Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide a connection to the Internet through either a wired or wireless connection. A wired connection uses either regular phone lines for dial-in/dial-up, ISDN or DSL, or a cable modem. A wireless connection uses either a satellite dish or a wireless card.
To help Wayne State students and employees find and evaluate a wide range of ISPs, check out the following online resources. They include an ISP search engine, ISP directories, and publications with articles or reviews on particular ISPs and how to choose one for you and your family.
Disclaimer: Wayne State University makes no claims or recommendations concerning any ISPs. Anyone using such services should read all agreements carefully and beware of claims offering "free" service.
| Local Internet Providers | See
our page listing local Internet Service Providers |
|---|---|
| Reviews and descriptions of Internet services | Broadband Reports – Reviews of providers in many states and in Canada |
| Internet connection speeds – dialup to cable – a large gap | |
| Broadband scorecard | |
| Choosing the Best Internet Connection – Pros and cons of available options | |
|
Types
of Internet Connections – A Quick Reference |
|
| Comparisons of Internet services | DSL vs. Cable Modem Comparison |
| Cable vs. DSL | |
| Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Versus Cable | |
| Top U.S. Internet Service Providers by number of subscribers | |
| Ranking Internet Service Providers by Size | |
| ConsumerSearch – ISP Comparisons | |
|
Free
ISP Comparison – quick comparison of the important features
of the best free internet access providers |
|
| SearchUSandCanada | List of ISPs – Search by location or country |
| The ISP Guide.com – Search by DSL, Cable, Wireless, Dialup | |
| The Broadband guide.com – Search by broadband categories | |
| CANADIAN ISP.COM – Compare ISPs serving Canada | |
| About:TV/Video – Canadian Cable Providers |
|
| Search for free and paid wireless services | Wi-fihotspotlist.com – search for free wireless services |
| Hotspot-locations.com – Search for free public hot spots | |
| wififreespot.com – Search for free hot spots | |
| wifinder.com – Free public access to Wi-Fi | |
| EZ Goal – Wireless Hotspots | |
| Boingo.com –
Single paid subscription includes many Wi-Fi providers
|
|
| Countywide wireless initiatives | WiFi Macomb |
| Wireless Oakland | |
| Wireless Washtenaw | |
| Dial-in / Dial-up | Dialup ISP Guide – How to find a dialup Internet service provider |
| Dial In
Free – A no-cost alternative to a high-speed connection. Choose
the manual setup and follow the step-by-step instructions. Caveats: vendor
only offers pay-as-you-go support; be prepared for busy signals. |
The C&IT Help Desk and computer support staff in University departments do not provide connectivity support for Wayne State students, faculty, and staff accessing network services through commercial ISPs. Connectivity and related hardware support for commercial ISP users must be provided by the ISP rather than by computing support staff on campus.
Assistance with using applications included with the computer operating system still can be obtained from the C&IT Help Desk or computer support staff in WSU departments, even if you are using a commercial ISP. The limitation is that University support staff will not troubleshoot problems specific to an ISP.
Browser note: If you choose AOL or MSN for your Internet provider and the browser does not work properly when you try to access WSU resources, try installing another browser from the Computing & Information Technology (C&IT) Help Desk Supported Software page.
