When you plunk down your monthly bill for Internet service, how can you be sure that you get what you pay for? For some reason, many people continue to pay for an Internet service that is unsatisfactory, sometimes because there are limited options in their area in terms of high speed web access and sometimes out of good old ignorance. The Internet is still a mystery to most people, who are simply satisfied to be able to send emails, check their social networking sites, or scan the latest news for celebrity gossip.

Unfortunately, many people are paying for what amounts to a sub-par Internet experience. Since the technology behind checking your email is still relatively new, many people are simply unaware how to test their Internet services. If your cable television connection blinked out fifteen times a day you would waste no time contacting the cable company to get better service. The same goes for anything you pay for — imagine getting an undercooked hamburger or receiving ruined clothes from the dry cleaners. Why should your web connection be any different?

Three Factors To Test Your Internet Service

Though you can use any criteria you want to test your connection to the Internet, there are three main factors to think about when determining if you’re getting a good deal from your high speed or other Internet connection. Look at the following three factors (and use the testing suggestions provided) to figure out if it is time to ditch your current ISP for a different and hopefully better service.

Connection Reliability

Ask yourself how often you have connectivity problems. Are there times that your Internet connection is simply “down” and there’s nothing you can do about it? That is simply unacceptable these days — gone are the old “dial up” days when connection reliability was a joke.

Since most people have “always on” high speed and wireless connections, reliability is not as big of a problem as it was even a decade ago. If you are having problems connecting to the Internet, you need a new Internet service provider.

Cost

Because most areas of the country have more than one ISP to choose from, there is just no reason to spend a ton of money connecting to the Internet. If you are spending more for your web connection than the following list, be aware that you’re probably paying too much.

56k — Between $19.95 and $25 bucks a month. You can often find low speed Internet connections as low as $10 a month.

DSL — Between $20 and $40 a month.

Cable Internet — Between $45 and $50 a month, though setup and equipment costs add to your bottom line.

T1 — Super fast Internet connections are naturally more expensive. You’ll pay between $150 and $250 a month for the massive speeds afforded by a T1 or higher connection.

Connection Speed

For many people, the “speed” of their connection is the most important factor when selecting an Internet service provider. Connection speed refers to the number of units of information transferred in a single second of web connectivity. These small units of information are called “bits”, and your connection speed is easiest understood as a ratio of the number of bits transferred in a single second — this is called Bps or Bits per second. Every unit of one thousand bits per second is shortneed to Kbps, or kilobytes per second. A unit of a million bits per second is called megabytes per second, or MBps.

As an example of how your Internet connection speed relates to you actual connection, an old school modem with a connection speed of 14.4 Kbps (14,400 bytes per second) is far slower than a cable modem connection that runs at 1 MBps, or a million bits per second.

It may seem impossible to figure out how many Bps your Internet connection is getting, but there are lots of places that offer free tests of your web speed. The popularity of Internet speed testing websites is evidence of the fact that consumers are starting to be concerned about the value they get for their monthly Internet bill. An example of these speed tests can be found at InternetFrog.com (http://www.internetfrog.com/mypc/speedtest/). Running this test on my Internet connection reveals the following information:

Verizon Internet Service Inc.’s average results based on 3730 tests nationwide

Average Download Speed — 5,702,093.59 bps

Average Upload Speed — 1,538,338.77 bps

Average results for others in your area based on 180 tests in your county

Average Download Speed — 1,267,605.39 bps

Average Upload Speed — 616,202.89 bps

Using this basic information about averages, it is easy to see that my county is extremely limited in terms of speed compared with the same service in other parts of the country. Once I run the actual test (and get over looking at mere “averages”) I find out that my specific Internet speed is a little above average for my county, rating a solid 2.54 MBps for a download and 1.37 MBps for an upload. My Internet speed is about double the average for my area, so I know I’m getting a pretty good product.

It is best to use a number of different speed tests, as the information you get from one Internet speed test may differ greatly from another source.

In the coming years, educated consumers will start to recognize the signs of a low value Internet service. As more and more providers move into the areas of the country previously affected by little or no competition, and as younger consumers more familiar with the Internet grow into adult buyers, the value of Internet service will simply have to increase. That means higher speeds, better wireless connections with a wider range, and more services available at lower costs. Until competition forces Internet service providers to improve their products, the only way to know if you’re getting the best deal is to test your connection yourself.

Don’t be a sucker — test your Internet connection and compare your ISP’s performance to your ideal Internet setup. Informed consumers make the web a better experience for everyone, so expect more from your ISP.

As a good website owner, there are certain questions and considerations you should ask yourself when looking over your website. There’s more to running a website than adding content and sitting back to wait for a profit. The following questions are all answerable with either a “Yes” or a “No”, and the more “yes” answers that you come up with for your website, the happier you should be with your online presence.

The fact is that all websites have design or content flaws, usually because of a website owner’s limited resources or certain factors that a website owner has to give up on in order to meet their budget or time requirements. Answering these questions can help you figure out what areas of your website need the most attention right away. The 25 questions listed here are a sort of questionnaire that can jumpstart you into action. Maybe your “to do” list for your website is so long that you’re missing out on basic solutions that need to be reached right now.

Security

Security concerns are a big part of evaluating your website’s functionality. If your website has a security flaw, you could be in danger of releasing customer data or your personal business information to people you’d rather not share it with.

