T1 Line
I’ve dreamed about getting my own T1 line ever since my first net job, in the pre go-go days. At that time, a T1 line was an exotic thing. Very few companies had made the investment in a T1 line back in the mid-90s. These days, big fat connections are everywhere. How cool would it be to have a T1 run to the house, in order to set up a wireless neighborhood network?
A T1 Internet connection to a house?
It’s not folly, not whatsoever. If you’re serious about running a business online, whether it’s out of your home or a more formal business location, a T1 hookup is the real deal. (Back in the heyday, I wrote an article about a guy with four T-1 lines running into his home!)
There’s no question that T1 lines cost a whole lot more than other connections. To those that have the big pipe, it’s worth it. But how much more? It all depends on what they’re selling …
You’ll see companies advertising T1 Internet connections for as low as $299 bucks per month. After my experience, I’ve learned that the low-priced offers may not be what they appear to be. The ultimate cost of a T1 hookup depends on a number of factors, most importantly the type of connection and cost of the local loop. (There seems to be a good bit of action in the fractional and integrated T1 areas.)
Bottom line: you’ve got to look around.
I started researching T1s a few years back (before I got my dish–which I’ve just dumped). I called MCI (don’t laugh), Sprint (as they’re our local phoneco), and one or two other firms. After checking around, the best quote I got was $800 per month. (Which was, and still is, way out of my league.) I mentioned the quote to my buddies and they thought the price was high … but it all came down to geography and the cost of the local loop.
Now here’s where we get to the odd part of the story …
No sooner do I get off the line with one of the T1 providers when, lo and behold, an unmarked white van pulls up to the curb in front of my house. I didn’t think that much of this when it happened. It just looked like a sub-contractor for the phoneco, tv, or electric company. The guy fiddled around by the underground utility boxes for a while and sped off.
Later that day, I walked up to the bus stop to get the kids off the school bus. When I looked down at the street in front of my house, I saw some new cryptic markings on the asphalt.
Much to my amazement, “T-1″ was spray-painted on the street, with an arrow pointing towards ranchero indebto.
When I initially wrote this up, I had hoped to shoot a digital photo of the marking, to post with this article. But when I walked out to the curb that day, I found that the marking has faded away with time.
While I didn’t end up with a T1 line, that doesn’t mean I stopped dreaming about the increased level of customer support that I would have received.
My local provider wouldn’t be very happy with me if I shared my current connection. But if I put in a real T1 line, I could network the neighborhood with Pringles cans …
