Serious connectivity for the home: services & prices

ISDN Modems

Idiom uses some channelized T1 circuits to provide ISDN connectivity. This lowers the raw link speed to 56kbps per "B" channel for those lines but allows us to offer ISDN throughout our extensive dialup network. See the detailed information about each individual access number on the points of presence web page to see if that number supports 56kbps/B-channel ISDN or 64kbps/B-channel ISDN.

Fast modems

We use digital modems connected though digital phone lines. There is no analog component on our end and thus no noise. The modems currently support 33.6kpbs using V.34+ and 56kbps using V.90 and Lucent's K56Flex technology.

PPP

• Choose a fixed IP address
  You get the same IP address every time you log in. This means that if your connection is disrupted, when you reconnect any programs you had running will pick up where they left off.
  Along with your static IP address, you are assigned a real hostname. It will look like YOUR-LOGIN.dial.idiom.com.
  You can run Internet servers on your computer.

• Choose a dynamic IP address
  With the right account type, you can log in multiple times simultaneously.

• Blocks of IP addresses available
  If you need a block of IP addresses for your network, we will provide them at no additional charge.

Unix Shell

• Telnet
• Internet Relay Chat
• Web clients
• Mail User Agents
• News readers
• Programming Languages
• Over 1,500 programs in all!

Internet Publishing

Using your Unix Shell account, or just plain old ftp, you can publish on the Internet.

WWW publishing features:

• Normal html;
• Hit counters
• CGI scripting with perl, tcl, scheme, etc;
• Embedded HTML programming with Miva, Meta-HTML, and/or PHP/FI;
• Image maps;
• Password-protection;
• Private search engine;
• Content negotiation;
• Self-service updates.

You can put files up for ftp in your own directory.

Email and Netnews

Read your mail with a unix shell or by using Eudora or Netscape.

Extra email accounts are available.

Idiom carries all newsgroups except binaries, pictures, and warez.

Reliable Service

We are commited to installing only the most reliable equipment. Any failures will be dealt with promptly and permanently.

Backups are performed almost every night. We will perform restores of files accidentally deleted. This service isn't free: $50 the first time, $200 thereafter.

DSL

Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) are regular copper phone lines that have special equipment at both ends of the line. They do not connect to normal phone company switching equipment.

Because none of the normal phone company equipment is involved, none of the normal phone line limits apply. DSL lines can run at very high speeds.

DSL lines run over what the incumbent telco (usually PacBell) considers residential lines, line problems are given the same priority as other residential services. For faster repairs, we reccomend a T-1.

Idiom uses Covad through PcWest to provision DSL services.

You can check on availability via Covad. Depending on how far you are from your phone switch, only some speeds may be available to you. To use the highest speeds, you must be fairly close to your phone switch.

Idiom is based in California. We can provide DSL in other parts of the country, but doing so either costs more or involves using another ISP to handle the bandwidth.

There are a bunch of different DSL signalling standards. With each different DSL speed and vendor there multiple choices for DSL equipment.

DSL equipment comes in a couple of flavors: cards; bridges; and routers. We prefer to provide bridges or routers.

With a router multiple computers can access the Internet over a single DSL line. With a bridge, only one computer can access the Internet. Multiple computers can connect to the Internet through a DSL bridge if a standalone ethernet-ethernet router is used with it.

Installation of the DSL equipment is sometimes done by the end user (you) and is sometimes done by the DSL provider.

Serious home-user account types

Fulltime Account

The fulltime account includes PPP and Unix Shell access. It includes an email mailbox, an ftp directory, and a WWW home page. It costs $100 to setup and $100 per month to keep it. Extra IP addresses will be provided as needed. The following usage fees apply:
• Dialup modem usage
  744 hours included. 35 cents per hour after that. Multiple simultaneous dialup will be charged at $0.70/hour for each extra connection.
• Disk storage
  20 MB included. 25 cents per MB per month beyond that.
• WWW and FTP bytes served on your behalf
  500 MB / month included. 2 cents per MB beyond that. Usage spikes are free (see policies page for details).

Fulltime ISDN Account

The fulltime account includes PPP and Unix Shell access. It includes an email mailbox, an ftp directory, and a WWW home page. With one "B" channel, it costs $100 to setup and $100 per month to keep it. With two "B" channels, it costs $190 to setup and $190 per month to keep it. Extra IP addresses will be provided as needed. The following usage fees apply:
• Dialup modem usage
  744 hours included. 50 cents per "B" channel per hour after that. Use of extra "B" channels will be charged at $0.35 per hour.
• Disk storage
  20 MB included. 25 cents per MB per month beyond that.
• WWW and FTP bytes served on your behalf
  500 MB / month included. 2 cents per MB beyond that. Usage spikes are free (see policies page for details).

