This is gathered from my own research. I only list ISP's that are a free call from Vancouver South. From those ISP's, I only list the packages that cost no more than $30 a month. Anything more than that, and you'd be better off getting @Home, or ADSL if you're fortunate enough to have it offered in your area.
Also, this page isn't meant to replace the other ISP Listings out there. A good one is www.isplist.bc.ca. The only difference with this one is that I list dial-up numbers, a piece of info that seems to be seriously lacking out there. Armed with this info, you can determine valuable decision making criteria like connection speeds and busy signals. This one is meant to be complete though, so if I'm missing out on your favourite isp, let me know. Also, if you know of other listings for Vancouver, let me know and I'll link to them.
Feel free to use this list to help you decide on which ISP to choose, but if you publish it somewhere
else, please give me a little credit.
A few notes:
Dial Up numbers aren't secret. Just
search around in the tech support section of the ISP to find it.
If the isp lists a number on one of their pages that I don't have, let
me know and I'll add it to the list. If the ISP doesn't list
it, and gives a reason why, then I'm not going to list it either.
The connection speeds listed is for my
33.6 Cardinal modem. For some, I tested with a 56k USR (it is obvious
which is which). Your Mileage May Vary because of proximity to the ISP
and differences in line noise. Because everybody's experiences are
different, don't bother emailing me about differences in connection speeds.
If I list more than one, the first one listed is the most recent connect
speed.
Connection Notes lists things like busy
signal frequency
Pricing is whatever prices they list PER
MONTH for whatever amounts to around 100 hours a month (which is what I
was looking for). The monthly limit in hours is listed whenever applicable.
Pricing is accurate only as of the last time I visited the web page (in
some cases, over a year ago) so just use that as a rough guage of what
the pricing is. Visit the web site for more info.
Prime time (I'll call it p/t below) is generally from 3pm to 12pm, but check the isp's web site to be sure.
op/t is Outside Prime Time. mb stand for megabyte, and represents the size of web space you get with the account, if any.
| ISP Name | Dial-Up Number (only call during day hours please) | My Connection Speed | Connection Notes and other goodies | Pricing and limitations | Contact Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aebc | 241-8818 899-8995 2798817 | 31200 | max login 2 hrs, freq busy, news server lag | 18.88 flat rate | www.aebc.com/ |
| AICOM | Pro#: 6381331 express#: 713-3300 Regular#: 6383388 |
no pick up 31200/28000 Always busy |
Always busy | $16/250 hr (only 50 p/t), Free with $20 of long distance w/ AIC LD company | www.aicom.com |
| Ansa | 638-4964 | 33600,31200 | - | $20 / 100 hrs, $25 setup | www2.ansa.com/home.htm
320-7854 |
| ATT Canada | 689-5492 | 31200 | News server = about 3 weeks of articles | $25 if AT&T is LD | www.attcanada.net |
| Axion | 280-3425 689-8803 638-3425 691-1283 522-0687 |
33600 31200/31200 |
News server = 2 days of articles
Sometimes busy during peak hours. |
$20 / 150 hrs
(3 months $55), 2 mb web space |
www.axionet.com or www.axion.net
687-8030 |
| bc-alter.net | not supplied | - | - | $25 / 120 hrs | www.bc-alter.net/ |
| Blaze | 525-8342 | 31200 | - | $15 / 40 hours p/t, unlim op/t | www.blaze.ca |
| Canada Wired | not provided | - | - | 18.95 unlimited 5mb web page | www.canadawired.com
6064616 |
| Connexus | 687-2463 | 31200/33600 | keeps only 2 days on news server | $19.95 / 120 hrs | www.cnx.net/ |
| Cyberus | - | - | - | $24.95 / 150hr @28.8 | www.cyberus.ca/ |
| Digital Rain | can't find | - | - | $20 Setup $15/45 hr (90 min/day) | www.digital-rain.com/ |
| Dowco.com | 638-1222 | 31200 | p/t = 3:30-10:30pm | $20/ 60 p/t hrs + 100 op/t hrs | www.dowco.com |
| GateOne | 589-0320 | 28800,26400 | - | $15/30hours free personal web page | www.gateone.com/ |
| Imaginet | 662-3839 | 31200/33600 | busy sometimes | $25/unlimited, $20/150 hours, 5mb of web storage | www.imag.net/vancouver/ |
| in2net | 638-6323 | 31200/33600 | Sometimes modem doesn't answer | 150 hrs, $20, 5 mb web space | www.in2net.com/
608-6868 |
| Infinet (used to be Conneti) | can't find | - | 35000 newsgroups | $19.95 120 hr | www.infinet.net/
606 7880 |
