# Dial-up internet access **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720 "2011-12-10T09:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/1 "2011-12-10T09:48:09Z")
Do you currently use dial-up internet access? ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/2 "2011-12-10T10:21:44Z")
I use it when my power goes out. I can use the landline to access the Internet. My broadband cable also comes with a few dial up numbers. It’s slow as a wet week but as long as you stay away from sites heavy with pictures it’s doable. This message board, for instance isn’t bad ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/3 "2011-12-10T11:19:50Z")
I haven’t seen or heard a dial-up modem for at least seven years. I don’t know of anyone who still uses them. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/4 "2011-12-10T11:44:16Z")
I’ve been on broadband for several years now. If my cable goes out, I can’t even use dialup because I use Vonage for my home phone, which won’t work during an outage because it’s VOIP. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/5 "2011-12-10T14:14:33Z")
Last time I saw a dial-up modem was when I was visiting USA in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/6 "2011-12-10T14:43:43Z")
My in-laws still have dial-up. Whenever I’m in Michigan for the summer, I don’t even attempt to use the Internet because it’s too frustratingly slow. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/7 "2011-12-10T14:45:57Z")
The last time I used dialup was when I discovered my old ISP’s signup connection actually had full Internet access instead of just access to the ISP’s website. Thus I used it for free Internet when I was away from home, seeing as they actually had local providers everywhere (unlike stupid AOL or the like.) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/8 "2011-12-10T14:48:32Z")
Yes I use it because it is so old fashioned that my Amish community considers it plain. ADSL and cable are still fancy. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/9 "2011-12-10T15:55:12Z")
Haven’t used it in 6 years. The last time I tried it was so slow that a webpage that was nothing but a white background with plain text took 15 minutes to load. I’ve got DSL at the moment, and the second u-verse or another cable service is available in my area, I’m jumping to that. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/10 "2011-12-10T17:10:19Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Yes I use it because it is so old fashioned that my Amish community considers it plain. ADSL and cable are still fancy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/11 "2011-12-10T17:53:24Z")
Haven’t used dial-up in nearly 10 years. Still have a modem, though, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/12 "2011-12-10T18:07:36Z")
I have not used dialup since around 2000, but I have a friend who spends about half his time at his cottage in the Laurentians around 110 km north of Montreal and that has neither cellular service, cable service, nor DSL service (thanks, CRTC!). So he uses dialup half the time. It is, needless to say, very slow and also not cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/13 "2011-12-10T21:00:53Z")
I have satellite internet as my primary access method, with a 10 hours/month dial-up account for backup. I can also tether my cell phone to my laptop or netbook (but not my desktop, for some reason). I’m self-employed and live out in the sticks, so I need all the help I can get. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/14 "2011-12-10T22:09:22Z")
I haven’t used dial-up in probably close to 10 years. When my internet goes out, I use my cell phone to tether my laptop to my high speed smartphone. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/15 "2011-12-10T23:12:57Z")
My parents still have dial-up, so when I go there to visit, I have to use it unless I can… eh… get some wi-fi from the neighbors. I have to look how much per month does it cost to switch over to DSL or cable. If it is not much more than dial-up, I may even consider paying theirs. IIRC, at some point it was my sister who paid the dial-up. It’s bad, it crashes their computer, it slows everything. Heck, I have the “slowest” cable speed connection (also the cheapest), and it is still miles ahead of theirs. Some pages though (Cracked) take some time to load, I won’t even try that in dial-up. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/16 "2011-12-10T23:18:38Z")
At my cabin I use dialup on an old computer if I’m desperate. Satellite’s the only other option and we’re not up there enough to justify it. Generally the time we spend up there is internet-free. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/17 "2011-12-10T23:36:04Z")
I’m on dial up. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/18 "2011-12-10T23:49:56Z")
About six years ago I visited a friend who lives in rural Oregon, and was both charmed (by the screechy dialing noise, made me nostalgic) and horrified (5-10 minutes to load a website, OMG) by her dial-up connection. Otherwise I haven’t encountered dial-up in over a decade. If my home broadband were to go out, I’d use my phone to avoid the glacially slow loading times. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/19 "2011-12-11T00:40:02Z")
I have had satellite out here in the woods for the last five years, but I have lately been helping my computer illiterate neighbor in his quest to find a Philippine bride online. Just uploading his photo to the site took almost two hours! I complain about the satellite being slow, but working on his dial-up has given me renewed appreciation for the big ugly dish in front of my house. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720/20 "2011-12-11T00:42:54Z")
When I got my first phone with web and e-mail (the HTC dash), I ceased to have a reason to use dial up. Even as a backup for when the DSL went down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-up-internet-access/605720.md?page=2)