1. Are there any obvious security flaws on your website? Is everything properly encrypted to avoid glaring security errors?

2. How well can your website’s input forms handle special characters? User input must be properly stripped of special characters in order to avoid scripting problems caused by the way that operating systems read them.

3. Do your private directories use password protection? Using password protection via .htaccess (also known as hypertext access) is an easy way to thwart many basic invasion attempts.

4. Are your public non document directories such as cgi-bin and images indexable? To block access to your site, you need to set up proper permission settings.

5. If you are storing any customer data online, are your info databses protected against external access?

Content

Too often overlooked by website owners, content should be the whole point of your website. If you don’t have anything unique to say (or writers who have unique things to say for you) you’d be better off in another business. Outside of the quality of content, here are five questions to ask yourself about how that content is presented.

1. Do you regularly update your website’s content? Building a website once and letting it run its course is simply not a successful model. Updating “regularly” doesn’t have to mean every day, but not updating at all is a sure way to fail online.

2. Is your content broken up into bite size pieces? Good web content has a few certain features — small chunks of content broken up with highlighting like headings and sub-headings helps people “skim” through your content to find what they want.

3. Are you placing links in your website’s articles? You should have plenty of links to definitions of terminology or broader subject as well as links to affiliated pages.

4. A matter of fairness to your content writers — do you have an “about page” to identify the original author or credit a course for your content that you didn’t write?

5. If the contrast between the text of your content and the website’s background color is bad, your website will be hard on customer’s eyes. Does your content color work well with your background color?

Design

We’ve all seen awful websites. Think back to the days when everyone had a Geocities account with millions of flashing stars, animations, and annoying midi tunes.

1. Is your website’s design aesthetically appealing? This is a general question about your website as a whole. Does it look good? Would you shop on your own website?

2. When it comes to color, there are two keys to website design. Are the colors you use harmonious with each other? Do the colors have a logical relation? Compatible colors are easy to look up and can instantly transform a website from ugly to classy.

3. Remember to consider people with visual problems — do the color choices you’ve made on your website make themselves easy to read for the colorblind or visually impaired? Colors should be high enough in contrast with each other to be easily legible by people of all sight abilities.

4. The fonts you use on your website should be as easily legible as those in a magazine or newspaper. When website designers talk about “degrading” of fonts, they mean that your fonts should look basically the same in various screen resolutions. Have you tested your content’s font at different resolutions? Also be sure that your standard text size is legible for those customers who may not know how to adjust their browsers font size.

5. Is your website’s design appropriate for your audience? If your content is about e-cigarettes and the design looks like something out of Hannah Montana, you’re doing it wrong.

Navigation

1. Does your website’s navigation also provide a text-based alternative for people who aren’t Java or Flash enabled?

2. How fast do your clicks get a response? If there’s no response given immediately (within 0.1 seconds after a click) then you are facing a problem.

3. If you have a clickable link, is it obviously clickable? Use style points to indicate that a link exists.

4. You’ve heard the term “intuitive navigation” — is it easy to navigate your website without any instruction?

5. Do you provide an obvious site map for your website? Alternatives include a keyword-based search feature, though this may not be necessary until your website hits thousands of pages.

Accessibility

1. Is your website’s content separate from your navigational features?

2. Does your website work on different browsers?

3. Is your website compatible with different coding standards such as CSS or Valid HTML?

4. When you post an image to your website that is important, do you place ‘alt’ tags?

5. Essential information on your website should be available in a text format, not just in images or multimedia files. Are you doing that?

Your website’s effectiveness depends exclusively on the way you operate it. Owning a website is the opposite of a “turn key” operation, requiring time and thoughtfulness to turn space on the Internet into cash. By asking yourself the above 25 questions, you should get a better idea of your website’s ability to earn money.

The Internet is a remarkable place full of possibility — an ever changing landscape of innovation and potential. Unfortunately, it is also a repository of personal information that anyone can access with a little know how. Depending on your behavior on the web, people may be able to look up all sorts of personal details about you. Sometimes it is necessary to dig up a little dirt on someone — if you’re looking to do some research on a potential employee or find out about the background of a potential love interest, there are any number of free Internet tools that can turn the dowdiest grandmother into an expert private investigator.

There are six basic categories of Internet dirt. Depending on how much info you need on a person, you may only need to run a basic web search, or you could be looking at a lengthy digging process using all six categories to find the goods you need.

Basic Contact Information and People Searches

Zaba Search — This is the first site I turn to when looking up past addresses, phone numbers, and other details. Zaba is a basic people search and public info search engine that lets you search by name, phone number or even social security number.

Peek You — Peek You describes itself as “the smartest way to find people online.” Peek You searches dozens of different categories all at once, and is usually used to find risque pictures from social networking or any other online profile.

Free Public Records Directory — You won’t have to drop a dime at FPRD to find death records, marriage and divorce records, and even criminal case information. You will have to pay to get further details, but basic info is totally free for searching.

Yahoo! People Search — My last ditch when digging up dirt is this rather weak service from Yahoo. You can find American phone numbers and addresses or e-mails.

Public Records Searches

Abika — Abika allows potential employers to verify licensure, check criminal records, dig up contact info and divorce records, as well as license plate searches and email tracing. Abika is a must-have for people who need to dig up dirt on hiring prospects with haste.