| Info Highway Inc (was Bluecrow) | Apparently based out of Ontario, no local info, can anybody confirm? | - | - | Unlimited access and 10 mb @ $16 - 4 month contract $14.33 - 6 month cntrt (2 pop) $12.83 - one yr cntrt (3 pop) |
www.ihiway.com Bluecrow was www.bluecrow.com/
...and now redirects here: vancouver.theexecutive.com |
| Infomatch | 681-9116 | 33600/28800 | seldom busy, news server only a few days of articles | $20/120 hr/ 10mb | http://www.infomatch.com/ |
| Infoserve | 638-8000 | 33600/31200 | No busy signals. | $16/120 hr | http://www.infoserve.net/
482-8220 |
| Internet Direct | 602-9900 | 31200/33600 | modems sometimes don't answer | - | www.mydirect.com/ |
| Intouch | 638-2011 (33.6), 681-5844 (56k) | 31200, 28800/31200 | - | - | www.intouch.bc.ca |
| Internet Gateway | 6858959 | 31200/28800 | Moderately busy | $19.50 / 100 hrs | http://www.intergate.bc.ca/ |
| 56kflex | 6876877 | 46666/31200 | - | - | - |
| - | 6386877 | 31200/49333 | - | - | - |
| 56kx2 | 638-1100 | 50666 | - | - | - |
| 56k | 899-1100 | 50666 | - | - | - |
| Internet Lightspeed | 431-9383, 681-1527 | 28000/26400, 31200/33600 | - | $19.95 unlimited (1.5 hr limit in primetime)
$24.95 120hr |
www.lightspeed.bc.ca/ |
| Internet Portal | 681-2355 | 33600/31200 | not many newsgroups | $20- 1.5hr/day, $20 setup
1am - 6am: 37% of standard rate |
www.portal.ca/
257-9400 |
| IPrimus or ATT Canada (website is confusing) (was ACC Global) | 662-4031 | 33600 | - | - | Was www.accglobal.net and now is www.primus.ca |
| IPrimus (was Globalserve) | 602-1166 | 33600/28800 | - | $19.95 / mnth annually or $26.90 / monthly | www.globalserve.com |
| IStar | 669-8216 | 33600,26400 | - | $22.95/100hrs, 5mb disk
$30/200hrs 2 email, 10mb disk |
www.istar.ca/ |
| Lynx | 638-0154 | 33600 | - | 33.6 modem : $20/150 | isp.lynx.net/ |
| Max-net(aka Intouch) | - | - | - | - | www.max-net.com/ |
| MDI | 602-1180 | 33600 | poor newsgroups, busy signal | $10 setup $19.98/150 hr | www.mdi.ca/ |
| Mortimer | 638-0152 | 31200 | weird connection - no answer | $20 / 100hr 5mb web 2 email | www.mortimer.com/ |
| Netcom | 331-0614 | 31200/33600 | busy once in a while | 26.95 unlimited + 25 startup | www.netcom.ca/ |
| Netvigator | 638-8383 | 33600 | - | Can somebody who can read Chinese tell me how much the service is? :) | www.netvigator.ca/ |
| NpsNet | 8211614 | 33600 | - | Block time access ($35/50hr) or $18/25hr during
prime time + unlim non-prime time/mnth |
www.npsnet.com/ |
| Paralynx (was Mindlink) | 515-7277 | 33600 | Telnet access, shell accounts, banked time. | $20 for 75 hr p/t (7am - midnight) | www.paralynx.com/ |
| Planeteer | - | - | - | $25 setup, $19.95/80 hrs | www.planeteer.com/ |
| Psinet | Number has changed | 26400/33600 | - | - | www.psi.ca/index1.html
1-800-354-0820 |
| Prismnet | - | - | not much of a news server | $18.95/100hr, 33.6 $25/150hr, 56k | www.prismnet.bc.ca/ |
| Quik Internet | 2636685 | 31200/33600 | rarely busy | $20/150hr/ 10mb/ 2 email addys | www.vancouver.quik.com/
www.surrey.quik.com/ 539-2000 |
| Radiant | 6624042 | 33600 | - | $35 unlimited, 1 wk money back guarantee | www.radiant.net/ |
| RapidNet (abbotsford) | - | - | - | $25 Setup
$22/60hrs Prime time and 60 hours Off Prime Time, 1 mb web page. (or get 2 months free if you get a year subscription) |
www.rapidnet.net/ |
| Skybus | 2738180 | - | - | $20/30 hr prime (4-1am) | www.skybus.com |
| SmarttNet | 473-9747 | 28800/31200 | Poor newsgroups, moderately busy | $22.50/100 hr | www.smartt.com/ |
| Sprint | 280-6678 | 31200 | - | $23 or $21 if Sprint is LD | www.sprint.ca |
| Telus.net (was Sympatico) | 280-9000 | 28800 | - | - | www2.mybc.com |
| Ultranet | 681-1283 | 28800/31200 | - | - | I get a "connection refused by server" when I try this link: bc.ultranet.ca |
| Uniserve | 688-1746 | 28800/31200 | - | $25/120 hr, 2 mb www pages | www.uniserve.com/ |
Please remember to only call the dial-up numbers between the hours of
10am and 10pm (during the times that MOST people are awake)--I've
tested all the above numbers myself, but they sometimes change. If
one of the numbers *is* incorrect, please apologize to the person who got
the call, not just hang up and retry. Then email
me the change.
Which one did *I* pick? It's on another page so that this one can remain unbiased.
You can e-mail me corrections or obvious omissions at tichu@my-deja.com
.
If I'm way off on my assessment of busy signals or downtimes, let me know. I try
to be fair to whatever ISP is listed here.
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