National 56K Modem Dial-Up Accounts

What is ISDN?

How do I get an ISDN line installed and how much does it cost?

What type of equipment do I need?

What type of ISDN accounts does Surf-ICI, Inc. offer?
 

What is ISDN?

 ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. It is a digital phone line, which is different from the analog phone line you have in your home. An ISDN line can handle voice and/or data calls. ISDN lines consist of 2 "B" channels. Each "B" channel will have it's own telephone number and can be treated as a separate phone line for voice or Fax calls. Each "B" channel can also be used for "Digital Data" and can communicate at a rate of 64 Kb which is roughly twice as fast as a 33.6 Kb modem. An ISDN modem or router can combine both "B" channels together to be used for 128 Kb data which is roughly 4-5 times as fast as a 33.6K modem.. You may have an ISDN line installed in addition to or to replace your existing home or business telephone line. In many areas you may even keep your existing telephone number and have it transferred to your ISDN line. Click here for an extensive ISDN glossary.

ISDN was not commonly used in the Indiana Ameritech Region until the pricing was changed on August 12, 1997 to a flate rate plan. Ameritech now charges $45-$50/month for residential or $90-$100/month for business ISDN lines which is cheaper than the cost of two regular phone lines. ISDN has been around for over 20 years and is a proven technology in many areas of the World and the United States. Since the price for ISDN service from Ameritech is now more in line with the rest of the world, Indiana users are just now starting to utilize ISDN.

ISDN is a good solution for the SOHO (Small Office Home Office) that wants to Surf the Internet and not tie up phone lines. If you are using both ISDN "B" channels for Data and a voice or fax call comes in, your ISDN modem will drop a "B" channel and allow the voice or fax call to come through while you are still Surfing at 64 Kb on the other "B" channel. If a second voice or fax call comes in, then the remaining "B" channel will be dropped. The same is true for outbound voice or fax calls.

ISDN is also a good solution for the small or medium size businesses who want to connect their Local Area Network to the Internet with an ISDN router. An ISDN router can allow up to 250 users to simultaneously use the Internet, however, a more practical limit would be around 25 simultaneous users.

You will hear an ISDN line commonly referred to as an ISDN BRI (Basic Rate Interface) line. The analog telephone line you have in your home or office is referred to as a POTS (Plane Old Telephone) line. To find out how to get an ISDN line see: How do I get an ISDN line installed and how much does it cost?

You cannot plug a standard telephone directly into an ISDN wall jack. While the modular plugs look similar, they are not the same. When you pick out an ISDN modem or router, you should check if there are one or two or no analog or POTS jacks to plug your phone or fax machine into. This is one of the factors which determines the cost of an ISDN modem or router. To find out how what kind of ISDN modem or router is best for you, please see: What type of equipment do I need?

Once you start to understand the concept of ISDN lines, you can determine the level of ISDN Internet service you wish to obtain from Surf-ICI, Inc. A wide range of services are available for everyone; from the individual home user with an ISDN modem or terminal adapter, to the small or medium size business who wants to allow all their network users to use the Internet through an ISDN router. To find out the level of service which is best for you, please see: What kind of ISDN accounts does Surf-ICI, Inc. offer?
 

How do I get an ISDN line installed and how much does it cost?

To make sure Ameritech ISDN service is available in your area check their ISDN AVAILABILITY site.
ISDN is pretty much available all over Central Indiana.

To contact Ameritech Team Data® email: ameritech.teamdata@ameritech.com telephone: 1-800-TEAM-DATA® (800-832-6328)

Once ordered, it will take about 2 or 3 weeks for Ameritech to install your ISDN line.

Rates for ISDN BRI lines vary depending on your location. Typically Ameritech charges $55/month for residential and $95-$100/month for business service. There will also be an installation charge ranging from $50 to $150 depending on if you want an ISDN jack installed (a good idea). Assuming that you make all local calls in the same calling area as your regular phone service, there are no usage charges. Long distance calls are handled the same way as a regular phone line.

The cost of your local ISDN service is not included in the cost of your ISDN account with Surf-ICI, Inc.

What type of equipment do I need?