Dates and Love — This site is full of free searches including background checks, reverse cell phone lookups, and even a detailed people search all in one place.

Net-Investigation.com — Rather than digging through the whole country, use Net-Investigation.com to search for a person by state. This site is full of court records and background checks.

Public Record Finder — According to their website, Public Record Finder uses “the largest public records search database on the Internet” and delivers public record details from America, Canada, and Mexico.

Criminal Background Checks

RecordCheck.com — This service offers an incentive for tough searches — if you don’t dig up the dirt you want, there’s no charge.

Detective Unlimited — The Intelius service is the one used by professional detectives to dig up dirt. This site gives you limited free access to Intelius, so you can find addresses, sex offender information, and details on criminal background and divorce history.

eFindOuttheTruth.com — Another criminal background check with a twist — on your birthday, you are allowed to perform one free background check on anyone.

Instant Background Report — Another service that allows you to search by state. Simply enter the state of residence of the person you need dirt on, and you can find all the areas where people with that name live.

Marital History and Genealogy

GeneaLinks — Some people use this site’s free marriage record database to find ancestors’ marriage records — still others use it to find out if a potential date has been married before.

I Dream of Genealogy — More than a cute name, this site provides extensive marriage records categorized by state.

A – Z Marriage Records — If you need a more global marriage records search, A – Z Marriage Records can find those details in America, the UK, Canada, and Ireland.

FamilySearch.org — If you know the names of family members, FamilySearch allows you to do a free basic info search on family members within a range of years and by country of origin. You can even search by “life events”, such as death, birth, marriage, and even baptism records.

Census Diggins — If you need marriage and divorce records categorized by state and county (and going back to the 18th century), this is your dirt digging site.

Employment Screenings

DatabaseRecords.com — You’ll have to register with your name and email address, but this site lets you access a free basic employee screening database.

Free Employment Screening — Advertising a “comprehensive employee screener search engine”, Free Employment Screening gives you the chance to search a person’s name or that name in combination with details like city, employer, and birth year.

BackgroundSearch.com — Simply type in a name and birthday and get a pre-employment background search. If you want a more detailed report, enter the potential employee’s social security number.

Switchboard — Ever wondered if a job applicant is lying about their previous work experience? Switchboard allows you to check past employment details using a massive database of business information.

Driver’s License Search — The easiest way to get detailed court records and driving history on potential employees is by entering a person’s driver’s license number at Driver’s License Search.

You may be alarmed at the sheer volume of personal details you can access on the Internet. Digging up dirt on another person can be a real eye opener about your own online behavior and statistics. Even the most fastidious web user loses some privacy because of the websites and search tools listed above. The next time you need the goods on a person, for whatever reason, turn to one of a million free sources of dirt that can be found online.

If the Internet were a physical location, it isn’t likely that you’d spend much time there. Too much secrecy, the prevalence of crime, and fears about viruses and other invasive forces would make the physical location of the Internet an undesirable piece of real estate. However, you can take steps to protect your online privacy without much effort. Here are nine solid methods of maintaining privacy and security while you’re on the Internet.

1. Use Encryption Tools

There are so many easy to use email and data encryption software and services that not using an encryption service is foolhardy. Most encryption software is designed to run on all types of computers and operating systems, and the most valuable encryption software will work perfectly with your email product of choice. Good web based encryption services create secret codes that hide your information from people trying to get a peek at your identity details. While encryption is not impossible to crack, in most cases it would take a hacker years to crack your code. They’ll simply move on to an easier target.

2. Don’t Leave Your Computer Online All Day

If you don’t set up your web connection properly, you’re asking for privacy trouble. The most popular form of Internet connection today is DSL or a broadband cable modem — since these connections are meant to be up and running constantly as opposed to old school phone line connections, it is best to turn your Internet connection or your computer off when you are not using it. The truth is that your average home PC has little in the way of defense against invasion over the Internet. Hackers or system crackers are always on the lookout for unattended cable connected home computers, and make quick work of invading them and raiding their personal details.

3. Change Your Web Browser Settings

Too often, privacy issues come up simply because your web browser’s security settings aren’t properly setup. if you use the basic browser and settings that came installed with your PC, you could be at risk for identity theft and other privacy concerns. Since many computers come with anti virus and anti spyware software, people assume they don’t need a secure browser. Anti virus software is only good after your computer is infected, so to keep infections from happening, make your web browser less vulnerable by activating stricter security settings in your browser’s options tab.

4. Use Cookie Management Software

“Cookies” are small pieces of information that websites place on your computer, usually temporary but sometimes permanently. They are usually useful tools that help your experience on the web move faster and make your PC more user friendly. Unfortunately, other cookies will be installed on your PC by people looking to mine your computer for personal details. These cookies will store your bank information, passwords, or even to track your motions on the Internet and record details about your web behavior. Since web browsers now allow users to control how cookies behave, setup your browser to alert you to the presence of cookies and deny access to any cookie you don’t recognize.

5. Create an Email Pseudonym

Some Internet activity draws the attention of people who want to steal your details. When you make posts to bulletin boards, mailing lists, or any public space, your email address becomes vulnerable to spammers and scammers. To combat this, only post to public sites from a fake email account, one that doesn’t include any personal details. Public spaces on the Internet are constantly monitored by online junk mailers who add these addresses to their email lists. If you want less spam in your email inbox, keep your email address as private as possible.

