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Step 3: Internet Service Provider (ISP) |
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| My COMPUTER, on its own, can't access the
Internet. Using SOFTWARE (Microsoft Explorer), I connect via a modem and phone line to my ISP's SERVER,
which is connected to the Internet |
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| ISPs offer various packages, eg, you can pay an hourly
fee (this can be as high as Aust$5 per hour), you can pay for 2 hours per day (if you go over
the set number of hours, you pay extra, usually at an increased rate), you can pay a flat fee
per month for unlimited connection time and there are other options. It all depends on how many
hours you want to spend on the Internet |
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| Some days, I spend hours on the Internet and, other
days, I pop on for a few minutes each time to check my emails. So, I went for the unlimited
connection time option
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| When choosing an ISP, bear in mind that: |
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| 1 |
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They must be local to your area. When you dial up the
Internet via their
SERVER, you pay the cost of a local phone call only. You don't want to pay long-distance charges
every time you dial up the Internet |
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| 2 |
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The setup fee shouldn't cost you heaps. Compare a few
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| 3 |
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Do you get unlimited usage for your monthly fee?
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| 4 |
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What type of connection does their host computer have
to the Internet? If they have a T3 or a T1 line (very fast Internet connections), this is
excellent, but not essential. My ISP does not give out this information, but they will tell you
that their modem speed is 56 Kbps
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| 5 |
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Test their customer service by dialing their
help line. If you have to hold on for a long time or go from one extension to the other, forget it
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| 6 |
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Ask them what their user-to-modem ratio is and, then,
compare it to others. Again, my ISP does not give out this information, but some do
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| 7 |
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Best of all, ask people you know which ISP they use and
whether they're happy with the service |
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CorpLink Internet for Australia
Level 1, 1601 Malvern Road
Glen Iris, Victoria 3146
Ph: 1300 650 202
Fax: 1800 241 524
email: info@corplink.com.au
website: www.corplink.com.au |
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| I chose CorpLink's "Unlimited Time Access
Pack", which costs me Aust$39 per month. I paid a once-off setup fee of $25. CorpLink also
provided free in-home or office installation and free help and support 7 days a week |
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| To set up a dial-up access account with CorpLink,
I rang them. They asked me for my credit card details, my address, phone number and a user name and password
that I would like to use for my account with them. They also said that if my computer system
was Windows 95 (and it is), I would need the set-up CD Rom (this isn't necessary if you have Windows 98 and
it was installed properly) |
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| They then organised for one of their
technicians to come to my home and do the installation. This was free of charge and he came
within 4 days |
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| CorpLink also hosts web sites (as do most
ISPs). This is a totally different account (and SERVER) to the dial-up access account I set up. I
chose a US web host, as discussed in "Web Host" |
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