Dial Up Access

Unfortunately, Ireland still has very few broadband services available. Despite the title of our site, we intend to cover all types of internet access as it will be some time before broadband is available to all.

Analogue Dialup

First of all, there is the old faithful analog dialup internet access. This is the type of access used by the majority of people in Ireland.

Where is it available?

Anywhere there is a phone line

How does it work?

A modem in the computer converts a digital signal into an analogue signal which travels over the phone line as sound. At the other end, another modem converts it back to a digital signal and it goes on its merry way to wherever you are travelling on the 'net. Depending on the modem used and the modem at the providers side, the theoretical maximum speed of connection is 53kbps in both directions. Most users seldom see speeds in excess of 48kbps and in some cases it is substantially lower depending on line quality and other factors.

The big news in dialup has been the introduction of flat rate internet access call origination (FRIACO). Flat rate means that one can pay a monthly fee to allow a set number of hours of internet access. It is a huge improvement over 'clock watching' when using dialup without this.

What does it cost?

One time costs:

It requires very little expenditure as almost everyone already has a phoneline. Also, almost every PC sold in the last five years came with a modem built in.

Ongoing costs:

There are several options available. The most basic is to set up a 'free' account and pay for the phone call costs. This works out to be very expensive if you are more than an occasional user. With the advent of flat rate, you can sign up with a provider to pay a flat monthly fee for a set number of hours access. There are several options available.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

  • 1. Inexpensive to set up. Very little capital cost is involved if you already have a phone line.
  • 2. It is available almost everywhere.
  • 3. If you own a portable device like a laptop or PocketPC, you can use this method of connection on the move.

    • Disadvantages:

  • 1. It can be very expensive to use. During peak times in Ireland (from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday) it costs approximately 5c per minute to connect. You should sign up for a flat rate package if this is a concern.
  • 2. It is slow to use. More and more web sites are using flash animation and other attractive programming to increase the appeal of the site. This adds to the time it takes for the site to appear. Using dialup, it isn't uncommon to wait 15 to 30 seconds for the next page to load.
  • 3. Dialling up to the provider can take a minute or longer depending on the equipment. This becomes an irritation if one connects to the internet frequently.
  • 4. Most residential users only have one phoneline. It is not available while connected to the internet using the dialup method.
  • 5. Depending on the provider, you may get a busy signal at peak times during the day as all the modems at the providers side are in use.
  • 6. In rural areas where the exchange is more than 8km away by wire, the dialup speed is automatically going to be a maximum of 28.8kbps due to PAIR GAIN. This could also be the case where the telco has installed a line splitter at any distance from the exchange when it runs out of copper pairs and can't or doesn't want to add more copper.

    • Digital Dialup

    Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is an older digital method of connection to networks or the internet. It uses the same copper wire coming into a home or business as an ordinary analogue phone line. A very large percentage of the phone lines in the country are capable of supporting ISDN. The major limitation is distance from the exchange and line splitters are also a problem.

    Where is it available?

    Anywhere with a phone line and within 8km of an exchange.

    How does it work?

    ISDN offers two 'lines' over a single pair of copper. Each line is a 64kbps connection in each direction and both can be used together to achieve 128kbps but in this case, one pays for both connections. As it is a digital connection, the connection is established almost instantly so there is no annoying wait and screaming modem noises. To use a phone on ISDN, an analogue adapter is installed as part of the service because an ordinary home telephone is analogue and needs to be converted to a digital signal.

    What does it cost?

    One time costs:

    It requires moderate expenditure as there is a connection fee and equipment is required. An existing phone line can be converted or a new one configured for ISDN can be ordered. The monthly line rental for an ISDN line is less than that of two analogue lines.

    Ongoing costs:

    There are several options available. The most basic is to set up a 'free' account and pay for the phone call costs. This works out to be very expensive if you are more than an occasional user. With the advent of flat rate dialup access, you can sign up with a provider to pay a flat monthly fee for a set number of hours access. There are several options available.

    Advantages and Disadvantages

    Advantages:

  • 1. Relatively inexpensive to set up if you already have a phone line.
  • 2. It is available to a large percentage of the population.
  • 3. It is slightly faster than an analogue dialup connection (64kbps v. 48kbps) for the same dialup cost.
  • 4. No waiting as 'dialup' is instantaneous.

    • Disadvantages:

  • 1. Depending on your plan, it can be very expensive to use. During peak times in Ireland (from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday) it costs approximately 5c per minute to connect or double that if both lines are used to achieve 128kbps. However, it is possible to sign up for flat rate access which provides for a flat monthly fee based on a set number of hours.
  • 2. In the grand scheme of things, it is still slow to use although faster than analogue dialup.
  • 3. Depending on the provider, you may get a busy signal at peak times during the day as all the modems at the providers side are in use.
  • 4. While most PC's and Laptops now come with analogue modems built in, very few come with ISDN modems. It is an extra piece of equipment to purchase and maintain.
  • 5. If using a portable device, this method of connection is not available widely but one can default to an analogue dialup relatively easily.
  • 6. The service isn't available everywhere even if a line is present. The maximum distance on copper wire from the exchange is 8km.

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