Internet Service Provider Definitions


The following terms from our ISP Comparison page are defined on this page:
ISP This column lists Internet Service Providers who claim to provide dial-up internet service in Lucerne Valley. 
Price This column lists the monthly fee for dial-up internet access.  Some ISP's charge a nominal setup fee upon signing up.  These figures were found at the ISP's website and were current as of 4/1/05. 
Accelleration This column lists whether or not accelleration is available, and at what cost. Some ISP's charge a nominal setup fee for the accellerator.  Internet Accelerators are utility programs that can speed up the Internet by adjusting and optimizing your computer for a better connection. This translates into faster web browsing and improved overall Internet performance. Internet Accelerators modify the default Internet settings Windows uses for transferring information to and from your computer when you have an active Internet connection. Pages and files you frequently access are stored in a caching proxy server that helps to speed up transfer time. Adjustments can be made by the user to lessen quality of graphic images to further accelerate the delivery of webpages.
Live Tech Support This column shows if the Internet Service Provider offers live technical support, and if there is a charge for the tech support.
SPAM Filter This column shows if the Internet Service Provider offers a SPAM Filter.  SPAM is unsolicited e-mail.  A SPAM Filter helps block this unsolicited e-mail from ever getting to your mailbox.
Web Space Some Internet Service Providers offer free web space for you to set up your own web page. This field indicates how much hard disk space they provide (if any) on their web server for your web page.
E-Mail All Internet Service Providers give you a free email address as well. Sometimes they provide a web based email account, where you have to log on to a web page through your browser to access email. Others provide a POP3 email account with a mail server. With these you access your email through a program running on your computer such as Outlook or Eudora rather than your web browser. With POP3 accounts you download your mail to your computer, so you don't have to worry about running out of space on the mail server when you keep your old messages. They also allow you to compose and read email while you are not logged into the internet.
E-Mail Storage For Internet Service Providers that offer web based e-mail accounts, this column shows how much e-mail storage they offer on their mail server.  This also could indicate how much temporary storage is allocated for each e-mail account.
Payment Options This column shows the payment options available for the Internet Service Provider.  Many ISP's are requiring automatic monthly payments, usually though your checking account or credit card.