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