Local Dialup Access

Introduction

Not all local houses and apartments are equipped to allow high-speed network connections, or you may decide that the monthly fees are outside your reach. There are several inexpensive or free dialup networking options available to campus students, faculty, and staff, all with phone numbers within the 217 area code to keep phone bills lower.

If you are trying to select a particular service, the Choosing a Dialup Internet Service Provider page can be helpful. If you want an overview of the range of local dialup options, this page will provide a side-by-side comparison.

Disclaimer: This list may not be comprehensive, and is not intended as a particular endorsement of any individual service provider. If you represent a local-area dialup Internet service provider who has not yet been listed, contact CITES Documentation to be included in this list.

UIUCnet Premier and UIUCnet Dialup

• Advantages:
  UIUCnet Dialup is free to campus-affiliated users, aside from any phone company fees for the time. UIUCnet Premier costs under $10/month. If you own an ISDN-capable modem, UIUCnet Premier can be used to provide high-speed ISDN access. The CITES Help Desk offers free walk-in assistance during business hours. Both UIUCnet Premier and UIUCnet Dialup can be used for nationwide access at local phone rates, regardless of area code, with the 800-number option.
  
• Disadvantages:
  You must maintain campus affiliation to be eligible; students lose eligibility after graduation. UIUCnet Dialup, the free option, gives busy signals at high-use times of day. The 800 number option gives discounted rates only in the USA; any 800 number is considered an international call when dialed from outside the USA.
  
• More information:
  UIUCnet Premier
  UIUCnet Dialup
  800-number option

Other local dialup options

• Advantages:
  Using local service providers means that you have easy access to live support personnel and that you will not need to pay long-distance fees for an in-town call. Most local service providers do not force you to download banner ads as a condition of service.
  
• Disadvantages:
  Traveling to another area means you may need to call long-distance to connect to a service provider based in the 217 area code.
  
• Local Internet service providers:
  Under $10 a month: Prairienet
  Over $10 a month: Soltec, Shouting Ground

National options with local numbers

• Advantages:
  Many nationwide service providers offer dialup phone numbers in many or all area codes, so that you can make a call at local rates no matter where you're currently staying.
  
• Disadvantages:
  Nationwide service providers don't usually have local technical support representatives, making live technical support more difficult to find. Some nationwide ISPs charge for technical support or don't provide telephone-based technical support. Some nationwide ISPs will force you to download banner ads in order to raise money for their service.
  
• National service providers:
  Under $10 a month, banner ads required: Juno, NetZero
  Over $10 a month: America Online, MSN, Efanz.com

Worldwide options

• Advantages:
  You can find local-area dialup phone numbers in many different countries. Worldwide ISPs are likely to be very large organizations with established support channels.
  
• Disadvantages:
  Not all "worldwide" ISPs provide local-area dialup phone numbers in all parts of all countries -- you may have long-distance charges to call a dialup number within the other country.
  
• Worldwide service providers:
  Under $10 a month: Maglobe (prepaid - monthly cost depends on usage)
  Over $10 a month: America Online, Maglobe (prepaid - monthly cost depends on usage)