Internet Service Providers
I am not an Internet Service Provider (ISP), though I've put together a list of Internet services available to the communities of Oscoda County and the surrounding area, in the order I recommend.
Fiber To The Home
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| M-33 Access | (989)-685-3027 | (989)-685-3027 |
Information
Currently available in the Rose City and West Branch area, along with some areas in Oscoda County. Fiber Internet uses pulses of light to transmit digital information along strands of glass as thin as a human hair, making it the fastest and most reliable internet currently available on the planet, as it literally travels at the speed of light. Companies such as Microsoft and Google run their businesses on fiber optic networks, and the technology is also used in telephone systems and medical imaging equipment. This service greatly exceeds what is currently available to our communities, and prices are very comparable to current area internet services.
Pros:
- Operates at the speed of light
- Very reliable
- Affordable
- Unlimited Access
Cons:
- It is still several years in the future for most in the area, but it's coming. It is very costly for the ISP to run fiber lines and often requires investors to make the service available to certain communities.
Monthly Price:
- $35-$65
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 6Mbps-32Mbps
- Upload - 768Kbps-6Mbps
Perfect For:
- Gaming
- Streaming Music
- Transferring Files
- Watching Movies
- Web Browsing
DSL Service (Digital Subscriber Line)
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Frontier Communications | (800)-921-8101 | (800)-921-8102 |
Information
(Digital subscriber line) DSL service is delivered over your telephone line. A DSL filter will be placed on each outlet to remove the high frequency interference, which allows simultaneous use of the telephone and internet.
Pros:
- Dedicated line
- Very reliable
- Affordable
- Unlimited Access
Cons:
- Distance-sensitive technology: As the connection's length increases from the ISP's central office, the signal quality and connection speed decrease. So availablity outside of town is fairly limited.
Monthly Price:
- $20-$55
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 6Mbps-24Mbps
- Upload - 384Kbps-1Mbps
Perfect For:
- Gaming
- Streaming Music
- Transferring Files
- Watching Movies
- Web Browsing
Cable
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| MIcom Cable | (888)-873-3353 | (888)-873-3353 |
Information
Broadband internet access that uses the cable television infrastructure to deliver high speed internet service.
Pros:
- Reliable
- Affordable
- Unlimited Access
Cons:
- Shared bandwidth between all customers. This means that during peak times, the entire network can be affected amungst all customers if there is insufficient bandwidth.
Monthly Price:
- $20-$40
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 768Kbps-6Mbps
- Upload - 512Kbps-1Mbps
Perfect For:
- Gaming
- Streaming Music
- Transferring Files
- Watching Movies
- Web Browsing
Wireless
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| M-33 Access | (989)-685-3027 | (989)-685-3027 |
Information
Uses point-to-point signal transmissions through the air over a terrestrial microwave platform rather than through copper or fiber cables. Therefore, fixed wireless does not require satellite feeds or local phone service. This offers the ability to connect with users in remote areas without the need for laying new cables.
Pros:
- Reliable
- Affordable
- Unlimited Access
Cons:
- Not as fast as other broadband service.
- Latency is a little higher than wired services, but still hold the capablity for VoIP, gaming, etc.
Monthly Price:
- $50
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 512Kbps-5Mbps
- Upload - 256Kbps-1Mbps
Perfect For:
- Streaming Music
- Transferring Files
- Web Browsing
Mobile Broadband
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Mio Rental & Retail | (989)-826-2299 | (989)-826-2299 |
| Verizon Wireless | (800)-837-4966 | (800)-837-4966 |
| Straight Talk | (877)-430-2355 | (877)-430-2355 |
Information
Also referred to as WWAN (for Wireless Wide Area Network). Mobile broadband provides wireless internet access to your computer using mobile broadband network cards or other portable network devices, like USB modems or portable wi-fi mobile hotspots.
Pros:
- Portable
- High-Speed
Cons:
- Monthly Bandwidth Limit!
- Service can be poor depending on the data load on the tower and location
- Possible to drop internet connection like a cell phone drops calls
Monthly Price:
- $20-$750
- Avg - 10Gb for $80/mo
Internet Speeds:
- 3G Download - 1.5Mbps-3Mbps
- 3G Upload - 512Kbps-2Mbps
- 4G Download - 10Mbps-50Mbps
- 4G Upload - 1Mbps-15Mbps
Perfect For:
- Streaming Music
- Transferring Files
- Web Browsing
Satellite
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Mio Rental & Retail | (989)-826-2299 | (989)-826-2299 |
| Exede / Wildblue | (888)-885-5213 | (888)-885-5213 |
| HughesNet | (866)-293-8945 | (800)-630-2713 |
Information
Internet service provided world-wide through low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Compared to ground-based communication, all satellite communications experience high latency due to the signal having to travel 20 miles to a satellite in orbit and back to Earth again. This service is heavily reliant on weather conditions and typically has high bandwidth restrictions.
Pros:
- High-Speed Internet
Cons:
- Monthly Bandwidth Limit!
- High latency. With newer technologies, lower latency is improving, but still not as good as other broadband services.
- Weather dependant
Monthly Price:
- $50-$130
- Avg - 10Gb for $50/mo
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 5Mbps-15Mbps
- Upload - 1Mbps-3Mbps
Perfect For:
- Streaming Music
- Web Browsing
T-1 Service
Who Offers It?
| ISP | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Frontier Communications | (800)-921-8101 | (800)-921-8102 |
| M-33 Access | (989)-685-3027 | (989)-685-3027 |
Information
T-carrier technology dates to 1957 and provides data rates that range to 1.5 Mbit/s (DS1 or T1). A T1 line carries 24 voice or data channels (24 DS0s), so customers may use some channels for data and others for voice traffic or use all 24 channels for clear channel data. Besides Fiber or DSL, this is one of the best solutions for businesses.
Pros:
- Dedicated internet line
- Very reliable
- Low latency
- Unlimited internet access
Cons:
- Startup costs
- Very expensive monthly subscription
- Old technology
Monthly Price:
- $120-$300
Internet Speeds:
- Download - 512kbps-1.5Mbps
- Upload - 512kbps-1.5Mbps
Perfect For:
- Gaming
- Streaming Music
- Web Browsing
Internet Service
- (989)-685-3027
- Residential - (800)-921-8101
- Business - (800)-921-8102
- (888)-873-3353
- (989)-685-3027
» Mio Rental & Retail
- (989)-826-2299
- (800)-837-4966
- (877)-430-2355
» Mio Rental & Retail
- (989)-826-2299
- (888)-885-5213
- Residential - (866)-293-8945
- Business - (800)-630-2713
- Residential - (800)-921-8101
- Business - (800)-921-8102
- (989)-685-3027
Resources
- Speed Test
Determines the speed of your internet connection.
- Ping Test
Determine the quality of your internet connection.
Resources
- Speed Test
Determines the speed of your internet connection.
Unit Conversion
Units
- 1024Kb = 1Mb
- 1024Mb = 1Gb
- 1024Gb = 1Tb
Media Sizes
- Average Email
- Text Only - 30Kb
- With Attachments - 500Kb
- Average Song
- Streaming - 1.5Mb
- Download - 4Mb
- Average Website
- Per Page - 1.6Mb
- Netflix (Per Hour)
- Standard - 1Gb
- HD - 3Gb
- YouTube (Per 10-Minutes)
- 360p - 40Mb
- 480p - 80Mb
- 720p - 120Mb
- 1080p - 340Mb