We are no longer placing Covad DSL - direct orders

Covad DSL - direct

Idiom takes care of ordering lines, equipment and setting everything up. These prices include all taxes, telco charges, and equipment -- everything. These prices also include as many IP addresses as you require.

DSL service comes at different speeds: 144kbps symmetrical, 192kbps symmetrical, 384kbps symmetrical, 768kbps symmetrical, 1.1mbps symmetrical and 1.5mbsp download / 384kbps upload.

Idiom can both measure and limit bandwidth. In addition to the charges below, enough bandwidth must be purchased to cover most typical usage. Usage will be measured in five minute segments and graphed for your immediate review. If the five-minute averages shown on the graphs frequently exceed the bandwidth purchased, then Idiom may limit your bandwidth to the amount purchased. These bandwidth limits only matter to people who are very heavy users. Just surfing will not exceed the limits. This method ignores spikes in usage. Even spikes that last the whole day. Additional bandwidth costs $150/month per 100kbps.

Download &
Upload Speed 
Bandwidth
Included 
Bay Area 
Los Angeles   
Other Covad
Service Areas
Setup / Monthly  
Setup / 
Monthly 
Setup / Monthly
144kbps/144kbps 
50kbps    
$650 / $170     
$850 / $230   
$850 / $240
192kbps/192kbps 
55kbps    
$650 / $175     
$805 / $235   
$805 / $245
384kbps/384kbps 
80kbps    
$680 / $225     
$880 / $310   
$880 / $325
768kbps/768kbps 
100kbps   
$680 / $280     
$880 / $430   
$880 / $465
1.5mbps/384kbps 
110kbps   
$730 / $320     
not available 
not available
1.1mbps/1.1mbps 
120kbps   
$780 / $350     
$980 / $515  
$980 / $565

Covad provides discounts of various amounts at various times:



Setup Discounts for orders placed	144kbps	192kbps	384kbps	768kbps	1.5/384	1.1mbps
1/1/99 - 1/31/99	$350	$350	$350	$350	$350	$350
2/1/99 - 2/29/99	$175	$175	$175	$175	$350	$350
10/4/99 - 2/29/00	$150	$150	$150	$150	$150	$150
3/1/00 - 9/30/00	$225	$225	$225	$225	$225	$225

Prices assume a one-year commitment. Without the commitment, setup is $300 more. Installation does not include inside wiring. $100 if it is needed. Installation includes a DSL router. With 144kbps/144kbps service, a Flowpoint router is used. Save $400 by providing it yourself. The DSL router is owned by Idiom but may be kept by customers who disconnect after 24 months. Save $150 by requesting a DSL bridge instead of a DSL router. With the DSL bridge, you only get one IP address and it will be different day to day. DSL bridges are only available at speeds of 192kbps and above.

Missed installation appointments will result in a $162.50 charge (passed through from Covad).

Dialup account extras

Extra mailboxes

Are you sharing your account? If so, please consider using separate email mailboxes for each person using your account.

An extra mailbox can be accessed if you are using a POP-based Mail User Agent like Eudora.

An extra, POP-only email mailbox is $20 to setup and $5 per month to keep. If multiple POP accounts are needed the setup fees quickly drop off to zero: $10 each for the 2nd and 3rd and then $0 for any more.

Virtual Hosting

Do you want your own domain?
With Virtual Hosting, you can have your own domain. Idiom's Virtual Hosting service includes everything that you need:
• Incoming email
  Email sent to your domain will come to your account. If you need multiple mailboxes in your domain, then an extra mailbox is in order. If you want some of the mail that comes to your domain to be sent to another site, it can be done for free using our web interface. Set up as many virtual email addresses as you want.
• Outgoing email
  When you send mail through Idiom, the return address is automatically rewritten so that it appears that the mail came from YOUR-DOMAIN.
• WWW server
  Your new web address is simply your domain name. www.YOUR-DOMAIN also works.
• FTP server
  Your new ftp address is simply ftp.YOUR-DOMAIN
• NIC registration
  The Network Information Center (NIC) is now charging $70 to register a domain. There is a further charge of $35 per year to keep it beyond the second year.
  
  Is the domain you want available? Please check using the whois command on the shell or with our domain checker at http://cgi.idiom.com/testdomain.

  Virtual hosting costs $50 to setup and $8 per month to keep. This charge does not include the fee paid to the NIC. You are responsible for paying the NIC yourself. They charge $70 setup and $35 per year after the second year.

  If you wish to have Idiom to pay the NIC, we charge $100 extra setup (total $150) and $2 extra per month (total $10).

Extras

In addition to the base accounts, the following additional features and fees may be of interest: extra disk space; secure web server; packet filtering; file restores; account renaming; database hosting; domain reservation;