6. Be Wary of Internet “Friends”

The Internet is a great social tool, but some people use that social aspect for not so nice purposes. Since the Internet moves fast, and relationships often blossom in very little time, it is much easier for a criminal to befriend a person and steal their personal details on the web than on any other medium. While it is good to be friendly online, remember that you don’t know the real identity of an online personality. Unlike in the real world, the Internet doesn’t provide you with any details about a person other than their online persona.

7. Don’t Send Private Information from Work

Internet connections are work are almost always monitored. If you are discussing a privacy sensitive issue via email with a friend, you may not want to do so at work. Don’t say anything from your work computer that you wouldn’t say in front of your boss. Besides potentially getting you fired, you could be revealing sensitive details without realizing it.

8. Don’t Fall For Identity Theft Traps

Often, people trolling for personal identity emails will build websites that promise some sort of cash reward or special prize . . . if only you’d put your address and social security number into the textbox and hit “send”. This is akin to handing your housekeys to a stranger. Don’t fall for it.

9. Never Respond to Email Spammers

If you’ve spent any time on the Internet, you can tell the difference between spam and actual communication. Some people think hitting the “unsubscribe” button at the end of a piece of unsolicited mail will solve the problem, but it is more likely that proving to a spammer that you are an active email user could make your problem worse. Most importantly, don’t take a spammer’s offer, and don’t respond to emails from people you don’t know.

You wouldn’t walk around a shopping mall wearing a t-shirt with your personal details emblazoned on the front of it — why should your Internet activity be any different? Protecting your privacy online is as important as shredding mail that contains private information or keeping your front door locked. Identity theft is a real threat, especially on the Internet where anonymity and secrecy make a perfect environment for criminals. Follow these nine simple steps to protect your privacy online.

If your computer is not operating at an acceptable speed you may be considering a replacement. Most people replace a computer when programs don’t load at the proper speed or their Internet connection is not as fast as it could be. The good news is you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars and loads of time purchasing, installing, and setting up a new computer just because your old machine is slow.

1. Create More Disk Space

Your PC comes with a tool called “Disk Cleanup” that will assist you with cleaning up free up space on your hard disk. This will speed up and generally improve the performance of your computer. “Disk Cleanup” works by identifying files on your hard disk that are safe to delete — files that won’t harm your computer if they are permanently deleted. Disk Cleanup won’t perform these tasks automatically — it will suggest certain files that can be safely removed then allows you to choose which ones you want to get rid of.

Disk Cleanup will get rid of temporary Internet files that take up more space than you may be aware of as well as remove downloads that you don’t use. Many of these files are Java applets or Internet-specific files that you may have used once and never needed again.

Disk Cleanup performs some other basic cleanup tasks as well, such as emptying your computer’s recycle bin, wipe away error reports and optional Windows files that you don’t need, remove installed program files that are not in use, and do away with shadow copies of your hard drive that pop up when you perform a system restore.

Why do temporary Internet files take up so much space? Your computer “caches” (or stores) every web site you visit so that when you want to access them later it won’t take as long. Ironically, too many temporary Internet files will slow your whole machine down, making access to those website even slower.

2. Find and Repair Disk Errors

By running the “Error Checker” utility built into your computer, you can easily find and fix errors on your hard disk. Disk Cleanup can only do so much to speed up your PC, so running the Error Checker is a must for every computer owner. Error Checker tests the integrity of hard disk files in storage on your machine. Without getting into too much jargon, let’s just say that Error Checker looks for fancy sounding computer problems like lost clusters, cross linked files, bad sectors, and errors in the directory. Once it locates these problems, it acts to fix them. Be aware that in order to use Error Checker, you will need to be logged in as an administrator.

How do these errors develop? Every time you use your computer’s hard drive (which is basically every time you use your computer), file saving systems known as “sectors” get their wires crossed and slows down your PC’s performance. Error Checker finds misplaced files and relocates them.

PC experts recommend you run Error Checker on a weekly basis for optimum performance.

3. Find and Destroy Viruses and Spyware

This one’s a no-brainer — amp up your computer’s speed by giving it a strong dose of antibiotics. Spyware is any software placed on your computer without your knowledge that gathers information about you and your computer use. Everything from your web history to your account names and passwords can be gathered by spyware. Outside of the realm of privacy, spyware makes your computer slow, clogging up the memory with unneccessary junk. There are any number of spyware and virus scan products on the market, including free services available directly from Windows. These programs not only identify but help get rid of spyware and viruses.

4. Defrag

“Defragging” is a fancy word for cleaning up your memory. Disk fragmentation Disk fragmentation happens to every computer, literally fragmenting files into pieces and making it more difficult for your computer to locate them and put them together. Think of disk fragmentation as your computer losing its keys, wallet, and cell phone and having to find them every time it wants to leave the house. A fragmented disk slows the computer and adds to your PC’s response time, making it obviously slower than before.

Luckily, Windows includes a program called “Disk Defragmenter” that finds fragmented files, pieces them back together, and arranges folders on your computer’s hard disk so that each folder or file has a specific place on the hard disk. Computer files should be kept tidy and together to increase response time and disk activity. Fragmentation is most noticable when you are saving or altering files.

