My company has several remote offices around the country with two to five people working in each. To control costs, we went with either a DSL or cable modem connection. Our problem is when we lose Internet service at one of these offices, it is usually out for several days. Trying to deal with a single PC and a dial-up modem just isn’t cutting it. What options can you suggest on having a back-up Internet connection in the wings without paying a fortune?
– Via the Internet
There are several options you can look at. In some areas of the country, you can get an ISDN line installed and with the right ISP to work with you, you can get both B channels bonded together for a 128k connection. The cost of the ISDN line should be fairly low. But it can get really expensive is when you have to use the line, as most local exchange carriers will charge by the minute. Business/commercial connections typically can’t get a flat-rate ISDN package. You’ll also need to buy an ISDN router that will connect to the phone line and give you an Ethernet interface to which you connect your PCs. An option to consider is getting a ISDN router with two POTS ports on it. Yhis way, you can use the ISDN connection for two voice connections when you don’t need Internet access.
See if you can find a wireless Internet provider in the area that will charge you based on bandwidth used. In that case, you should only have to pay for the installation of the equipment and a modest monthly charge of some type. Depending on the amount of Wi-Fi activity in the area, your remote offices might be able to “borrow” some Internet access from a neighboring business and not have to invest a fortune to do so. With this type of arrangement, I would recommend using an IPSecurity-based VPN connection back to your office to keep things as safe as possible.
An option of last resort, in part due to expense and in part due to limitations, is looking at a back-up satellite connection using DirectTV’s DirectPC Internet satellite service. This is typically limited to a single PC. The available bandwidth may be little better than dial-up depending on how many others are contending with you for the same bandwidth. The IP latencies I’ve seen with this type of connection are just high enough to make a VPN connection almost impossible to keep running. Your experience may be different from mine. Talk to other businesses in the area and see how they’re connecting to the Internet as they may be using something that you may not have thought of.
