View Full Version : Dialup/DSL



Foxgloves
02-04-2007, 11:31 AM
I can't help but laugh but am noticing in posts a lot of people on here also still use dialup. I thought I was the only one left in the world who still uses dialup.
Everyone keeps asking me where in Maine I am moving too. To tell you the truth I'm not sure yet, but one of the deciding factors WILL BE, a place that has Broadband/DSL available. If I'm going to move, I'm going in the forward direction..not backward.

What areas of Maine should I keep off my real estate search list? :p LoL

Don't get me wrong... I'm not a materialistic person by any means but once you've used DSL, its hard to go back to dialup. Whenever I have a software download I need to make, I take my laptop to work to download it. It takes me over an hour sometimes at home to download a new Garmin software update. What a pain in the *****!
And don't even talk to me about uploading pics to the geocaching.com site. When geocaching.com seizes up on me after a half hour uploading to the site....I'm about ready to SCREAM! I've given up on that.

I'm just glad to hear I'm not the only one still using dialup and there are other people out there suffering along with me. :D

brdad
02-04-2007, 11:52 AM
It would be hard for me to go back to dial up. I had no choice where I lived before. DSL was 15 miles away, cable was 8 miles away, and both we vguessing at least 10 more years before they would ever reach. I downloaded much data on dial up, often leaving downloads overnight only to find it wasn't the file or program I wanted when I got up in the moring, or that connection was lost and the download trashed. I can download similar files now in a couple minutes or less. And when you can buy slow (768Kbps) DSL now for the same price as dial up, there is no reason not to go with it if it's available. I'd check with Verizon for the areas you'd be interested in to see if DSL was available.

I am partial to the Bangor area, but it's the only area area I have lived in. It's only a couple hours to Portland, 4 hours to Boston, and not too bad a drive to Northern or Eastern Maine.

FuddsGirls
02-04-2007, 02:27 PM
ok, honestly I don't know what is broadband and DSL but..... I have dial up. I am staying with it because for what ever reason the company stopped chanrging me a few years ago so its been free. You can get cable connections here in Bowdoinham, a friend has it and so does the firestation. I didn't and still don't want to pay the cable company $900 just to run the cable down my driveway. We have Directv.

Haffy
02-04-2007, 02:42 PM
Well even though I am on a major road DSL, Verizon doesn't come out this far,believe me I have checked on it. I could get cable I suppose but that is way too much for my pocketbook so Dialup it is for me, just takes me longer sometimes that's all. All the photos that I download to this site I just use image resizer, a Windows Power toy and it makes my 2 to 3 megabyte photos down to less than a 100 KB,works for me.

WhereRWe?
02-04-2007, 04:04 PM
What areas of Maine should I keep off my real estate search list? :p LoL


Actually, it isn't so much the "area" of Maine that can't get DSL, but how far you are from the end of the cable TV line or from the telephone company's dial central office (DCO).

As for cable, if the place you want isn't serviced by cable now, don't expect to get it anytime soon.

As for DSL, of your more than about 15,000 feet from the DCO, you're pretty much out of luck as well. It's range-limited. I was VERY lucky that I got DSL. I was refused twice, but I was at the phone office (throwing a tantrum) and an engineer who happened to live in my town overheard us. As he knew where I lived, he told me that by running a wire from another circuit, I could get DSL. And it's GREAT! But I'm the last one on the line - anyone further out than me can't get it.

But there is hope! Much of New England gets their telephone from Verizon, which just sold their northern New England telephone assets to another company, which says it's dedicated to bringing DSL to "rural Maine".

And there is always HughesNet satellite internet. I had it for about 5 years, and it isn't too bad. It would take up too much space here to go into the pros and cons of that, though.

:D :D

firefighterjake
02-05-2007, 06:43 AM
Interesting . . . and timely . . . thread since I am currently leaning towards going with DSL. I've been able to get it at home here in Unity for some time (I live about a mile out of town), but have resisted since a) I have DSL at work and have uploaded most of my pics and downloaded most of my software there when needed and b) I'm cheap and DSL was never a priority due to the expense.