Computer experts say you should run Disk Defragmenter once a month, but there are other situations that may require the use of defragging:

-when you add lots of files to your computer..

-whenyou only have fifteen percent or less of free disk space

-when you install any new programs or especially a newer version of Windows

5. Uninstall Programs You Don’t Need

Most people have lots of wasted space on their computer. Games that you played a few times and walked away from and old documents that you have no more need for clutter up your computer and slow its performance. Running the Disk Cleanup utility should alert you to any wasted space, but sometimes you need to get rid of an old program without going through the whole Cleanup process. In your PC’s “Control Panel” there is an option called “Add / Remove Programs” that will help you do away with files and programs you just don’t need anymore. Unfortunately, this process is not automated and will require you to go through your files one at a time, but the expense you save by speeding up your PC instead of replacing it makes the effort worthwhile.

Over time, even the most expensive top of the line PCs will slow down. Most people notice it when their system requires extra time to open files, surf the web, or run applications. There are plenty of ways to speed up your PC’s performance without a big financial investment. If your computer’s speed is dragging you down, the five steps above will cure whatever is ailing your system.

For those who have not yet tried it, designing and publishing a website can see to be a daunting task. The reality is that while it can be, it doesn’t have to be difficult to get a site online.

You need very little by way of skills to get a basic website up and running. You don’t actually have to spend a huge amount of money or even a vast time outlay. You needn’t buy into big money software that will build your site for you, or pay someone else to do it.

Using some simple tips and tricks you’re going to get exactly the website that you want using a software that is free for everyone. Several kinds of content management software exist, with many of them being free for use. Using one of those may be just what you need. If not, then you can easily find a theme or template page to help you build exactly what you want.

Steps to Building a Website

There are a few simple steps to building a website. Before you get started with it, sit down and take a few minutes to do some preplanning.

• What are your objectives for your new website? Is it going to sell a product or is it simply for show and tell of your articles. Will you sell affiliate products there? Define what you want from the website. Knowing what you want to do with the site will give you some clues about how best to accomplish your goals.
• Do you have any html skills? If you do, perfect, open a notepad and get busy. If you’re not the techy type, then you’ve still got a great chance of building just what you want using a theme or template, or one of the easy installation software programs that are free online. Wordpress, Joomla, Mambo, CMS made simple, and many others are an excellent place to start if you’re concerned about easy use and great navigation.
• Do you have access to a computer daily? Updating and keeping your website current and dynamic is an important part of owning one nad making it pay for you.

If you’ve got questions about what you’re going to need to build your own website, the answer is, a domain name, a host,(free or for pay) a theme or software, and an ftp software (also free on the net) to upload your website to the server.

How to Build Your Own Website

Once you have the domain name secured, and your hosting is in the bag, it’s time to get started. The process is relatively different for each kind of software that you may use. If you want ease of use and building, the best bet for you will be an HTML theme. These are downloadable from sites all over the internet. They are generally free. You can, if you like, pay some amounts that range from small to exorbitant and get a premium template, but for our purposes, even if you’re building a business site, we’ve seen some free ones that simply beat the premium templates hands down.

Essentially all that you need to do to edit these HTML templates is to open them in any html editor and add your text. Usually they will be marked where you need to add your own content, making them more than simple to work with.

Add the text and/or the content that you want. In addition, it’s a good idea to add your contact information. An email will suffice in most cases, but if you sell goods or services to your local area you will also want to add a telephone number and address.

Depending on the kind of hosting that you buy you may have some other options, even if you don’t count yourself among those who are technically minded. Multiple hosts today have a control panel option that includes free software installations of the more popular blog and content management software such as Joomla and WordPress.

WordPress in particular is very easy to navigate, makes a remarkable CMS or blog and offers free website templates designed by WordPress users on the wordpress.org website. Many of these templates are geared toward the new user. They will be easy to install, offering step by step instructions to accomplish the installation.

In addition, various websites featuring Wordpress software also offer free installations and help with your use of the product.

Building your own website these days just isn’t nearly as costly or as time consuming as you were afraid that it might be. Surf the internet for a while and explore your options. You will be pleasantly surprised.

An oxymoron or what means, “free Internet service provider”?

“Free” is a relative expression. Everything carries a price, either through direct rectification, personal commitment, sacrifice, or money. When Internet access is advertised as free, the definition is usually the same as is applied to free network TV viewing. The following list details some of the better-known backdoor expenses of Internet access through a free service provider. Be careful to evaluate the effect that these issues may have upon your Internet usage plans.

• Banners. In essences, these are advertisements, digital billboards, and even videos that invade your Internet surfing space. Some merely exist. Others, like television commercials, commandeer the screen for a preset amount of time.
• Surveys. Startup questionnaires that are directly linked to the access permission through a free Internet connection. These may be minimal. They may be intrusive.
• Usage tracking. Performed through cookies and other sources that when removed will prevent the free Internet service from functioning. Often cloaked in the image of a specific provider’s software title.
• Tech support. Often incurs a special expense. Sometimes even a reoccurring monthly cost.
• Restricted hours of access. Limits peak time service.
• Limited monthly access allotments. A predetermined number of access calls or hours.
• Reduced bandwidths. Even dialup connections come in various speeds.
• Limited services. A lack of features such as email, a home page, tech support, quick links, and a general help desk.
• Temporary trials. Though usually much longer than the average 30-day trials of major paid providers, these too will eventually expire.

