Your need for online speed 

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Are you tired of waiting … waiting … waiting … for an internet page to load? Or perhaps that pictures on the eBay auctions? Do you long to have instant gratification on the web? High-speed internet access is no longer a dream, it’s a reality. For many reasons a fast connection to the internet is beyond our reach, but there are some affordable solutions that will speed up your access.

The new DSL (Direct Subscriber Line) service we’ve all been hearing about comes in many styles and flavors. An ADSL connection is available for $49.95 a month in many areas, but if you don’t live within 14,000 feet of a central telephone office, you may be in for a higher bill.  

My husband’s office is close enough to the magical “Central Office” to get affordable ADSL service. His office’s ADSL connection flies along at a blazing speed – I was amazed as the web pages appeared (notice I say appeared rather than loaded). That is one quick connection! I had to have this at my office. 

Sadly my office lies over 3,500 feet past the ADSL boundary - I qualified for IDSL service – which costs a bit more that ADSL. IDSL, represents a 144k constant connection. At my home office, on the best of days, I was very lucky to connect at 38k – an IDSL line could speed up my connection close to 400% - not too shabby!

The entire process of getting a line installed took approximately 3 weeks. My local phone company came out and installed a line. A few days later a specialist from Covad arrived and ran the IDSL service direct to my home-office – without drilling or disturbing the ying and yang of my home. My DSL provider, Concentric, sent email communications to keep me informed of the progress of my installation. A final one was sent with easy to understand instructions on how to set up Windows 95 or 98 with my new, high-speed connection. It sounds great to this point, yes? Here’s where my odyssey into the unknown began.

A regular dial up account can be used from any computer in your home or office. DSL arrives to only one computer. My IDSL connection required that it come out the wall and connect to a “router”, which connected to a network card that needed to be installed in my computer. I’ve steered clear of a having network in my office. I once spent several days trying to hook up 2 computers using Windows 95, and finally gave up after only intermittently being able to make the computers communicate. I swore that my days on the floor with my computers were over and I ran my own “network” by transferring Zip disks from one computer to another.

If I was going to get a high-speed connection, it made no sense for the service to be unavailable to other computers in my office and in my house. A network (arrgh) was my only hope – but I also had no desire to run cables and drill holes – my husband would really draw the line at that. I remembered reading about a network that would connect through existing home phone lines. It’s called a home PNA (Phone Networking Alliance) network. It was in its infancy – so I checked around.

HPNA has made some amazing strides. Now on version 2.0, it will run your home network at ethernet speed, 10Mbps (ten megabytes per second – the same speed as a real corporate network). I researched the subject and the same name kept coming up: Netgear.

Netgear offers a home PNA card that not only is plug and play, but also will allow me to talk on the phone simultaneously while using the network. They also sell the plug and play network card that I needed for the DSL connection.

Before I gave a go to the IDSL connection, I had to try out the Home Network. I got 5 cards, to install in each computer in my office and home. Luckily, I have one phone line that goes through the entire house – and due to Netgear’s “do-not-disturb” feature, we could use the network without disturbing our regular phone service.

I was amazed; “plug-and-play” was never easier! The cards literally installed themselves. All I had to do was open the computer case, put them in an available PCI slot and install the software. My teenage daughter installed the card in her own computer, and was thrilled with the results. We can now share printers, files, my CD-burner and internet connections without using our  “sneakernet” of the past.

My IDSL installation went without a hitch. I had also installed the network card for the router and had a question or two (I knew nothing about setting up a network). Netgear’s 24/7 tech support – patiently stayed on the line with me until my problems were resolved and all my questions answered. 

Once complete, I looked at the Covad technician, “how do I log on?” ”You don’t – just click on your browser icon”. Hmmmmm, Ok, I can do that – click once – I’m soaring on the internet!

I feel like I’ve really accomplished something, it’s not “black-magic” any more. I have a flawless network that I never realized could be as useful as it is. I have a warp speed internet connection that goes beyond my wildest dreams. I passed the boundaries from novice to geek with the help of some technical marvels from Covad and Netgear. I don’t know how I ever worked without this before – it’s really changed my life.

I need a firewhat?
Once the DSL line is installed, you’re always on the internet – and, if you’ve installed a network, it’s exposed to the entire cyberworld. Once connected, I immediately went to www.grc.com. Gibson Research Corporation and it’s President, Steve Gibson have been making the world better for PC users since 1988. His magic programs – the bulk of which are free – are technological marvels that permit us non-techies to perform serious technical tasks on our computers without mucking them up. Steve’s current offering, “Shields UP!” is an amazing Internet Connection Security Utility for Windows, runs from their website, and will analyze your internet connection to let you know just how much of your computer is wide open to the internet.

“Shield’s Up!” finds that everything on my computer, and every other computer on my little home network is open to the world.  Not that I think that anyone our there would care about my stuff – but it’s my stuff, and I don’t want anything damaged on my systems. I immediately ran over to www.symantec.com to purchase and download a copy of Norton Internet Security 2000 to implement my shields. 

Norton Internet Security 2000 (NIS2000) stops all sorts of viruses, malicious Java™ applets and ActiveX controls, and even hackers-before they can access your data. I shuddered when I was faced with a 43 megabyte download (man, this’ll take all day!).

I got up to get a cup of coffee during the download, and by the time I sat down again the download was complete. This DSL speed is very, very impressive.

NIS2000 installed without a hitch, and although I had to make a couple of adjustments to allow my home network to function, it seems to operate seamlessly in the background. The adjustments were fairly easy to figure out once I went to Symantec’s NIS2000 troubleshooter. All the information that a complete novice needed was there.

I ran back to run “Shields UP!” and my system was completely protected from internet intruders. Norton did the job! I must admit – I still run “Shields UP!” now and again – just to be sure I’m safe. 

The Poor Man’s DSL.
Not everyone can justify the expense of a DSL hookup - and there is a very affordable alternative. An amazing software called “Fat Pipe Internet” from Ragula will allow you to at least double your dial up connection speed. Modems are a fairly cheap commodity, and FatPipe requires that you install a second modem in your computer – along with a second internet connection. Windows 95 or 98 has no problem handling 2 modems, and a free, reliable ISP like K-Mart and Yahoo’s joint venture, www.bluelight.com will do the trick.

Once both modems are connected to their respective ISPs, FatPipe magically works in the background to combine both internet connections into one to literally double or quadruple your speed! FatPipe also supports networks, so your speedy connection can be shared between several computers in your home or office – it even comes with it’s own firewall!

 An intuitive installation is performed swiftly, and it takes very little time for your computer to be gliding around the internet! FatPipe also supports networks, so your speedy internet connection can be shared between several systems in your home or office – it even comes with it’s own firewall!

 At $49.95, this software is well worth the investment for a swift boost in your internet connection speed.

 For links and regularly updated information, check back here.