80 employees and growing

[Siten0308]

hello,

I am wondering, we have atleast 80 pcs that are running outlook 03, all windows xp pro, we dont have an exchange, we use pop3 (someone hosts our email and website) we have a database server, vpn, etc. right now i am hearing complaints on internet being slow, we currently have a t1 line, would it be a good idea to up it and get another t1 line to have 2? internet surfing, i have restrict some websites but not all.

thank you

[johnwill]

With 80 users, I think you'll need more than another T1 line to have decent Internet performance! I'd look into commercial cable or DSL accounts, for plain Internet access, they beat T1 to death! It's only if you need the special attributes of a T1 connection that it makes sense. Around here, you can get a 30mbit/5mbit fiber connection for $179/mo, hard to justify T1 lines when compared to that.

[Siten0308]

really? dsl commercial or cable? never heard, we currently using right now t1 line and using mpls to connect to all sites together. we currently have 4 sites total. but to have all commercial cable, how does that work? does it or can it work with a cisco router?

Thanks again

[ebackhus]

I work in a library with about 32 machines and a T1. It is SLOW. I'd suggest moving up to a commercial grade cable line. Most every system is compatible with Cisco networking equipment.

[Siten0308]

hmm so cable huh, how many cable accounts would take the place of 2 t1 lines? because i want to increase our speed. obviously it depends on where the company is located that will determine the ISP correct? how much faster is the business cable line than a t1 line? you said 30ms is for 179/month?

thanks for the info it is helping

[Siten0308]

I have to say i did some research and this is some of the results, what do you think?

for me I am leaning back to T1 or getting another T1 line, because after all this is a business, yes cable does it for business but check out the info and the link below:

user:
Capt Underpants07-18-2005, 08:25 PM
I think the difference is that a T1 has both 1.5 Mbits down and Up. Your cable connection has 3.0 Mbits down and maybe 512 Up (if you're lucky).

also the link between dsl vs. t1 vs. cable

http://home.tfb.com/pages/DSLT1vsCable.htm

wondering what you guys think, of course just want nothing but the best for the company. any input (IT) would be great.

[johnwill]

Verizon FiOS that I use has 15mbit down/2mbit up speeds, and it's $45/mo.

Just because it's a business, that doesn't dictate T1.

A VAST MAJORITY of Internet traffic is downloading, that's why the cable makes a lot more sense. You could get two commercial Comcast accounts that would offer you 16mbit downloads and 2mbit uploads and use a dual WAN router. This would be FAR cheaper than two T1 lines, and would offer far better overall performance.

[1 g0t 0wn3d]

To bad our school does not know that we hav 4 t1 line and fiber in the buildings and it is still slow lol

[johnwill]

Originally Posted by 1 g0t 0wn3d

To bad our school does not know that we hav 4 t1 line and fiber in the buildings and it is still slow lol

I rest my case. I wouldn't trade my FiOS connection for two T1 lines.

[Siten0308]

thanks for all the info so Fios then huh, or what is it, DSL lines? thanks again for all the info

[johnwill]

FiOS is a fiber connection directly to the premises. Not all areas have the service, but you should be able to get some broadband service.

Another way to increase bandwidth and reliability is to use dissimilar services, one cable and one DSL, for instance. You connect both to a dual-WAN router, and if one service is out, you still have Internet access, though it's obviously slower. Beats being out totally.