Most churches have taken up the Internet these days but many are still stuck on the old dial up plans with the main ISP’s.
Moving to broadband is not that hard technically but can be daunting when faced with all the various plans out there. Nearly every 2nd person has an opinion about which company is the best and I suppose I am just one of them. I do however have quite a lot of experience in purchasing and setting up Internet connections.
The main things to look for are good value and better service. To do that you need to be able to compare at least half a dozen companies, and know what the differences are in each plan offered. An Australian Broadband ISP directory called Whirlpool http://www.whirlpool.net.au is a great place to start. Not only do they list hundreds of ISP’s and their plans, they also rate the most used ISP’s of their members.
At Whirlpool, you can review the various companies plans using their “Broadplan Choice” section and then also review a number of posts about the various companies in the “Discussion Forum” section. Most of the posts are from users and there are also posts from the ISP representative (They should be identified as Reprasentatives” so you can get a feel for the companies reputation.
Even if your church already has a broadband connection it may be worth checking out Whirlpool to see if you can get a better deal.
So – What do I use – Well I use Internode. Not because they are the cheapest but because their service is usually quite good. Every ISP will have issues from time to time and at some stage you probably will get stuck in a telephone queue for ages, but its what they will do if you ask nicely that matters. I have had them pull “Rabits out of Hats” before for KCC (Katoomba Christian Conventions) when Telstra failed to upgrade a service on time! Its that sort of service that will make a difference.
So once you have chosen an ISP you will need to hook it up.
Stick around and I will post an article on connecting your church office to Broadband Internet.