# A la carte DSL? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432 "2011-04-15T01:47:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/1 "2011-04-15T01:47:30Z")
Grandma and Grandpa are snowbirds in Florida, and I like going down to visit them for 3-4 weeks at a time. Yet it’s such a pain to drive 5 miles to the Starbucks for wi-fi when I want to check e-mail or my regular internet routine. Provided I was willing to supply my own router and modem box (I could furnish these easily), is there an option somehow to buy DSL internet for one month at a time, sans contract? I’ve never seen it on an ISP’s website advertising. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/2 "2011-04-15T01:58:12Z")
I _think_ if you buy your own modem for $99 at Best Buy AT&T won’t make you sign a contract. Of course I’m speaking as someone whose waaaaay out of any kind of contract with them. My modem (at work, don’t use them at home) broke and when I asked them if they would send me a new one for free since I’ve been with them for so long they said they would supply it only if I signed a new contract. Is Roadrunner an option? Time Warner never makes you sign contracts. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/3 "2011-04-15T03:42:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I _think_ if you buy your own modem for $99 at Best Buy AT&T won’t make you sign a contract. Of course I’m speaking as someone whose waaaaay out of any kind of contract with them. My modem (at work, don’t use them at home) broke and when I asked them if they would send me a new one for free since I’ve been with them for so long they said they would supply it only if I signed a new contract. > > Is Roadrunner an option? Time Warner never makes you sign contracts. No, apparently only comcast services our zip code! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/4 "2011-04-15T04:03:50Z")
This is what you get when you sign up for a 3G plan on an iPad. The downside is that (1) it’s not DSL, just 3G and (2) you have to have an iPad. Sent from my iPad. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/5 "2011-04-15T13:20:06Z")
Cable isn’t an option? ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/6 "2011-04-15T21:07:30Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > This is what you get when you sign up for a 3G plan on an iPad. The downside is that (1) it’s not DSL, just 3G and (2) you have to have an iPad. > > Sent from my iPad. Just got my Ipad2 today! Wi-fi only. I’m Canadian, and so the roaming would be exorbitant. But I might just buy a sim chip for Florida and do my work on the blackberry…food for thought! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-la-carte-dsl/578432/7 "2011-04-16T04:39:23Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > Cable isn’t an option? Seems to me if Comcast is the only provider, then it _is_ cable broadband, which is not the same thing as DSL. I do believe they have a $24.95 a month plan which gives you 1.5 mbps downloads and you don’t need to commit for six months to get it. You could certainly sign up for it for a month, then cancel it. And if you have a wireless router, you can definitely use it with the iPad.