What are you paying for your internet service?

[Concillian]

COUNTRY
USA

SERVICE PROVIDER
Speakeasy

TYPE
DSL

PRICE
$60 plus taxes per month in USD (total cost is $64.57), modem cost was only sales tax ($199 with $199 rebate)

SPEED
1.5 Mbps down, 384 Kbps up

RESTRICTIONS
Restrictions? Not for $60 / month. Only restriction is you're limited to 1GB news download per month per email address, or 8GB total if you have some control of all the addresses.


PERKS
- 10 or 20 MB shell account including hosting (not sure on size, I'm nowhere near it, since I can use my regular fileserver for internet storage, serving minor files that don't eat bandwidth)
- static IP
- no server restrictions
- 8 email addresses
- free 150 hours/month Dialup for one of the email addresses (and they don't have to live with you or be affiliated with you in any way, my girlfriend uses it so she doesn't have to pay for dialup)
- Best customer service I've ever had, as far as I know there ISN'T a 2nd tier support level, the people who pick up the phone actually know what they're doing.
- Lowest latency I've ever had
[/quote]

[ShadowHM]

Since I also use Rogers as my cable TV provider and for my wireless phone service, I qualified for a 15% discount under their Better Choice Bundles plan.  There is no catch other than signing up for a 2 year contract (the early cancellation fee is the total savings accumulated up to the point of cancellation).

If you're using Rogers for at leat one other service, you're eligible.  There is no reason not to sign up.

http://www.shoprogers.com/store/bundles/main.asp
[right][snapback]70023[/snapback][/right]

Aha ! I was not factoring my discount for the cable TV service. Since I am still flatly refusing to join the rest of the world in having a wireless phone service, that will remain the only discount I get. I have ranted elsewhere about the tyranny of cell phones. I still don't need one. People who want me can damn well leave a message on my answering machine at home.

[JustAGuy]

COUNTRY
Canada

SERVICE PROVIDER
Internet Kingston

TYPE
3.0 Mbps Residential DSL

PRICE
$44.95 CAD, includes modem rental. The first six months were $24.95.

SPEED
Down / Up
Rated (bits/sec): 3.0 Mbps / 800 Kbps
Rated (bytes/sec): 375 kbps / 100 kbps
My Actual: 280 k/s / 80 k/s

RESTRICTIONS
None, uncapped (this is why I'm with them!)

PERKS
Same ol' same ol', phone filters, 5 email addresses, 5MB webspace, 10 hours of dial-up


These guys are basically renting Bell's DSL service to us. It's uncapped, which is fantastic for me, since a couple of months ago, I would have definitely hit the cap if I was on any other service provider.

Because of factors with the phone line, overhead, and distance from the switch station, my download speed reaches 75% of the rated line (not bad). No one gets 100% of the rated line. The 80 k/s upload speed is quite nice for serving, although I don't do much of it. It helps immensly for online gaming (Xbox Live, battle.net, direct TCP/IP, you name it).

Originally, the price of this was great ($25 a month). Now, I pay $45 a month for quality; service interruptions are rare, the speed is very consistent, and there's no cap. This is why I recommend looking into the "little guys" before going with the big companies. You, however, would probably benefit from a bundle. Also, the download/upload cap should not affect you, so going with the "big boys" shouldn't be an issue.

[maniajk]

COUNTRY
Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina

SERVICE PROVIDER
COBNet

TYPE
WLAN

PRICE
50 KM per month in Bosnian Convertible Marks, or 25.5 € at the current exchange rate. This includes D-Link DWL-120 11Mbps WLAN Card rental.
Note: I don't pay a Convertible Phening, it came included with my job and my employer struck a deal with the ISP so he only pays 5€ per employee and he doesn't subtract it from my salary!

