| Performance | 8 | |
| Ease of use | 8 | |
| Connection Speed | 9 | |
| Modem | 10 | |
| Overall | 8/10 | |
Covad Broadband DSL gives a viable alternative to 56K dialup and cable connections throughs its vast amount of residential, small business, and commercial plans.. With plans starting at $39.99/month for residential customers and $89/month for commercial clients, Covad is quickly providing residential and commercial ISP services nationwide. Covad packages start at $39.99/month. But, combined with a free installation kit ($199 value), an introductory offer for 21.95 a month (First 4 months) Covad, and a 1-month money back guarantee Covad offers one of most popular packages available among DSL providers. There are many discernable differences between the plans that should be analyzed. For one the $39.95/month doesn't include a fast internet connection speed only 200Kbps. The $49.99/month plan is at 608Kbps and includes free webspace. The $49.99/month plan is comparable to plans offered by most DSL internet service providers, but offers free web space which most other DSL providers don't offer. The TeleSoHo package costs around $89.99 but can operate at speeds in excess of 1.5Mbps. The TeleSoHo package allows for line-sharing which the other packages don't allow. With the TeleSoHo package small home office businesses can operate up to 4 computers at 1.5Mbps. The $275 installation kit is also free with the investment in this system. The difference between Covad DSL and other DSL providers is that Covad offers many packages including cheap DSL solutions (but with a slower connection speed) and a comprehensive package, where as most other DSL Internet Service Providers offer 1 basic package for $49.99 a month. The $49.99/month plan offered by Covad is identical to the plans offered by other competitors, but includes free webspace. The nicest thing about a DSL connection is that you will be connected instantly by a click of the button (the ON switch to your computer). Also, this instant connection is not like a cable connection. Cable is very unsecure. In May 2002, Comcast was ordered by the attorney general to stop spying on its customers. Comcast was able to do this because cable is a network connection (a whole neighborhood on one cable line) and DSL is a digital connection (independant). Basically they were keeping track of all the sites an individual visited. Since DSL connections are digital, it makes hacking and information gathering much more labor intensive (and therefore unviable). |
| Basic specs | ||||||||||
|
The Lowdown: With many DSL packages to choose from, free web space available on selected plans, and a money-back guarantee; Covad is quickly providing hundreds of thousands of customers with reliable internet computing solutions. No matter what your internet needs are, Covad has a package that will fit your residential or commercial needs. Commercial packages (T1 connections available) are very comparable to their cable counterparts, but offer the security of a digital connection rather than a network connection which can be shared by everyone in a two block radius.
ConsumerLowdown Rating:
