> While looking for a new ISP, I discovered that cost of ISDN is quite a
> bit lower.

Lower than what? 

> I live far from town.  There is no DSL, no cable.  This is my cheapest
> alternative to 56K.

I have a similar problem. I'm in Ham Lake. Even tho DSL and cable are
nearby, there are infrastructure problems. I've been using ISDN for about
4 years. This year I got a second line, and so actually am
multihomed. This allows for some fun with the firewall/router.

> A couple of questions if anyone else has an ISDN hookup.
> 
> 1) What exactly do I have to get from Qworst?  

Think of all Internet service as comprised of 2 pieces:  the circuit and
the IP bandwidth. 

You must get the ISDN circuit from Qwest (probably no
alternatives). That's the part that costs $69/month, plus fees, which
comes to about $82. They also charge you $110 for installation. 

Once you have that, you could connect through any ISP who has ISDN
service. The bad news is that this is more expensive for the ISP than DSL,
since they pretty much have to dedicate a line to each customer.

Qwest is about the cheapest option, but it's worth looking around in your
area. They charge about $30/month for unlimited usage at 128k. If you want
static IP, they make you pay $14.95/month for a /29. Maybe also a $25
hookup fee.


> Do they string a new line? 

Yes

> Can I use my current phone line?  

No

But ISDN is 2 64k channels, so if you get a router with a POTS port, you
can plug a regular phone into that, maybe making it possible to get rid of
your current phone line. Just about any modern router will allow incoming
phone calls to bring down a data channel automatically.

> Do I have to pay them a monthly fee in addition to the ISP?

See above.


> 2)  Is it really faster.  

Yeah, I really do get 128k/s on many things on the qwest link. Other
advantages are 24/7 uptime without getting an extra phone line. 

> I don't mind paynig extra if I get 128K, but
> I don't see any mention of that on the
> Qworst site.  Just 64K.   Can only certain locations get 128K and the
> rest get 64K?

That sounds odd to me. There's no reason to limit it based on the circuit,
since it is inherently 2-channel. Many ISPs charge you per channel for
bandwidth, though, because it uses more of their resources. I haven't
found qwest to do this. 

> The ISP web pages quote 64/128K prices but is it as simple as paying
> more to get the 128K?

Now which ISP are you talking about? If qwest is doing that, then it
is a different policy than they use elsewhere. 

> Or does my phone line need to checked?

There are distance and line quality considerations. Relevance depends on
where you live.

> 3) Is any old ISDN modem adeqaute for dial-up service?

Get an ISDN Router, an external box, and make sure it has POTS ports. 

> Some are $200, some are $300.  What is $300 buying me?

Something brand new and shiny, I guess. 


> There is a $195 USR ISDN modem at mwave.com.  Says its the replacement
> for the
> 3COM Impact IQ modem, which seemed to be quite populare on google.
> That would seem to be enough, no?

That would probably be enough, tho I'm not familiar with that model. 

If you go to Ebay, you can find 
	Lucent (Ascend) Pipeline P75 or P80
	Cisco 804
	NetGear RT328/348
	Zyxel P100

All of which will go for ~$100, perhaps well under, except the Cisco. They
are easy to configure. The cisco is more involved, but has the benefit of
using IOS, in case you want to talk to real routers.

> 4) Any other costs I'm overlooking?a

	Hardware	
	Circuit (installation & monthly)
	Bandwith (monthly)
	Your Time

That's pretty much it. 
Good luck

Andy

> Paul