However, I'm now seriously considering upgrading since the movie service that I use to get rental DVDs through the mail is now offering a program where you can also get up to 18 hours worth of free movies streamed through the computer . . . and since I enjoy watching movies . . . this might be the time to make the switch.

As for your original question FG: I think Bruce hit the nail on the head. Areas served by cable TV currently seem to be your best bet. In other words, just about every "metropolitan area" and even some smaller towns if they have cable service.

WhereRWe?
02-05-2007, 07:31 AM
As for your original question FG: I think Bruce hit the nail on the head. Areas served by cable TV currently seem to be your best bet. In other words, just about every "metropolitan area" and even some smaller towns if they have cable service.

When I was a town Selectman, we tried several times to get the local cable company (Adelphia) to extend their lines. But unless there were at least 15 potential customers per mile of new wire, they wouldn't consider it. And in rural Maine, 15 houses per mile is considered DOWNTOWN! LOL! :D :D

craftycaching
02-05-2007, 08:15 AM
However, I'm now seriously considering upgrading since the movie service that I use to get rental DVDs through the mail is now offering a program where you can also get up to 18 hours worth of free movies streamed through the computer . . . and since I enjoy watching movies . . . this might be the time to make the switch.


:confused: Hi FFJake, which service are you using through the mail? My kids had me looking into that and I have seen a few but I am undecided at this point.....

But very decided about DSL wow- I have had it for 3 years and cannot imagine going back to Dial Up.:D

firefighterjake
02-05-2007, 09:47 AM
However, I'm now seriously considering upgrading since the movie service that I use to get rental DVDs through the mail is now offering a program where you can also get up to 18 hours worth of free movies streamed through the computer . . . and since I enjoy watching movies . . . this might be the time to make the switch.


:confused: Hi FFJake, which service are you using through the mail? My kids had me looking into that and I have seen a few but I am undecided at this point.....

But very decided about DSL wow- I have had it for 3 years and cannot imagine going back to Dial Up.:D

Well I wasn't going to mention it . . . but since you asked . . . Netflix. I've been a member since 2004 and have been very pleased with the service. I pay $17.99 each month. The DVDs are sent via the mail and I don't pay for the postage (well I mean I don't actually attach stamps . . . I'm sure my monthly fee pays for the postage). You can keep the DVDs for as long as you want . . . which usually is a long time if it's a movie my wife wants to watch since she rarely has much time to sit down and watch a two hour movie (although she did watch Heidi the other night which was a three hour movie.) You're allowed up to three DVDs at your home at one time which is usually more than enough for me.

I choose Netflix over Blockbuster and Walmart (which is no longer a player) since they seemed to have more movies -- including some obscure movie titles. I discovered this by thinking up all kinds of movies that I have watched over my life-time and then typing the name in the various search engines. I discovered that Walmart had very few of the more obscure and older movies, followed by Blockbuster and then Netflix. As mentioned, Netflix seemed to have the Hollywood Big Budget movies along with some stuff you don't tend to see since it was done back in the 1960s and 1970s.

Pros to Netflix: The cost aspect has turned out to be much better for me when compared to renting DVDs at the local movie place. It's very convenient to select movies ahead of time, have them delivered via the mail and then return them via the mail. Now that they have offered movies via the Internet this is another bonus.

Pros to Blockbuster: At the time Blockbuster was (and may still) offering one additional DVD each month if you stopped off at the local Blockbuster store and picked it up. I also have read that Blockbuster now speeds up the delivery service by sending out your next DVD immediately if you bring the DVD to the local store . . . so you don't have to wait for the DVD to return to BB via the mail.

The biggest con I can see with Netflix is that there is a delay in receiving and sending movies through the mail. Usually, it only takes a couple of days to receive a movie (most come from a place in Portland), but sometimes it has been 3 or more days (especially during the holidays).

So in summary, I am pleased with Netflix and think the streaming video could add to experience for me.

craftycaching
02-07-2007, 09:29 PM
:D Great- thanks for all the info!!! I APPRECIATE IT ALOT!!