SPEED **
11.0 Mbps

RESTRICTIONS
-About 10 switches and/or routers between me and the internet :wacko: ;
-Zero spam protection;
-No hosting
-No cable TV included (my TV has only 3 Channels :( );
-Routine maintenance every Sunday (everything down from 12am to 02am);
-Since it's wireless bad weather can sometimes ruin my reception;
-Bad infrastructure (it keeps crashing constatly and as soon as I reach 5 Mbps)
-Sometimes turns me into a HPB! :o ;

PERKS
-Flatrate;
-5 GB email inbox storage;
-3 email addresses;
-NO email attachment limit;
-*FREE*
-Untracable (It's perfekt for file sharing) and my IP can't be seen on the internet, people only see the main server in Sarajevo :P ;
-When I lose my job I can use it till the end of that year! And I get to keep my email till they go out of buisness (which won't be soon since they have monopoly over the government's services);

[Bob]

nb: my ISP is in the process of changing connections gradually, so I'll put what it should become in brackets


COUNTRY
Wales

SERVICE PROVIDER
NTL

TYPE
Cable

PRICE
£24.99 (although I don't pay it, hooray for parents)

SPEED **
down: 750Kbps (2Mbps)
up: 150Kbps (200Kbps)

RESTRICTIONS
-uncapped (1GB / day)
-Probably won't take kindly to server hosting (although it doesn't say that anywhere on the web-baesd blurb, may say it somewhere on paper) and they've never complained about my hosting games online (which is a sort of server, obviously) or torrenting.
-Goes offline too often for my likeing, although it's actually pretty consistent - I'm just a net addict.

PERKS
-Flatrate, won't immediately throw a wobbly, cut me off or charge more if I go over the 1GB / day limit occasionally
-15 email addresses;
-Free tech support (you get what you pay for, unfortunately)
-Modem is part of the package
-infrequently dynamic IP
-55Mb webspace

[whyBish]

COUNTRY
NZ

SERVICE PROVIDER
Telecom XTRA

TYPE
Dial Up
PRICE
$NZ25-30?? per month = ~$US35

SPEED
32.2k

RESTRICTIONS
No SLA
No Website hosting
One email address only (actually they are starting to introduce multiple for 'family members')
Paranoid conspiracy theories that they are deliberately slowing things down to shift ppl to broadband$$

PERKS
-Access to the internet

[Kylearan]

Hi,

COUNTRY
Germany

SERVICE PROVIDER
Varying, always using the cheapest for the day of week and time of day

TYPE
dial-up

PRICE
About 1 cent per minute; amounting to 20-30 Euros per month (about 15-23 US$)

SPEED
64kbit/s, or 128kbit/s if using both channels (unable to use the telephone then, double price)

RESTRICTIONS
None; it's so basic there's nothing to restrict...

PERKS
Fast ping in comparison to DSL or cable, but since I'm not into FPS that's useless to me.


It's really annoying: Three years ago, I had cheap DSL (paying 20 Euros (15 US$) per month for a 1Mbit up/368kbit down flatrate). Then we moved, and everything else improved: Beautiful surroundings, quieter neighbours, better appartment. But there are fibre-optic cables in this town, which makes DSL much more expensive for the telcos, so none of them offers it despite me bugging them every 6 months or so. :angry: Like every year, the two largest telcos have announced "DSL over fibre optic" for this year's CeBIT, but I got so used to that announcement that I've given up all hope. :(

-Kylearan

[Kylearan]

Hi,

SERVICE PROVIDER
???

TYPE
Six separate highspeed wireless connections

RESTRICTIONS
Don't get caught

If you come across an unlocked car, to you take it as well if you have the feeling you won't get caught anyway?

-Kylearan

[Munkay]

If you come across an unlocked car, to you take it as well if you have the feeling you won't get caught anyway?

Only if its an ice-cream truck. Who doesn't like free ice-cream popsicles? :D

On a less silly note; I understand your intentions but I think your metaphor doesn't really fit the situation. Certainly you can argue a crime is a crime; murder is murder regardless of the situation or circumstances. But in that case I should be sent to jail for the bug I squished during breakfast. :P

I am not denying it's illegal to steal an internet connection, but rather I think your example that it's akin to stealing an unlocked car is rather silly. The car isn't taken for good. Its borrowed. And the tank of gas is always where it was left.

Okay, I think I'm going overboard with this example. But in the same way the law system in the United States differentiates between involuntary manslaughter and premeditated murder, there is a difference between your example and his actions.

Sure it's bad, but in my view there's much worse out there to spend time worrying about.

