In general the faster the Internet the better for IT consultants, this is because everything moves faster, download, updates and all network testing, which ultimately means faster support. If I had to break down the different flavors of Internet providers I’ll break it down into three segments: DSL, cable and dedicated circuit (this can be broken down into T1, CoE and Fiber). There are other ISP providers such as wireless and satellite but I’m going to just stick with the typical setups.
Starting with DSL, this is you low cost decent performance Internet. It has very average reliability and has been prone to go in and out at random times. This may be because of just DSL outage or sometimes issues with the wiring related to DSL. The download speed is always very good – usually can go up to 10MBps, but the upload speed is usually very limited. Overall if Internet speed and reliability is the absolute most important thing for you, DSL is not for you. DSL providers are many but the biggest is ATT. ATT recently have upgraded their DSL to provide Uverse which does provide better speeds.
Now cable Internet is the best out of DSL, T1 and cable the big three. Cable allow much higher throughput starting at 16 down and 6 up and goes up to 100 down and 20 up. The speed is great. The cost is very reasonable, maybe just a bit higher then DSL. Overall the value you get and better than average reliability makes this the best bang for your buck product. Cable providers are RCN & Comcast.
Going into this dedicated circuit section, the most common is a T1 line. A T1 is terrible speeds only 1.5 MBps up and down. The only good point about a T1 is it is very reliable. For some reason I seldom see these have issues, mainly because they are monitored well and once put in never changed. The cost of a T1 is usually very reasonable once it is bundled with a phone system into an integrated T1 line. Overall T1 are a dying breed and will probably be replaced by better solutions.
A fiber line is also excellent speeds. You can get up to 100Mbs up and down. The only problem with fiber is the cost. They usually twice if the three times more expensive monthly then the options discussed. However if you need Internet and that is important factor – fiber is definitely a good option.
Lastly there has been newer products that have been coming up called CoE or Copper over Ethernet. These are faster Internet using the same copper wiring that DSL uses. Usually I’ve seen them be bundled into 2 or three lines to get double the performance as DSL. The price is a bit higher but is going down rapidly, so it may become a very competitive solution to cable.
There are so many factors that go into good ISP – intangibles like reliable support and even availability. In all cable is probably the best product for the cost, but all the other provide a very competitive solution.