In order to use an ISDN line, you will need some sort of ISDN adapter. Even if you only want to use your ISDN for two phone lines, you have to have a special adapter to split off the POTS lines. There are two types of ISDN devices which you can connect to your computer or network, both of which can be considered to be an ISDN adapter. Don't let the phone company sell you an ISDN modem or adapter.

ISDN Routers

An ISDN router is a device which connects your Local Area Network (usually Ethernet) to your ISDN BRI line. An ISDN router can allow multiple users to access the Internet and share the 128K total bandwidth of your ISDN line. 128K will easily support a dozen or so users surfing at the same time and up to 250 occasional users. Unless a user is actively surfing or downloading, they are not using up your ISDN bandwidth. ISDN routers range in price depending on features and the number of analog POTS jacks it has that you can plug regular telephone devices into.  The main features to look for are Multilink PPP Channel Bonding, Bandwidth on Demand, and Data Compression capability. Some routers are limited on the number of users they will support and the ability to assign dynamic TCP/IP addresses. The ISDN routers we like best include the NetGear RT338 and RH348.  We've installed many of these and they have proven to work well.  We sell these NetGear routers for $350 which includes installation.  There are many other ISDN routers which will work well with our service. ISDN routers range in price from $300 to $1200.  We are not impressed with Cisco and WebRamp routers as we have found them to be difficult to set up and are lacking in features.
 

What kind of ISDN accounts does Surf-ICI, Inc. offer?

Surf-ICI, Inc. offers the following levels of ISDN service:

Individual Dialup: $40/month

• 200 "B" channel hours/month  (.50/hour over 200 hours)
• Multilink PPP, (2B/128K)
• Compression Enabled
• Account includes 1 e-mail address.

SOHO Network Router: $70/month

• Dial On Demand Mode
• BOD (Bandwidth on Demand) "B" + "B" (64/128K)
• NAT or DHCP Dynamic IP Address/Firewall Protection
• Compression Enabled
• Up to 8 users and 8 e-mail addresses
• 1 MB Web Space (Personal or Business)

Corporate Network Gateway: $160/month

• Dial On Demand Mode
• BOD (Bandwidth on Demand) "B" + "B" (64/128K)
• NAT or DHCP Dynamic IP Address/Firewall Protection
• Compression Enabled
• Account includes up to 20 users and 20 e-mail addresses
• Additional users with e-mail address $1/month ea
• 25 MB Virtual Server WWW Page (www.yourdomain.com)
• Wildcard E-Mail Address routed to existing address (*@yourdomain.com)

Unlimited Corporate Network Gateway: $200/month

• Dial On Demand Mode
• BOD (Bandwidth on Demand) "B" + "B" (64/128K)
• NAT or DHCP Dynamic IP Address/Firewall Protection
• Compression Enabled
• Account includes unlimited users and 30 e-mail addresses
• Additional e-mail address $1/month each
• 25 MB Virtual Server WWW Page (www.yourdomain.com)
• Wildcard E-Mail Address routed to existing address (*@yourdomain.com)

Dedicated Corporate Network Gateway: $250/month

• $200 Setup (Waived with 1 Year Contract)
• First "B" channel Full Time with Dedicated Port
• 2nd channel Full Time (add $100/month)
• BOD (Bandwidth on Demand) "B" + "B" (64/128K)
• DHCP Dynamic IP Address/Firewall Protection
• Compression Enabled: STAC or MS-STAC
• Account includes unlimited users and 30 e-mail addresses
• Additional e-mail address $4/month each
• Domain registration for free.
• 5 MB Virtual Server WWW Page (www.yourdomain.com)
• Wildcard E-Mail Address routed to existing address (*@yourdomain.com)

Routed IP Addresses:

1 dedicated IP address (for the router)  $5/month

2 dedicated IP addresses (router and 1 Server)  $20/month

6 dedicated IP addresses (router and 5 stations) $60/month

14 dedicated IP addresses (router and 13 stations) $120/month

30 dedicated IP addresses (router and 29 stations) $200/month

* Forward and Reverse DNS included for 2 or more IP addresses