Application: an evaluation of ISP incorporation of Internet access control measures.

Most every “free” ISP will incorporate some measure of these control components. Discerning and dividing the front ends can be difficult. Some providers include most every one of these backdoor charges. Others are less intrusive. Here, arranged in order of “excellence” as provide by one source of user ratings, are a few high profile examples:

• 

  How to Evaluate Free Internet Service Providers

  MetConnect, comes with an excellence rating of 76%. The advertised Internet access cost is listed as 100% free. There are no banners, no surveys, and no software requirements. Stated support is for all operating systems. The home site provides step-by-step setup instructions. Special software is neither provided nor necessary. On the downside, this dialup is limited to New York City access numbers. Additional shortcomings, they no longer offer free email.

• NoCharge, can boast 74% in the ratings for excellence. The advertised cost reads 100% free with an addendum of no sign up requirements. There are no banners, no surveys, no questionnaires, and through provided, special software is not necessary for application. A full-featured home page provides a launching point for Google searches, game links, and free virus software. Email support comes with the package. On the downside, access numbers to this free Internet service provider are limited to Massachusetts and Washington. Tech support is available at the rate of ten dollars per call.
• Basic ISP, holding an excellence rank of 62% is one of the free trial Internet service provider companies. After a $1.00 activation fee, you will receive one month of free service. From that point, the standard price will be $6.95 per month with various service add-ons waiting in the wings to up the cost. Basic ISP uses no banners, no surveys, and no special software package. They furnish one POP3 email address. Tech support rushes in at $4.95 per incident. A wide range of access numbers is spread throughout the US and Canadian Provinces.
• NetZero, landing stands at a 43% excellence in user service ratings. NetZero boasts of a 1-GB email account, free virus software, instant messaging, and thousands of nationwide and Canadian access numbers. Bad news; limited free hours (10 per month), banner intrusion, a semi-annual questionnaire, custom software requirements, and $1.95 per minute for Tech support.
• Juno, picks up the bottom of this list with a 39% rating for excellent service. A free Juno account incorporates nearly every backdoor cost. Limited hours (10 per month), purchased Tech support (priced at $1.95 per minute), banners, surveys, and information invasion. On the plus side, Juno offers email support, and the access numbers are available in 50 states.

Wireless Internet service providers: This is a group listing with no specific address and no rating for excellence in service. This brand of free Internet access is a bit too new for a brief overview. Therefore, this article will focus on a few example sites. For starters, various US cities are beginning to incorporation select locations for free wireless Internet connection services: Clayton, Missouri, Port-Columbus airport, and others. Check out also hotels, campgrounds, local hospitals, and coffee shops.

How to evaluate free Internet service providers?

Now the world of free Internet service providers is in no means limited to those contained in this article. I have not purposed to choose for you, but rather that you might be better aware of some of the services and shortcomings that are associated with free Internet access. So how do you make an evaluation of free Internet service providers? Follow this basic checklist.

1. Goals: what is your specific Internet plan?
2. Speed: its measure of importance to you.
3. Cost: what can you afford?
4. Support: evaluate your personal technical skills.
5. Services: email, FTP, online storage facilities; what are your needs?
6. Dependability: how critical is the timing of your Internet access?
7. Availability: is your turf on a given ISP’s access list?
8. Equipment requirements: watch this hidden expense.

Now go to it. Find what suits you and sign up. Also, for a trace of fun, check out this Google press release.

You have 3 opportunities to speed up or slow down an Internet connection:

1. Your computer
2. The computer you’re connecting to
3. The data you’re sending between the two

Any misconfiguration on either computer can cause a dramatic decrease in data transfer speed. Optimizing your computer is the most important step to achieving faster dial up internet. (Web acceleration software is another option.)

Optimizing Your Computer

Many programs automatically download and install updates to their software, which limits your already limited bandwidth. Sometimes your computer is receiving more data than it can process, which results in a loss of speed. Some ways to maximize your computer for dial up internet access are:

1. Minimize the number of programs usingthe connection. Many programs are configured to automatically download and install updates, such as your antivirus software and Windows Update. While these are critical updates, allowing a certain time for them to do so will increase your Internet speed. Many programs connect to the Internet without you ever knowing. Installing a firewall will allow you to monitor your Internet traffic and find which programs are accessing the Internet and how your bandwidth is being used.
2. Staying focused on one web page at a time will allow the current page to load faster by giving it all of the available bandwidth. If loading multiple pages is unavoidable, be aware that your bandwidth is being divided into smaller sections for each open page.
3. Keep your computer clean of viruses, adware and spyware. Adware and spyware transmit information back to their source, which uses your Internet connection and slows down your browsing. Viruses do a number of things, from damaging your system files to transmitting your keystrokes to another source. Keeping your computer clear of these not only increases your Internet speed but protects your personal information from getting into the wrong hands.
4. Defragmented computers can process information much faster. This will allow all of the data sent to your computer to be processed as soon as its available and will increase your Internet speed.
5. Many Internet browsers, especially Firefox, offer addons which will increase your speed. Using addons such as NoScript and Fasterfox will help improve your browsing speed.

