Home Based Business Connectivity Primer Part 1 – Broadband Internet Connection
(This post has been slightly delayed by the overwhelming interest in the Phone Image Makeover service shown by you – my fellow independent professionals. I am thrilled and I thank you.)
When I speak with home based business owners, especially ones during the start up phase of their business, I am often asked what I consider to be the essential products and services for the well connected home office professional on a shoestring budget. In this multi-part series I will share what I consider to be the basics of the well connected independent professional. Several are not telecom services – strictly speaking, but they are related enough to warrant writing about in this blog.
- Fast Access Broadband Internet Connection – Nothing will make a bigger difference in your productivity (and your sanity) than the speed of your internet service. This is an area in which frugality does not pay. I recommend you shop for a DSL or Cable broadband service that offers at least 1.5 Mbps downstream speed and 285 Kbps upstream. Anything slower than that will have you pulling your hair out while you wait for web pages to display and your e-mail to download.
The fastest and most convenient way to shop around is using a comparison shopping website such as ShopForDSL.Com. You enter your name, e-mail and telephone number (make sure the number you input is a physical land line at your location since that's what the system uses to search) and the system will give you several options of companies that service your area and the available plans. Unfortunately, this service will only work for US based consumers.
Note: Even if you already have fast access internet you wouldn't lose anything by shopping around. You may find that you could get a much better deal by switching providers.
Now, if you are one of the unfortunate souls who live in an area where fast access broadband is not available I suggest you move.
Nah! Just kidding! There are other options available to you:
- Dial Up Internet – Not the ideal, by any means, but any internet connection is better than none. The choices abound in the marketplace for this kind of service. Look for providers with plenty of access numbers in your local area. You wouldn't want to add insult to injury by having to pay a long distance charge on top of a monthly fee.
- Satellite and Fixed Wireless – being lucky enough to live in an area with available cable and DSL broadband services I did some research to find other options for my more distant counterparts. I found this great article by ComputerWorld titled Rural broadband: Finding alternatives to DSL and cable where it discusses fixed wireless and satellite alternatives. Check it out.
Whatever services you have available I suggest you get the fastest you can afford. You'll thank me later.
Stay tuned for the next installment where I'll discuss E-Mail and it's role in the well connected home office.
