We will also look at alternatives to phone dial-up connections such as Cable, ISDN, DSL, and Satellite. There are also products available that can accelerate your Web browsing experience by up to 200%.

Dial-Up Connection

If you are like most people surfing from home, you have a telephone dial-up connection through an ISP. And if you purchased your computer within the last year, you probably have a 56k modem. But are you connecting at 56k? Probably not.

1. Check to see how fast you are connecting to the internet. To do this, simply mouse over on the small computer on the bottom right of your task bar:

2. In this case, we are connecting at 28.8 kbps (kilobits per second). If we had a 28.8 modem, this would be great, but we have a 56k modem.

3. There are several reasons why this occurs. Most importantly, your ISP must have the ability for connections of up to 56k. Check with them to make sure they do.

4. If your ISP provides this capability, the problem may be due to phone line noise.

5. Remove long phone cords (no more than 8 feet), fax machines, surge protectors, answering machines, or splitters between your modem and the wall jack. These all can cause line noise.

6. Unplug devices in other rooms of the house that are connected to phone lines. An old telephone or a wireless phone system will often contribute to line noise.

7. Power lines or other structural features can be another problem contributing to your throughput speed.

8. Verify that your modem is properly configured. In Windows 95/98, double click on "My Computer" and then open the "Control Panel." In "Modems," verify you have the proper modem driver selected. Also, verify you have the latest manufacturer's modem drivers. They are usually offered on the modem manufacturer's home page.

9. If you try these tips, and you still are not connecting at the proper speed, call your local phone company and ask them to come to your home to perform a line noise check.

10. Please be aware that if you have no line noise and your modem has the correct driver, you may still not get the maximum connection speed possible. This is due to current technology with telephone service. Phone lines were never really meant to transfer this type of data.

Web Accelerators

1. You can also try this free download which can improve your web speed by up to 100%. This product is called MarketScore.

2. High-speed servers, configured to ensure fast Internet traffic flow, perform compression and local data storage to reduce downloaded file sizes for MarketScore.

Cable

1. Odds are if you are surfing from home at a high speed, you are connected to the Net via a cable modem. There are now over half a million cable modem users in the United States. Theoretically, cable offers download speeds of up to 30-mbps, more than 500 times faster than a 56k modem. However, there are some problems.

2. You can not shop around. Just like cable television, you are restricted to only one provider in your area. And, your area may not even provide cable modem access, in which case, you are SOL.

3. Actual download speeds fall far short of the theoretical 30-mbps. For starters, your computers Ethernet interface slows it down to 4-mbps.

4. Reports also show that performance degrades further when more people in your neighborhood access the same cable system.

ISDN

1. Phone companies rallied behind ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) as far back as 1994. At a rate of 128-kbps, they were supposed to make analog modems obsolete. Well, it didn't happen.

2. Difficult installation procedures, horrid customer support, and expensive infrastructure upgrades caused ISDN from ever becoming popular, or useful.

DSL

1. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is the new baby on the block. Standards were adopted in 1997 for use with regular phone lines at a rate of up to 6-mbps.

2. DSL is now available in a limited number of places, with only about 50,000 homes and businesses using DSL in the United States. But this will soon change as more and more ISP's offer DSL. Also, SBC Communications will team up with America Online to offer a DSL version of AOL for an extra $20 a month.

SATELLITE

1. Satellite promises download speeds of up to 400-kbps, which is slower than cable's usual 1.5 to 3-mbps, but the speed remains constant no matter how many people use the service.

2. You can use satellite no matter where you live, as long as you have a clear exposure to the southern United States.

3. One problem with satellite is that you still need an ISP to send messages out from your PC. You can download information from the satellite, but need some sort of out going line to transmit.

4. However, Hughes Electronics (GM subsidiary) announced
a new satellite system called Spaceway, due out in 2002, that will provide two-way high-speed access with no modem or extra ISP required.

5. Start-up costs are still a little steep. The cost of a dish can range from $200-$700.