Connecting to the Internet: Let Me Count the Ways
Produced by: Red Rock Partners. All Rights Reserved. Copyright ©2000.

To a non-golfer, words like eagle, bunker, over-the-top, and banana slice can seem as strange and difficult to understand as a foreign language. In the same way, the jargon associated with the Internet can quickly become too complex for non-technical people to understand. As a decision-maker for technology issues at your Club, it is important to have a basic understanding of Internet concepts. For instance, one issue facing every Club today is What is the best way to connect to the Internet? Is DSL available in your area? How about cable-modem access or satellite access? This article will define some of the common ways of accessing the Internet, along with looking at the pros and cons of each solution.

Dial-up, or Modem Access. The original way of accessing the Internet, dial-up access has improved greatly over the years. As recently as three years ago, the fastest connection one could expect with dial-up access was about 24Kbs (kilobytes per second). Because the quality of modems have  increased, it is standard today to have connection speeds of 48Kbs, or higher. Due to certain Federal regulations, though, the highest speeds you can attain with a dial-up modem is 53Kbs. Club's will benefit from using a modem only if the Internet, e-mail, and broadband communication are not part of their future. (also see comparison chart...)

DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line. One of the great innovations with regards to Internet access is DSL. In the past four years, high speed Internet access has went from an expensive dream to a cost-effective reality. DSL provides an ultra fast connection to the Internet, with transfer rates ranging between 128Kbs and 1.4Mbs (Megabytes per second) and higher. One of the great benefits of DSL is that it can run on an existing telephone line in your offices. You can talk and browse at the same time! When looking at the DSL solution, it is important to remember that there are additional hardware and installation costs involved. In many cases, the installation and hardware are offered for free by the DSL providers, so long as you sign a one-year contract for their services. Another benefit of using DSL is that it can provide Internet access for everyone on your company network. There is no need for each employee to have a slow dial-up account and an extra telephone line. But there are some drawbacks. DSL is not widely available right now outside of metropolitan areas. But don't give up if one company tells you it is not available in your area. Check with national providers, along with your local telephone company. You may find DSL can be brought into your office even though others have told you that it is not possible. DSL is currently the best solution for small and medium size businesses, including golf clubs. (also see comparison chart...)

Satellite Internet Access. Satellite Internet access is an ideal solution for businesses wanting to send or receive information at the fastest speeds available nationwide. Satellite technology promises to raise the bar of high speed access, giving DSL some solid competition in the marketplace. The costs of installation and configuration are very similar between the two. One caveat to satellite Internet access: at the time of this writing (August 2000) satellite access only provides high-speed downloads. If you wanted to send an e-mail with a large attachment, you would still be stuck using a slow modem connection. This is not too big of a detraction, however, as well over 90 percent of activity on the Internet today is in the form of downloading, or receiving, information. There is also good news forthcoming regarding high speed uploading, or sending, of information. Following is an excerpt from a news release written by Hughes, the makers of DirecPC:

GERMANTOWN, MD, USA, APRIL 27, 2000...Continuing its theme of Broadband Everywhere® the company that pioneered broadband Internet service via satellite today announced plans to market a two-way broadband satellite service to consumers. Hughes Network Systems (HNS), a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation, will add two-way capabilities to its nationwide high-speed satellite Internet service, DirecPC®, early in the fourth quarter of this year. (Complete Story...)

Once two-way high speed access is available from providers such as DirecPC, satellite communication will be equally as good a solution as DSL. (also see comparison chart)

ISDN . ISDN is a solution that gives a quality, medium-speed Internet access solution to businesses. It is an established solution that can be used if DSL is not available in your area. The costs are very similar, but the speeds are dramatically less than satellite, DSL, or cable-modem. An ISDN line offers 64Kbs to 256Kbs uploads and downloads. The service requires ISDN LAN equipment to be installed, with prices very similar to the costs of DSL equipment and installation. This solution should only be used if there is no DSL or cable-modem solution available in your area. (also see comparison chart...)

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