If you’re on a budget

• If you live on campus, IllinoisNetprovides high-speed access for free.
• Some apartments also include high-speed network access in their rent. If you don’t live on campus, you’ll likely need to pay for high-speed networking.
• DSL or Cable internet are cheaper than satellite or optical fiber.
• Fixed wireless broadband generally provides faster networking than cable, but it requires special hardware.
• Satellite internet is generally the most expensive option (but the only option in some locations).

If you want personal support

• Local ISPs provide live support via a local phone number during Central Time Zone working hours.
• If you also travel frequently, a nationwide ISP may offer support in more area codes and time zones.

If you travel frequently

• Business or vacation travel – If you travel frequently and visit a range of places for one or two days at most, you may wish to consider using two or more networking solutions: a high-speed solution in your usual location, a nationwide or worldwide wireless plan for your mobile device, and / or a national or worldwide wireless provider for a laptop computer.
• Two-home, foreign study, or long-term trips: If your travel generally involves days or weeks in a few specific locations, you may be able to find one nationwide high-speed network solution which covers the areas you visit most often (for example, your local apartment and your permanent home).

Phone line networking options (Dial-up, DSL, Optical fiber)

• Phone line options provide medium-speed networking.
• Dial-up & DSL require an active landline telephone connection.
• NOTE: Speed will depend on your distance from the provider and the wiring in your residence.

• DSL provides speeds of up to 6M/second (although 1.5M/sec is the usual limit). DSL requires active landline telephone service.
• Optical fiber provides speeds to 24M/second. It does not require active telephone service (just a functional telephone jack and wiring), but it is more expensive than cable and some forms of wireless broadband. |

Cable & Ethernet networking options (co-ax cable or Ethernet wiring in buildings)

• Cable and Ethernet networking options provide high-speed (up to 50 Mbps for cable and up to 1,000 Mbps for Ethernet) networking over network-dedicated wires.

• NOTE: With cable modems, upload speed is capped and download speed depends on the number of active users in your area.

• Ethernet is provided in on-campus residences (covered by residence hall fees) and some local apartments (sometimes covered by rental fees, other times for a separate charge).
• Cable modem access is available throughout Champaign-Urbana and some parts of surrounding communities.
• If you frequently travel to other locations, consider your networking needs in those locations when choosing a wired high-speed provider.

Wireless, satellite, mobile broadband, & fixed wireless broadband

Distinguishing among versions of “wireless” networking:

• Wireless networking is a phrase most often used to describe wireless network access within your office or residence to your particular computer, regardless of how the network service is provided to that location. “Wireless” can describe an ISP as well, but most often it refers to the way your computer accesses a connection point in your area rather than the way the ISP provides networking to your area.
• Satellite networking provides high-speed wireless network access from around the world to your office or residence, regardless of how your computer connects within the building. It specifically refers to the ISP.
• Mobile Broadband provides high-speed connectivity directly to your mobile device (or computer via a mobile broadband module) wherever your cellular phone service provides coverage. For more information, see Resources for Mobile Device Users.
• Fixed Wireless Broadband provides high-speed connectivity to your office or residence. Although it uses technology similar to mobile broadband, both the transmitting and receiving ends are fixed, which allows the signal to be faster and more secure.
• Examples:
  • Wired to wireless: You can receive wired phone, Ethernet, or cable modem networking to your building and then set up a wireless access point so that you can roam in your building without a cable. (IllinoisNet Wireless is an example of this type of service.)
  • Wireless to wired: You can receive satellite or fixed wireless broadband to your building and use Ethernet within your building to connect stationary computers to the network.
  • Wireless to wireless: You can receive satellite or fixed wireless broadband to your building and set up a wireless access point to allow you to roam within range of your building’s access point.

• Satellite service may be the only high-speed option available in some areas outside the Champaign-Urbana city limits, depending on your distance from the nearest cell tower, the quality of landline phone lines in your area, and the availability of cable modem networking.
• You can set up wireless access points within your home or apartment, whether your originating ISP is wired or wireless — but because wireless networking is fundamentally insecure, and anyone else with a wireless card in the area can overhear what your computer is sending, you’ll need to be careful to take extra security precautions. (More about wireless security concerns.)