| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | *Dial-up standard phone service *Bulletin Board Service | *Dial-up standard phone service *Internet "shell" account | *Dial-up *SLIP or PPP *Internet *Full Service Internet Connection | *Dedicated medium speed connection or ISDN dial-up *connection | *Dedicated High Speed connection |
| Speed | *9.6 to 28.8 kbps | *9.6 to 28.8 kbps | *9.6 to 28.8 kbps | *56 to 128 kpbs | *Greater than 128 kpbs |
| Applications Best Suited For This Connection Type | *email *mailing lists *newsgroups | *All of Level 1, plus text based: *telnet *gopher *IRC *Muds | *All of Level 1 & 2, plus graphical interfaces on: *Mosaic/ Netscape * (WWW) *Blue-Skies *telnet *gopher *IRC *Muds | *All of Level 1,2, & 3 plus *point-to-point CU-SeeMe | *All of Level 1,2,3 & 4 plus *multi-point CU-SeeMe video *Maven/audio |
| Applications Not Possible for this Connection Type | *telnet *gopher *IRC *Mosaic/Netscape * (WWW) *Blue-Skies *CU-SeeMe (video) *Maven (audio) | *Mosaic/Netscape * (WWW) *Blue-Skies *CU-SeeMe (video) *Maven (audio) | *CU-SeeMe (video) *Maven (audio) | *CU-SeeMe multi-point (video) *Maven (audio) | |
| Difficulty | *Easy to install *Easy to use | *Easy to install *Moderate to use - may require limited UNIX knowledge | *Difficult to install *Easiest to use once installed with point and click software programs | *Difficult to install and requires computer/ network staff *Easy to use (see level 3) | *Difficult to install and requires computer/ network staff *Easy to use (see level 3) |
| Price range | *cost of phone call to nearest site *May also have monthly charge plus hourly usage charge | *$10.00+ per month *May have additional hourly usage charge | *$20 to $250 per month *May have additional hourly usage charge | *Minimum $900 per month for dedicated 56 kbps *$30-100 per month for ISDN plus hourly usage | *Minimum $2500 per month |
| Connectivity Level | Contact Info | Cost/Pricing Options These prices and change frequently. Call for current prices and complete options. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrEdMail, K12net some community nets | Level 1 | 619-475-4852 | usually free - price of call to nearest node |
| America Online Delphi Internet Serv. Compuserve | Level 2 limited Level 3 | 1-800-827-6364 1-800-695-4005 1-800-848-8199 | $9.95 for first 10 hours, $3.50 each extra hour $10.00 for first 4 hours, $4.00 each extra hour $8.95 unlimited basic service + 60 email messages |
| CORE+ (California only) | Level 3 | 1-800-272-8743 | $35.00 a year for SLIP account cost to nearest site |
| PSI | All Levels | 1-800-827-7482 | ISDN $29 per month for 29 hours |
Based on a chart by Y.Andres (andresyv@cerf.net).
For a complete listing of Internet providers and phone numbers, we recommend
Connecting to the Internet, by Susan Estrada (O'Reilly & Associates)