Hi folks. I’ve read through the AOL vs. Other ISP thread and am not quite convinced AOL is worthy of my derision. I don’t have any love for them, mind you. I finished school, lost my T1 connection (trauma!) and I went for the one month free plan. Anyway, Most of the problems I read about in the thread are relatively easy to get around (i.e. I use IE to surf, not AOL’s browser) and the others don’t really bother me that much. Except one, the alleged speed difference out on the Web.
Two weeks ago I jumped on the DSL bandwagon and set up an account with Bell Atlantic. I still have my AOL account (they are giving me two months free in hopes of keeping me as a customer) that I can get to by selecting lan/somethingorother from AOL’s startup screen. So now I can be connected to the Web simultaneously via Bell Atlantic and via AOL’s software.
In doing this, would it make any sense to point both of them to the same site and compare page loading / file download times? I realize that I’d have to average the times over many trials to account for the vagaries of the web. But, if AOL is slower, that difference should show up. Or will it? Is this a fair test? (I am asking this, btw, because AOL says they are also offering DSL service with comparable speeds for a lower cost.)
Also, I am not clear as to why AOL is slower. Would anyone care to offer an explanation?
Thanks for listening,
Rhythmdvl
PS Oh, and if anyone feels they have more to add to the above linked thread, I’d be very happy to read your thoughts.
Yes, there is another way to access AOL through another ISP.
In AOL’s connection setup section, there is a drop down menu in which you can select the TCP/IP option. In doing so, you would need to connect with another ISP first, then open AOL. This plan is called the BYOA plan (Bring Your Own Access). You can read more about it at AOL keyword: BYOA. It costs $9.95 a month.
It doesn’t rely on AOL’s servers, but rather your ISP’s server. So to answer your question about having AOL’s browser open and downloading something and another browser downloading something – it would not matter since they are using the same connection.
AOL user for 2 years. Average speed that I acheived was approx. 2-3 k/sec. Once I got 5k but it only lasted for about 10 seconds then it went back down.
Dumped AOL and signed up with another ISP, internet 2xtreme. Have had them since Feb. of 1999. Average speed was 6-7 k/sec, once I got 11k but that only lasted for about 5 seconds.
In Septmenber of 1999 I got DSL (WOOHOO) Average speed of 250-500 k/sec. Once I got 1.5 megs, and that lasted for the whole time I was downloading the file.
Alright, I think you can see where the problem with AOL is, at least my problems. The connection through the phone line was the slow part. Ever notice how sometimes you will get a busy signal? Well that means that the particular place you are calling is experiencing high call volume, so when that happens you will find that you have a slow connection. When AOL opened up some new #'s in my area I jumped and started using the new numbers and saw a significant speed increase, About 1-2 k more per second. That only lasted for about a week before everyone found out about the ew number and started using it. I have used AOL features in the same manner you are talking about. I have accessed AOL through my DSL line and through my 2xterme account and the speeds I got were normal for those connection, meaning a lot faster than any connection I ever got through dialing into AOL servers with my modem.
So I do not believe that the problem is with the whole AOL system, but rather the gateway that you call into with your modem. If you log in around 2 AM you will probably find your connection is rather speedy. But if you log in around 5-6 PM you will find your connection sucks. The reason being the computer center that handles the communication between you and the AOL network is being over used.
Of course I have done no research on this, this information is simply pulled from my experience with using AOL and my experience of computers and how the internet works. Unfortunetly, I am not very good at explaining things like this. If I was not clear enough, or if someone disagrees then please tell me. If I am wrong then I would like to know what the real reason is. Of course I am never wrong so this probably won’t happen.
I use AOL and get speeds of around 5-7 K/sec. That is what it says when I download something. It varies depending on the site I’m downloading from, but is usually between 2.5/7 K/sec.
I use AOL because my wife likes it and doesn’t want to change her email. I just use AOL to get connected, then use IE 5.0.
I think they have a plan for $5 a month that you could use if you have another ISP but don’t want to lose your AOL email address.
Since you are logging on using TCP/IP, you are spared all of the busy, loaded down modem pools. The real traffic would be seen on your DSL network, not on AOL.
AOL’s dial-up is crawlingly slow, Period. Always was, always will be. Due to the sheer amount of people on the network, it’s slow.
Personally, if you’re newbie, and you’re looking to hook up with people for a good time, or just do some chatting, and don’t need speed-intensive downloads, or anything, AOL’s great. If not, go with cable, or DSL.
