[11/09/00]
This is one piece of information I've been eager to pass along....but I wanted to wait until I saw it actually work before opening my mouth!

Most of my Internet cruising takes place from a location hardly a mile from D.R. Wells store.  Having been out in this area for 7 years, I've steadily increased modem speeds over time - 28.8, 33.6, and the current "high as they'll let us go on a standard phone line" 56Kb. You've done the same, right? Those great first days as you marvel at what you can now do with the extra line speed.  Those multimedia sites that were now possible to visit.  Those files you could now download in a reasonable amount of time.

But, of course, that wears off .  Websites get more elaborate, streaming media becomes mainstream, there's more pictures than ever before....and the 56Kb ceiling we've hit just isn't cutting it like it used to.

Determined to get a faster connection, I have followed-up every DSL mailing that came in.  Seems like there is a blue million companies offering the service, so I would log onto the website they provided in their slick brochure and plug in my telephone number to see "if service was available in my area." Each time is was "Sorry!!  But maybe someday!"

Well, last month, after having to download over 200MB of logfiles from a server to run statistics (Yes...at 56Kb!), I decided it was time to do SOMETHING.  So, I called Sprint to inquire about having a 128Kb ISDN connection installed.  The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Yes, I'd like to know what the installation cost and monthly charge is on an ISDN line."

Sprint Perky Customer Service Rep (from now on referred to as SPCSR): "Uh, sir, we CAN do ISDN for you at your location, but wouldn't you RATHER have DSL?"

Me: "DUH!!!!!  Of course I would! (Ok.I just thought that...didn't actually say it.) Why yes, now that you mention it...but I have always been told it wasn't available at my location."

SPCSR: " Well, please give me that number sir and let me check. <Furious typing heard in the background>  It looks like we should be able to do it.  Would you like for me to put in a work order to have the line verified for DSL?"

Me: "Well..YEAH!"

Even more unexpectedly, the next day the SPCSR called back to inform me that "Yes sir..you can get DSL service at your location!"

Long story short, that was 10 days ago. Last week my DSL modem arrived as promised.  Today the Sprint Tech showed up and made sure that the DSL connection was being made.  Tonight I fired up my PC, did a little configuring and BINGO!!  I'm not just cruising the net - I'm screaming around corners on two wheels!  RealAudio content streaming in one window, while I browse a graphic heavy site in another...without a stutter.  This is GOOD!

Ok, the true Computer Geek in me could ramble about this for hours, so I'll end this with the facts you need in case you want to ramp up the access speed at your place.

Service providers: Sprint/Earthlink
Type of Service: ADSL
Current Special: Sign up for the service and do the install yourself (ie: plug in the DSL modem, attach a phone line and install the software.  Even the Web Dog could do it..it's a breeze!)  They charge you $49.50 one time to turn on the service, and the DSL modem is free.

Cost per month: $49.99 (if Sprint is your long distance carrier they knock off an additional $5 a month, taking it to $44.99).

What You Get: 512Kbps download / 128Kbps upload speed, plus Earthlink bundled in as your ISP.  Need more speed?  You can crank it up as high as 1.5Mbps/384Kbps for $99.99 a month.  Upgrade at any time with a quick call to a SPCSR.

Do You Need Another Phone Line?: Nope.  If you aren't familiar with how DSL works, they piggyback the signal on an existing line.  So, you can be talking on the phone and reading the Discussion Group here on 4042.com at the same time.

How to Make the Case:  Think this will be a hard sell to the wife unit?  Not to worry!  Let's say you already have an extra phone line in your house for Internet access.  That's costing you, with tax and all those other great little fees, about $15 a month.  Then you have your ISP charge at $20 a month, right?  So, for an extra $9.99 a month, you jump from 56Kb to turbo charged web roving....whatcha' waiting for?!

Number to call: Sprint National Data Center 1-877-6GO-DATA

Website to Visit:  http://csb.sprint.com/servlet/DslTnEntry You can check your phone number here to see if DSL is available.  If it comes up "NO", I'd still advise calling the number above.  Availability is changing constantly.

In one of our last updates, we posted information about Satellite Solutions at Peddler's Village making high speed access available via your digital dish.  If you have had any experience with that, or DSL, click here and let us know.  We'd like to hear about your story and share it with others here.  Thanks!

Gotta go now.  The Web Dog and I are headed over to some MP3 sites to look for Bachman Turner Overdrive hits to download!

--Webmaster