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 Free
Internet Access |
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Free
Internet access providers
Despite the flurry of stories in the media lately
about the supposed decline of freebies and free
services on the Web, we've found that Net users
today in fact have a broader range of freebies to
choose from than ever before. The one exception to
this is the category of free Internet access
providers.
The number of free Net access providers has declined
sharply in recent years, as the industry has seen a
number of players consolidate or go out of business.
However, there are still a number of free providers
in the U.S. (although most providers no longer offer
free, unlimited usage). And free Net access
providers continue to thrive in other countries,
particularly in Europe.
We don't recommend any of these services for use as
your primary Web connection, if you need solid,
reliable service. Still, the free services reviewed
below are handy for use as a backup service, if your
primary provider experiences downtime. They also
provide a convenient way for you to get online, if
you're on the road. |
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All Free ISP
In the aftermath of the Dot Com crash, most
national free Internet access providers went
bust. However, there are still many free local
ISPs around in the U.S. and Canada. This site
offers a searchable database of free ISPs,
complete with reviews and ratings. Besides free
services, the site also takes a look at discount
ISPs.
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Freedomlist
Are you looking for a free (or a low-cost)
Internet service provider? A useful resource,
Freedomlist reviews nearly 700 free and low-cost
ISPs from 50 countries. Each listing includes a
description of the service, as well as users'
comments. The site also includes a forum about
various ISP issues.
Free-Dial
This service offers free unlimited Internet
access for people in Britain. Free-Dial features
non-contended dial-up service and supports both
Windows and Mac operating systems.
(U.K. only).
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Free Internet
This directory is a good place to go if you're
looking for a free or inexpensive Internet
access provider. The site offers a searchable
database of almost 400 ISPs from 50 countries.
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NetZero
NetZero offers you up to 10 hours per month of
free Net access in exchange for displaying ad
space in your browser. They support 56K FLEX and
V90 modem standards. They provide
local access numbers to most major and many
medium-sized cities in the U.S. Note: to sign up
for service here, scroll down the page and look
for the "Free Internet Access" link.
U.S. only. (For Windows).
- Our visitors
report a number of problems these days with
NetZero, including difficulties in
connecting; frequent sudden disconnects;
lots of E-mail advertisements; and annoying
pop-up ads.
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Juno
One of the two major players still offering free
Net access in the U.S. (along with
NetZero), Juno offers service at connection
speeds up to 56K. The service is
advertisement-supported.
- We've had a few
complaints from our visitors about Juno's
difficult-to-close, obtrusive ad windows.
- In recent months,
it's become increasingly difficult to
connect to Juno's free service during normal
business hours. If you need a steady
day-time Net connection, you'll have to look
elsewhere for a free ISP.
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Aardvaak free Net access
Here's a free ISP for our British visitors.
Aardvaak offers speedy 0845 (local rate) dial-up
Internet access, with free POP3 E-mail and 25
megs of Web space. The service supports 56K and
64/128K ISDN. What's more, Aardvaak doesn't
pester you with banners or popup ads.
(U.K. only). Works with both Windows and Macs.
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Marketscore Internet Accelerator
Looking for a faster Net connection? This unique
service promises to speed up your dial-up
connection speed by up to 100 percent. To get
the speedier connection, you must download a
small instruction set to identify your machine
and give your browser a Net address through
which to route its traffic.
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FreeSpot Directory
This handy directory serves up an up-to-date
roundup of Wi-Fi hotspot locations that offer
free wireless Internet access. Most of the
listings here are in the U.S., but there are
also listings for locations in Canada, Europe,
Asia and elsewhere.
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Address.com
This free service forgoes the usual desktop ad
bars that you see with most free Net access
providers in favor of occasional commercial
breaks, which last around seven seconds. The ads
appear as either full screen messages or as
pop-up windows. Address.com is available in the
continental U.S. only. (For Windows).
Note: we've had a number
of complaints from our visitors about connection
problems with Address.com.
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Freecall
An ad-supported service, Freecall offers free
Net access (via an 0800 number) to individuals
and businesses in Britain. Freecall supports
V90, K56Flex and ISDN standards.
(U.K. only).
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Net4Nowt.com
(Note: this site is
occasionally inaccessible). This
directory offers a good roundup of free "0845"
(local call rate) Net access providers in
Britain, including reviews and a comparison
table. (U.K. only).
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FreeAccess
(Netherlands
only). This one's for our Dutch visitors.
This service offers Dutch users free Net access,
with speedy 56K and ISDN connections. You only
need to pay for the cost of the phone call (and
local call rate access is available in almost
half of the Netherlands).
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dotNow
(Note: this site is
temporarily unavailable). dotNow offers
Net dial-up access to customers in hundreds of
U.S. cities. Currently, they have over 2,400
points of presence (POPs) in all 50 states. The
service is banner ad-supported and the company's
dotNow bar displays ads while you're online.
(Available for Windows
only).
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