Cheers,

Munk

[Kylearan]

Hi,

On a less silly note; I understand your intentions but I think your metaphor doesn't really fit the situation.

If he doesn't steal the car but only takes it for a ride, I think my analogy holds. He's costing the owner money (cost for gas/bandwidth), and might cause annoying inconvenience (the car is gone when owner needs it/bandwidth is used when user needs it).

Moving away from the mabye faulty metaphor my point is that, stealing WLAN bandwidth most probably costs someone else's money and is morally equivalent to stealing.

Sure it's bad, but in my view there's much worse out there to spend time worrying about.

Murder is of course worse than that, but what I'm worrying about is the growing apathy and acceptance of (small) crimes like this in the population. It's not only the fact that people steal bandwidth/music/movies/you name it, it's also very often the case that these people don't see it as "something wrong", but have the attitude that "if people fail to protect their property, it's their fault", together with "it's cool as long as the chances of me being caught are slim" - which I find worrying.

Some time ago at a party, someone told a story where she went into an IKEA store, bought a carpet and managed to smuggle out a second carpet "for free" by enveloping it into the one she paid for. Nobody perceived this as "wrong", just the opposite - she was praised for her cleverness! Nobody (including me) pointed out to her that it was simple thievery she had done.

I guess it's because it's stealing from somebody you don't know personally - an impersonal IKEA store, the impersonal music industry, the anonymous WLAN user in your anonymous apartment complex. But it's still wrong in my book, and a slippery slope as well, so I didn't want to let this go without saying something.

-Kylearan

[jahcs]

I agree, Kylearan.

"Borrowing" something without permission is stealing. Period.

The fact that it is not murder does not even need to enter into the conversation. "Sure it's bad, but in my view there's much worse out there to spend time worrying about." The police certainly have more important things to do than catch a bandwidth thief but that does not mean it isn't wrong.

It is not the owners fault that you choose to steal bandwidth whether he passwords his system or not. "Locks keep honest people honest" may be words to live by but it doesn't change the fact that you choose to use his network without permission.

[Munkay]

Perhaps this quote is being misunderstood, due to a lack of explanation on my part

Sure it's bad, but in my view there's much worse out there to spend time worrying about.

Was directed to kylearan and other lounge members. I agree there is a large problem with apathy toward crimes in the real world™, and did not mean that statement to be a defense of general apathy. Rather I was meaning to diffuse a possible debate/flame war/ostracism of an otherwise good poster.

Perhaps I am asking for apathy to a degree. But only because no matter what we write here, debate here, it's not going to change anything. This forum is a great place with great people with great ideas, and I didn't want to start down a slippery slope of evaluating forum members for their personal bad habits.

In short, I agree it's not an ethically right thing to do (whether its a 'minor' crime or not). But in all the things we have to debate, talk about, and laugh about here, I'm asking to not put anymore time in on this one.

Cheers,

Munk

[jahcs]

Perhaps I am asking for apathy to a degree.  But only because no matter what we write here, debate here, it's not going to change anything.[right][snapback]70375[/snapback][/right]

Cheers Munk.

The next statement is not directed at any one person.

Only you can change yourself.

You can choose to take the high road when confronted with situations such as those discussed. (Using unsecured networks, stealing cars, murder, etc :P )



The first round is on me.

[Kylearan]

Hi,

[...]  Rather I was meaning to diffuse a possible debate/flame war/ostracism of an otherwise good poster.

I didn't want to flame him. But his post contained something I value as "wrong", which I didn't want to let pass unchallenged.

Perhaps I am asking for apathy to a degree.  But only because no matter what we write here, debate here, it's not going to change anything.

Huh? Then why do you write/debate here at all? :whistling:

I have do disagree. I know my opinions change slightly from time to time after reading a discussion here, and I'm still idealistic enough to at least try to argue with someone if I have the feeling there's something wrong going on. But I probably should have been more verbose in my first post.

This forum is a great place with great people with great ideas, and I didn't want to start down a slippery slope of evaluating forum members for their personal bad habits.

I didn't want to evaluate him, as a person. I wanted to evaluate the specific action of stealing other's bandwidth that he is doing.

Cheers!

-Kylearan