E pluribus unum
In Deo speramus
Welcome:
On-line Registration
Join USFamily.Net
Refer Someone
Help
My Account
Email Setup
Download
Webmail
|
|
Connecting families, communities and businesses since 1997 |
|
|
||||||
Need Speed? Everybody does.
Get DSL today.
If you already are spending money on a second phone line for your computer you can get DSL for about the same cost.
DSL is the newest technology available. DSL is a 24 hour connection at 256k. This is about 10 time faster than most users and is only $14.95/mo. but you do need the DSL line from the phone company. Click here for home dsl pricing info. Click here for business pricing info.
DSL costs about $400 for router and installation (but there is often a "free" or discounted promotion) plus a $29.95 per month additional phone service charge. Only about 30% of Twin Cities locations can currently get DSL but if you are one of the lucky ones it is worth the effort. Click here to begin checking availabily at USWestr. We also have fixed IP and LAN connections available for additional fees.
Get ISDN today.
If you had a delay while loading this image of the fastest jet in the world (the SR71), you need the speed of ISDN. Here are the simple steps to get it. Remember USFamily.Net gives you ISDN for no extra charge, so take advantage of it today. The speed is fantastic. Since ISDN has a dial and connect time of less than a second (and some Terminal Adapters handle that automatically), it's exactly like you are online 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
First, checkout these informative FAQs.
Now take a look at the US West costs. ISDN at my home costs about $80 per month. That gets me 2 phone lines so it isn't too much more than what I was paying for my previous 2 phone lines with caller ID etc. Installation is $110 or $210 if a brite card in needed plus any wiring you ask them to do.
Check availability at your local CO (central office). Most of the Twin Cities metro COs have ISDN now, but if your local phone prefix isn't in this table, call to find out the status.
Contact USWest and order a loop test to check your distance from the CO. If ISDN is available (and it probably is), your connection must also be within 18,000 feet of the CO - this is the major hurdle for most locations. US West will run a simple "loop test" on your current phone which will tell if you pass or fail. If you fail, they can also tell you about the options for longer distances. Sometimes it'll just cost a little extra for installation of a "bright card" to extend the distance up to 28,000 feet..
If you made it this far, you need to obtain a TA (terminal adapter - it's like a modem for ISDN). The TA model number is needed by the phone company to place the order. The Motorola bitsurfer plus works well, is about $300, and is available at many computer stores. (e.g. CompUSA) This unit works just like a modem, while other higher priced units have ethernet connections and can do automatic dial-on-demand.
Contact USWest and place your ISDN order. So far we are seeing ISDN installs range from 14 to 90 days after the order goes in. The big delay factor is if they need to pull an additional wire to your location. If you already have 2 phone which you plan to replace with ISDN be sure to let them know so they don't pull new wires unnecessarily.
When your ISDN arrives you must configure the TA. Generally speaking, the connection process via ISDN works very much like it does via an analog modem (unless you are using a more expensive ISDN router vs. a typical ISDN modem). I personally am using a Motorola Bitsurfr, and the instructions that came with it were fairly complete. Assuming you are using a similar "style" connection, you simply load and configure the manufacturer's supplied software. During that process, you will be supplying the two phone numbers your ISDN connection has been assigned, including the 4-digit "extension". When the software asks for the SPID, it would normally be expecting your area-code and phone number and extension along the lines of: 61277712341111. If you have any question about this, you can find out from USWest what your two SPID numbers are. In any case, once you configured your ISDN modem, you simply click on "My Computer", then "Dialup Networking", then right-mouse-click on the connection profile you have been using for USFamily.Net. Select "Properties" and change the modem selection from your old analog modem to your newly configured ISDN modem and click OK to apply the changes. That's pretty much all there is to it. Win95 treats an ISDN modem pretty much like any other modem. If you have any problems, send us some email describing the situation as best you can, and we can always arrange a time to get on the phone with you while you are at your computer and try to help you with specific questions.
Once you get your ISDN and you want even more speed, contact USFamily.Net and upgrade to both ISDN channels for 128k on demand. "With compression, users in many applications today can achieve throughput speeds of from 256 Kbps to more than 1, 024 Kbps - more than a megabit per second." - USWest FAQ.
Be sure to send us an e-mail and let us know how it's going in the fast lane.