On Wed, 2 Mar 2005, Nick Traxler wrote: > So, I'm using 256kbit DSL through Qworst and I really feel a need for > speed - does anyone with cable modem have a preference between Road > Runner or Earthlink? I think they're both 3Mbit down. (They didn't say > what the upload is - anyone know offhand?) I'm in Uptown MPLS, so > thankfully I don't have to endure Comcast. Earthlink resells RR cable if you are in a RR area. The actual cable connection is identical (5mbit down, 384k up). The differences are that with Earthlink you get free Earthlink dialup access instead of RR dialup access, and you get an @earthlink.net e-mail address instead of @mn.rr.com (of you want their addresses.) My advice is to go with whichever has the best current promotion. I switch between Earthlink and RR every 12 months or so to get the current deals (it's considered an ISP switch, even though your actual connection doesn't change.) They do charge a $25 ISP change fee, but when you consider that most of the promos knock at least $15/mo off, that's not a bad deal. :) If you're the type that collects Northwest frequent flyer miles, you can get a 5,000-10,000 mile bonus with Earthlink, plus the current X/mo off deal usually (have to call and ask them to combine the offers.) > Also, does the service give you a public IP? I don't care if it's static > or dynamic, as long as I can access it from outside. Yeah, both RR and Earthlink give you a public, dynamic IP. With RR, it'll be an ip with reverse dns in the 'mn.rr.com' domain; with Earthlink, it'll be in the 'mindspring.com' domain. > Finally, can you use your own cable modem with the service? I prefer a > standalone bridging modem so I can use my choice of router/access point. No - the cable modem they provide is a simple bridge, though. The device behind it gets a static IP. -- Nate Carlson <natecars at real-time.com> | Phone : (952)943-8700 http://www.real-time.com | Fax : (952)943-8500