Merlin's Blue* Fact Sheets	How to Choose an ISP
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	To connect to the Internet, you need to arrange for a connection to an ISP (Internet Service Provider). There are many ISPs to choose from, and the services they offer can vary. This Fact Sheet will help you choose one.

The Internet is basically a very large collection of computer systems around the world all connected together over various types of computer networks. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have connections into the Internet. For all the rest of us (at home or in business) the best way for us to gain access to the Internet is to set up a link from our computer system to an ISP's computer system.

The link to your chosen ISP can be a conventional telephone line (such as the existing phone line into our home or business, or an additional phone line), or it can be via "cable" such as the pay-TV operators offer (e.g. Foxtel and Optus in Australia), or other technology such as ADSL or ISDN. If you use a dial-up telephone line, then your computer and modem need to make a telephone call to the ISP in order to make a connection. When you do this, the phone line is busy, just like a normal telephone call.

What is involved in setting up the ISP connection?

The following checklist indicates the steps to go through to establish a new connection to the Internet.

• Choose an ISP, and an Internet Access Plan (see key features below).
• Decide whether it is just one computer at your premises that is to be connected, or a handful (e.g. up to 5 or 10), or more than 10 computers.
• Choose the type of connection that you want to use (i.e. dial-up phone line, cable, ADSL, ISDN, etc.).
• Purchase and set up a modem (one that is appropriate to the type of connection you have chosen). The modem is basically a black box to provide an interface between your computer and the phone line (or the cable connection, etc.).
• Choose the Web browser software that you would like to use (eg. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator / Mozilla, Opera, etc.). Some ISPs will provide a customised browser software package that may also include the connection details that are needed in the next step.
• Configure the Web browser software with the appropriate settings to connect to the chosen ISP (e.g. the telephone number that the modem needs to dial to make the connection).

Key ISP Features

When selecting an ISP, there are a number of factors to consider, as shown in the following features checklist. A good way to make the final selection is based on other people's experiences, so ask around. (Dollar amounts are shown in Australian dollars).

• Internet Access Plan. ISPs generally offer a variety of access plans, just like mobile phone plans. Each plan may offer variations on the features listed below.
• POP (Point Of Presence). If you choose to use a dial-up phone connection method, then you will be making a telephone call every time you make a connection to the Internet (for which your phone company will bill you as though it was a telephone cal). You won't want to be making a long distance call and incurring STD phone charges. Some ISPs have a "point of presence" in all capital cities and in larger country towns. You will need to dial-up to the nearest (local) POP to ensure local phone call charges. Some ISPs specialise in offering services to country locations.
• Connection/Setup Fee. Some ISPs may charge a nominal fee to set up your Internet access account.
• Hourly Connection Time Limit. Some ISPs will offer a choice of a specific number of hours of access time per month (or per quarter) for a specific price. e.g. $10 per month for up to 6 hours per month, or $15 per month for up to 10 hours per month, etc. Any usage above this figure can be charged on a per-hour rate (eg. $2 per hour).
• Unlimited Connection Time Limit. Some ISPs offer unlimited connection time. The cost might be something like $25 or $30 per month.
• Download Limit. Some ISPs have no limit on the amount of information that you can download; but others have a set limit, beyond which they will charge for an extra. e.g. There might be a 100MB download limit, then a fee of $5 per extra 100MB.
• Quality of Service. There are several aspects to the Quality of Service that an ISP might offer.
  • Number of customers per modem. Ideally, to service all customers at the same time an ISP would need one modem at their site for each customer. In reality this doesn't happen because not all customers connect at the same time. A reasonable ratio of customers to modems is in the range of 8 to 10 customers per modem. If an ISP has 20 or 30 customers per modem, then you might experience difficulty connecting during busy times (the Internet is more heavily used on weekdays after school at about 4pm to 6:30pm, and into the evenings; and less heavily used very late in the night, and at times during daylight hours).
  • Web Server capacity. If an ISP experiences a lot of customer connections, and a lot of Internet traffic, then their Web server computers can become heavily utilised and experience slower performance. This is seen by a Web surfer as a "slow Internet".
  • Equipment Quality. In an ISP has inadequate telecommunications equipment (low capacity lines or routers, or inferior equipment) this can cause slow Internet response times.
• Payment Method. Some ISPs insist that you pay for the service with a credit card, by giving them your credit card details for a periodic debit against your card. Many people pay this way. Be aware that under some circumstances it can be difficult to stop these periodic payments (especially if the chosne ISP goes out of business). Only a few ISPs will provide for payment by cheque or money order.
• Account Support. Some ISPs provide a very good level of support for enquiries relating to your account, and to change your account to a different plan. Ring their support telephone number to test it.
• Technical Support. Some ISPs provide a very good level of technical support in case you have problems making a connection, or using the service (eg. line drop-outs). Ring their technical support telephone number to test it. (Is it a local call, or a long-distance call? Do you have to wait in a queue for service? Do they charge for the service?)

Sample ISPs

Following is a list of just a few ISPs (in no particular order, and without endorsement) and their Internet addresses for you to explore (assuming that you already have some sort of Internet access available). Remember that there are hundreds of ISPs to choose from.

ISP	URL (Web address)	phone:
Hotkey.net.au	http://www.hotkey.net.au	1300 655 366
iPrimus	http://www.iprimus.com.au	1300 85 85 85
Alphalink	http://www.alphalink.net.au	??
Netlink	http://www.netlink.net.au	Sales (03) 9796-2124 Support (03) 9796-2130 Admin (03) 9796-2124
NetSpace	http://www.netspace.net.au	1300 360 025
OzEmail	http://www.ozemail.com.au	??
TPG Internet	http://www.tpg.com.au	Customer Service: 1300 360 855

Best of luck. :-)

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Last revised: 23 May, 2011.