We want to make it really quick and easy for you to find a great dial up Internet provider.  We are constantly reviewing different ISP's and their offerings to try to bring you the best value in the industry.  Whether you are looking for free dial up Internet or a faster connection for a lower price, Dial Up.org and help you.

Dial Up Terms You Need to Know

• Baud (Baud Rate) - While this is a fun sounding word, it's actually a measurement for the speed which data is being transferred. If you have a 2400 baud modem, it can transfer 2400 bits per second. The term baud was chosen in honor of Baudot (a Frenchman that invented the teleprinter).
• Bandwidth - This is an expression of the amount of data that can be communicated to you so if you have a 12 Mbps connection you can get 12 MB per second which is exceptionally fast. With dial up the answer is closer to 14 Kbps or 56 Kbps (kilobytes per second). This can however be accelerated using various compression techniques.
• Broadband Internet - Typically a broadband connection is reserved for data transmission rates of 256 Kbps and higher. The connection does not require a phone line and is generally always on (you always have fast access to the Internet).
• Byte - This is equal to 8 bits of data and is normally capitalized to differentiate it from bits. So KBps (kilobytes per second) is 8 times more data per second being transferred compared to kbps (kilobitspersecond).
• Compression - In order to shrink the size of some data, you can use utilities like WinZip, GUN zip, and other similar software. It basically causes the same data to take up less bytes and when uncompressed the original contents are restored intact. Many dial up Internet services use compression clients to speed up the download process.
• Dial-Up Internet Access - This is a type of Internet service that utilizes a modem and an analog phone line to connect to a gateway server and open up a connection from the user's computer to the Internet for them to be able to surf the web, get email, and much more.
• DSL - This is a form of broadband Internet that stands for digital subscriber line or sometimes digital subscriber loop. Like dial up Internet it uses standard phone lines, but it uses them at extremely fast and dedicated rates. You can easily see 30X plus the speed of dial up when you are using DSL.
• Firewall - Several dial up ISP's will provide you with firewall software and/or your computer may come with it pre-installed. Basically this is a hardware/software solution that will keep intruders off of your private network. It's one of the most common and important forms of Internet security.
• ISDN - This is another way to transport data over plain old telephone (POTS)lines which is similar to DSL. ISDN stands for integrated services digital network and it can be even used to get dial up Internet users speeds up to 128Kbps. However, DSL is a much more popular technology.
• ISP - This is just an abbreviation for Internet Service Provider.
• POP - This is a term that most dial up Internet users know to mean point of presence or is it post office protocol? Well, actually it is more commonly post office protocol which is a protocol used by email systems. The older point of presence though usually referred to having a dialup access point at a specific POP.
• POTS - This is an abbreviation for plain old telephone lines (which is what dial up Internet uses).
• SSL - Secure sockets layer. This is important because it is a protocol used by websites to make sure the data you enter is not intercepted and used by a third party. Generally you can tell if a site is using SSl by whether the website url begins with HTTPS: instead of HTTP:.
• VPN - This is an abbreviation for virtual private network and this is commonly used by companies that want to give server access to their employees when they are away from the office. It's a private network and through using a VPN server and client the employee can still complete his/her work. However, it is important to not that dial up is generally not adequate to be used for VPN purposes.

10 Questions to Ask a Dial Up Provider Before Ordering Service

1. Pricing options: for most people, the price for any service is a big consideration. You will want to know about monthly costs, whether or not the service provider requires an annual contract, and if they charge a penalty for early cancellation of the service. It is easy to shop around until you find a company that can offer dial-up services at a price that fits your budget.
2. Dial-up numbers available: When accessing the Internet through dial-up services you are actually dialing a telephone number that gives you access to an Internet portal that allows you to enter into the “World Wide Web.” Ask your provider what numbers are available and how they are directed to your computer for use, then you will want to contact your phone company to see if those numbers will incur long-distance charges.
3. Computer system requirements: You will want to double check that your computer has the specifications needed to access the Internet via dial-up services. Most computers made today are configured so they are compatible, but you will want to be sure.
4. Dial-up service speed: Ask your provider what the typical speed of their dial-up service is. Compared to Satellite Internet service or DSL, a dial-up connection may seem to be a slower connection. It’s a good idea to know how fast the dial-up access speed is so if it seems slow, you know it’s “normal” and there isn’t anything wrong with your computer.
5. Speed of access and use: “Will the dial-up connection allow me to do what I want to do with my computer?” is another question you will want to ask. Speed of access may not be important to a casual Internet user, one who wants to surf the web for information or check on weather reports, but the more a person uses the Internet, the more they will notice the connection speed. If you are interested in live streaming video, uploading pictures or downloading music, you will want to ask how the dial-up connection will support such activities.
6. Reliability: Speed is only one consideration when discussion Internet connection. You will also want to be sure that your provider offers products with consistent and high reliability so you don’t have to worry about getting “booted” off the Internet right in the middle of an important activity or conversation.
7. Accelerator or Booster: Ask if your provider has an accelerator or booster program that can help increase the speed of connection and access. Many companies have these add-on’s available for free or a small monthly price and they can make your Internet experience more enjoyable.
8. Communication: Internet communication is one of the most common communication tools today. From email, to Instant Messaging to Web-cams and voice programs. In order to keep up with all your personal and business contacts you will want to make sure that your dial-up provider allows you access to all the communication features you like to use.
9. Security options: Many Internet service providers offer free extras with their service plans. Since you will want to keep your personal information safe when on the Internet, ask your provider what protection programs they have available to reduce online threats to your security.
10. Ease of use: When purchasing any service it’s good to know what kind of technical support the company offers. Do they have online support? Phone support? Real-time chat support? These are all important to know if you ever have questions about your service or problems with your service.