Optimizing your computer for Internet use will give a dramatic increase to your browsing speed. While you can’t optimize the computers holding the web pages you are visiting, you can optimize yours.

Web Acceleration

Web acceleration software is included in many dial up service plans, but for those that do not offer them, many commercial software and a few free software is available for use. This software works by sending the request for information from your computer to a company server which then accesses it, compresses it and sends it back to you.

But the software has a downside. Certain file types, such as mp3s and movies, cannot be compressed and sent through the server. Web acceleration software will increase your overall browsing speed, though.

Not only do these web accelerators compress text and other data for faster browsing, but they give you the option of choosing what quality the images will be. This will effect the appearance of the pictures downloaded, but will greatly increase the download speed.

Most people prefer DSL Internet or other high speed providers, but those who are left with dial up Internet still want fast Internet. Optimizing your computer and using a web acceleration software will give you Internet speeds comparable to high speed service, except for certain types of files.

Some Coffee Shops and Restaurants Offer Free Wireless Internet Connections

Many coffee shops and restaurants allow their customers to use the company’s wireless connection. Although this might not involve internet access that you can use from home, it is a viable way to take care of some online activities. While you might feel uncomfortable spending a lengthy period of time on your laptop in a coffee shop, few employees will take issue with this if there is available space. Many people spend hours in coffee shops reading, writing, or using laptops. If you choose to do this, you will not seem out of place. It is considered good etiquette to purchase something to consume while you catch up on your web browsing. However, you might be able to tag along with friends that are purchasing food or drinks.

Government Facilities Can Help You Get Connected

Several different types of government facilities will offer free wireless connections. Libraries are the most convenient of these options. You can visit a library and comfortably use your laptop for hours. A librarian will probably not ask you to leave as long as the facility is open. This is one of the most acceptable places to spend a long period of time on a free wireless connection.

Sometimes a city government will install a free wireless connection in the downtown area. This is usually designed to stimulate commerce. If you can find a place to sit with your laptop, you can use a municipal wireless connection for hours. Sometimes you will be required to register with your email address. You may face limitations on the types of websites that you can visit over these connections. You also may experience time restrictions. Some municipal wireless connections are unrestricted for free and unlimited use.

Parks and recreational areas will sometimes have unsecured wireless networks. These will be provided for the general public or for use by government employees. If there is an indoor area or good weather, this can be a comfortable way to take care of some time-consuming online browsing in peace. Parks are nice places to spend time, and free wireless access sweetens this experience.

Other government facilities may also offer free wireless connections. Some will do so unwittingly. If you are driving around in pursuit of a free wireless connection, it is worthwhile to scan for an unsecured network outside of most government facilities.

Your Neighbors May Have an Unsecured Wireless Network

Free Wireless Internet

This is a method that some find ethically questionable. As a general rule, you want to be a good steward of your neighbor’s wireless connection. An unsecured network is viable for use by anyone in range. However, abusive activity over this wireless connection will probably inspire your neighbor to start using security features. If you use a nearby wireless connection for occasional surfing, few problems will emerge. However, if you use excessive bandwidth, your neighbor may decide to secure the network. If you are worried that you might offend your neighbor, just ask for permission. However, it is very easy to secure a wireless network. This can be done at any time. If you are using a neighbors wireless connection responsibly, it is likely to go unnoticed.

You might have to search for wireless connections at different points around your home. Sometimes nearby connections will only be accessible from certain areas. Some construction materials may block your access to wireless internet. If you are having a difficult time picking up nearby connections, try searching for them by your window. If no connections can be found in your home, try outside. There are wireless connections all over any residential area.

Hotels Often Extend Free Wi-Fi Connections

Many hotels offer wireless connectivity for customers. As a matter of convenience, they often leave these networks unsecured for general use by guests. If you are in a pinch, try finding hotels that have unsecured networks. While you may only be able to use a network like this from your car, some nearby facilities might allow you to use one of them comfortably. This option is one of the least convenient. However, it is viable if you need immediate access for a specific reason.

Universities and Colleges May Have Unsecured Signals

Universities and colleges are some of the best places to pursue a free wireless connection. You might be able to acquire one from any facility on campus. Some schools offer wireless access all over campus. Specific buildings may also have their own wireless networks. You might also find unsecured networks near dormitories. Universities and colleges have libraries that often provide free wireless internet connections. There will probably be an unsecured wireless network at some location on every college campus.

Since there are so many places on a college campus that might have a wireless connection, it is best to search for one near a cluster of community buildings. These places tend to have their own routers. If there are several in range, you are more likely to find an unsecured connection. You might have to try a few different areas on campus.

In Conclusion

Wireless signals can be found all over any major city. Since so many critical tasks require the use of internet, it is important for everyone to have access at certain times. Some of the aforementioned methods are more appropriate for emergency use only. Some people do not want others to use unsecured wireless networks. If you are fearful that you might offend someone by using an unsecured network, ask for permission. If you think that your use of an unsecured network might be construed as a form of trespassing or other offense, it is better to consider a different option.

However, some of these options are perfectly acceptable in all cases. Companies and government services often offer free wireless connections for your convenience. For example, someone that spends hours on the computer in a coffee shop is likely to purchase something at some point. This motivates these companies to provide free wireless connections. Many people rely on government facilities, parks, libraries, restaurants, and coffee shops for free wireless internet.

