Cable Internet trial results: So far, so good   March 26, 2000   By JIM BROOKS We met on a cold day in late December, introduced by a young man who worked for the city of Bardstown. Since that day, my new friend and I have been constant companions, and I can't imagine how I got along before we met. The new ``love'' of my computer life isn't a person, but my 3Com U.S. Robotics cable modem that is my connection to the city of Bardstown's recently unveiled Internet-over-cable-TV system. The City of Bardstown has owned its own cable system for many years. When the time came to began updating the aging cable transmission lines a couple of years ago, the city's administrators had the vision to see how they could both improve and expand their services. The major upgrade was completed last year, as aging coaxial cable lines were replaced with state-of-the-art fiber-optic cables. The upgrade wasn't cheap, but it allowed the city's cable system to offer additional channels, and enabled the creation of a new service -- Internet via the cable TV lines. I've been using the system since December, and I've been impressed. Web pages that once slowly filled my screen pop up with vigor. E-mail often downloads so fast I can't read the headers as they transfer. Bardstown Cable.net's service is still new, and has had a few growing pains to date. My home system quit recognizing the network the first or second week I had it online, and required the attention of the system manager to straighten it out. The system's Internet access was up and down over about a week's time back in January, though that was a problem on the telephone company's end. THE DETAILS. The city of Bardstown's unlimited cable Internet access runs $29.95 a month, plus $5 rental fee on the cable modem. Actually, there are six cable Internet access packages available. Three are priced for home users, three are aimed at business-level users. The access packages are seperated by bandwidth: 128k, 256k and 512k. In my days hanging around Ohio Valley Raceway, they used to say ``Speed costs money -- how fast do you want to go?'' The same holds true with Internet access, with the faster access levels costing more than the basic service. Cable Internet customers inside the city limits have two-way cable access. Customers who live outside the city limits -- like me -- have one-way cable access, and this requires the use of a modem and telephone line. It sounds a little complicated, but it really isn't. With the hybrid cable TV/telco system, the Internet downloads via the cable modem at the fast speed you want. Mouse clicks, outgoing e-mail, and other information travel from your computer to the Internet via a provided 56k U.S. Robotics modem that interfaces with the cable modem. The system sounds convoluted, but it isn't. And I can attest to the fact that it works well. HOW FAST IS FAST? Bardstown's cable Internet packages are priced fairly by bandwidth, though most users opt for the 128k level, which is $29.95 a month, plus the modem rental fee of $5. But what do all these numbers translate to in real time download times? With my service, I've seen download rates from 3 to 10 times faster than what I was getting from a standard analog modem. There's a slightly higher price to pay, but is it worth it? In my mind, that answer is a resounding ``yes.'' In addition to Internet access, the Bardstown system offers 10 megs of Web page storage with each account. A newsgroup feed was recently added, and a filtering system for those who want one is being set up. SECURITY. Cable Internet access has had its share of horror stories in the press, primarily dealing with security. Bardstown Cable Internet makes it clear that each user is responsible for keeping their system secure. But securing your home PC that's connected to a cable modem isn't particularly difficult. ``A cable modem system is no more hackable than (a dial-up modem),'' said Keith Fowler, Bardstown Cable Internet network manager. ``If you password protect yourself and don't leave yourself exposed, then you're going to be secure.'' One of the first steps owners of Windows PCs will need to take is to disable the file and printer sharing feature. Completing this step will make it more difficult for someone to gain access to their PC online. Additionally, users who have additional security concerns may buy personal firewall products, Fowler said. I've tried personal firewall products offered by Network Ice (BlackIce Defender) and Zone Labs' free ZoneAlarm. For a detailed review, go to my column archives at www.myoldkentuckyhome.com and select the column dated March 5, 2000. SPEED TRAP. Speaking of Internet connection speeds, if you've wondered just how fast your Internet connection really is, I recently stumbled across a Web page that can calculate that for you automatically. The page is part of MSN's Computing Central, and the Bandwidth Speed Test requires no software or other action on your part. Simply visit the page and see the results. The page also has some excellent explanations about why connection speeds vary, and why you won't always get the same results every time you try the Speed Test. Visit MSN's Bandwith Speed Test at www.computingcentral.com/topics/bandwidth/speedtest50.asp. NAPSTER ADAPTS 'ER. The mega-popular music retrieval software Napster is hoping some changes it is making to its coding will end the ban that many college campuses have placed on the software. Napster enables users to easily swap and share MP3 music files, which are CD-quality digital recordings. Napster users can make their own MP3 music files available online for download, creating a sort of musical flea market of Napster users' own music files. The problem that university computer systems have faced is Napster's popularity has overwhelmed many of their computer systems. System administrators on some campuses were finding that Napster use was slowing their campus networks down. At Indiana University, Napster use was devouring up to 60 percent of their available computer system's bandwidth. As a result, college computer system administrators across the country began banning the software. A newly revised version of the software that is undergoing testing will automatically search for a song title on hard drives connected to Internet2, the new high-speed Internet network that now connects more than 200 colleges and educational institutions. This move will keep Napster downloads from clogging the always-busy World Wide Web, provided the file is found via Internet2. If a file can't be found on Internet2, it next will search the Web. Napster -- and its users -- both have much to gain with a successful test. For more information on Napster and MP3 files, visit www.napster.com on the Web. YADA YADA NADA. After years of being critical of the Web, the National Automobile Dealers Association has decided to join the world of automotive e-commerce. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the industry group plans to open its own car-shopping site that will offer consumers access to invoice prices of new cars, an online inventory of new and used vehicles and links to trade-in value guies and dealer Web sites. NADA officials hope to have it's 19,500 dealers -- which represent about 90 percent of the nation's new-car dealers -- available through their new site, which will be called NADAdealers.com. The NADA site will offer consumers with names of three dealers in their area that carry brands they want to buy at no charge to the dealer or car buyer. The Web site is still underconstruction, but promises more content will be unveiled in April. For details, visit their site at www.nadadealers.com. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME |