With the introduction of dial up internet, Australia was launched head first into the world of the internet! The sounds of dial tones and white noise became common across Australia, and for a long time it was the only way most residential users logged on.
Despite dial up being considered “old” technology, some internet service providers still provide basic dial up plans available to those who want them. They may be inexpensive, but be prepared for slow speeds.
The Deal with Dial Up
To access the internet with a dial up connection, you must log on with a modem through a telephone line. Unlike other connections available today, the dial up connection operates on an analogue phone signal.
Because accessing the internet through dial up requires no infrastructure other than telephone lines, it is the most convenient and cost-effective way to access the internet without building additional networks.
Dial Up Speeds
Speeds for a dial up connection average between 58kbps and 128mbps. For many, there is no substitute for a broadband connection, and with such inferior dial up speed, it’s easy to see why.
There were many benefits when dial up was first introduced, and these included -
- Installation of a dial up connection is cheap and easy
- Many people with dial up switch their modems off at the wall, which saves electricity and ultimately money
- It tends to be a lot cheaper than other types of connections
- When you log in via dial up, you enter a username and password, so many people believe that this makes dial up more secure
However these days a broadband connection is just as safe. It can also prove to be just as cheap and easy to have connected.
Broadband Internet is Better than Dial Up
Although dial up had many advantages at its height of popularity, broadband is a much quicker and reliable option in comparison.
Dial up speeds are still relatively slow, and if you want to jump on the net to quickly check out a website, or watch a video, it will take several minutes to load. That’s a lifetime compared to the split-second loading on a broadband connection!
Compare, select and save on broadband plans at iSelect