Since there are so many ways to find free wireless internet connections, try using the one that is the most comfortable for you and the least invasive for others. Internet access is becoming an important part of modern life. When you are in need of some time online, pursue these options to get connected.

Equipment Required

• Modem – Most wireless connections require the use of a broadband internet connection. A cable or DSL modem provides the internet service.
• Router – A router is used to manage internet traffic and deliver data to multiple computers in a home or office network.
• Access point – The access point is the antenna-based system that moves data through airwaves. Most home access points are also routers. Many office-based systems have separate routers and access points.
• Wireless adapter – The wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter connects directly to a computer to allow that computer to access and interpret wireless data. This can be either an external or internal device. Home PCs will use either an internal PCI/PCIe card or an external USB device. Most new notebooks have the wireless adapter built in. If not, a USB or PCMCIA card adapter is required.

Choosing a Wireless Router or Access Point

For ease of installation, it is recommended to purchase a wireless router. For most home and small office use, a simple wireless router is sufficient. D-link, Netgear, and Linksys all manufacture high-quality, easy-to-use wireless routers. These wireless routers support almost unlimited wireless connections and four wired Ethernet connections. There are a few different wireless standards being used. All Wi-Fi now uses the 802.11 standard. The slowest among these is 802.11b. For most intents and purposes the 802.11b standard has been phased out. The median standard is 802.11g. 802.11g provides a range of up to 150 feet indoors and speeds of up to 54 Mbps– sufficient for standard video and music streaming. The new standard is 802.11n. An 802.11n wireless router provides a range of 300 feet and speeds at up 70 Mbps. Additionally, most wireless adapters are backwards compatible so an 802.11n router will work with 802.11g and 802.11b adapters and an 802.11g router will work with 802.11b adapters.

In choosing adapters, it is more a matter of personal choice. Many experts prefer to use internal adapters as they are more stable and usually have higher performance antennae. USB adapters are used because they are easy to install and can be easily switched between computers.

Installing the Wireless Router

How to Setup Wireless Internet

The wireless router is installed to the modem via a standard Ethernet cable. Unplug the modem and in the back, there will be an Ethernet output. Connect a cable to the modem output and run it to the back of the router. The back of the router will have 5 Ethernet ports. Four of these ports will be labeled 1 through 4 while either the first or last port will be labeled internet, WAN, or WLAN. Plug the Ethernet cable into the internet/WAN/WLAN port of the wireless router.

Another Ethernet cable should then be attached to one of the four other ports and to a working computer. This will be needed to configure the router. After configuration, this wired connection can be removed if you so desire. The wireless router should be centrally located. Placement and distance from the wireless adapter can play a large part in establishing a quality, high-speed connection. The router should never be place too close to either a wall or ceiling but a one-foot distance is adequate to stop most structural interference. To minimize interference from other sources, the wireless router should be kept away from cordless phones, microwaves, and televisions.

Configuring the Wireless Router

With all the cables connected and the wireless router placed in the optimal location, turn on power to the modem. Wait for the modem to establish a connection with your internet service provider and then turn on the wireless router. The wireless router will have a series of lights or other indicators on the front to show when a connection to the internet has been established and when connections to other computers are established through the hard lines. Once the wireless router has established a connection with the modem, turn on the computer connected to the wireless modem via Ethernet cable.

If the wireless router came with a start-up disk, insert it into the computer’s drive and follow the instructions on the screen. This disk will install any needed drivers and it will usually install an application to help set up and establish a connection between the computer’s wireless adapter and the wireless router.

After the setup disk has completely installed, it will still be necessary to configure the wireless router for security and optimal settings. In the manual that comes with the wireless router are instructions on how to log on to the router. Open your web browser. Internet Explorer or Firefox will work. In the address bar, enter the address of the router as stated in the manual. In most cases this address will be either http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1. Sometimes another address is used such as http://www.routerlogin.net. Once the correct address is entered a security window will open asking for a user name and password. Almost every wireless router ever made has a default user name of “admin.” The default password varies by brand but most commonly the password is “Admin,” “password,” or simply left blank.

Wireless Security

When logged in, the first thing to do is change the SSID name. This is the name displayed when searching for wireless networks available on a computer. Leaving the default SSID can cause confusion and make it easier for hackers to break into your network.

After changing the SSID name, it is prudent to establish a security protocol and password. In the router’s security settings, there will be choices for which security protocol to use. WEP is an older protocol and easily broken by hackers. It is recommended to use the WPA-2 protocol which is much higher level of security.

Lastly, the administrative password will need to be changed so others cannot log on to your wireless router. For most wireless routers, the user name is not configurable. It will always remain “admin.” The password is changeable and should be modified at this time. Once this is complete, the configuration window and browser can be closed.

Connecting to the Wireless Network

With most operating systems, including Windows XP, Vista, and 7, once the adapter and router is installed, the computer will detect that wireless networks are available. In the task bar, right click the icon and from the menu, choose to view the available wireless networks. Find your SSID name on the list and click to connect to the network. Enter the password that you have established for the WPA-2 security protocol. In most cases, the computer will connect to the internet and establish a local IP address.