For most of us, our needs lie somewhere in the middle. Fortunately, Yuma businesses now have options when choosing how to connect to the Internet.

Taking a step back, most businesses today already have established some sort of Internet connection, and many have developed an Internet presence, or Web site, as well. Sure, there are a handful of businesses that don't see a need to be online, but with the ability to facilitate communication, disseminate information and generate new sales and customers, most businesses can't afford to ignore this unique medium.

When looking to gain access to the Internet, the dial-up account is the first option to discuss. This option is the most affordable, simplest and most common way to connect. However, it is also the slowest.

Dial-up accounts work over a normal phone line and offer up to 56k access speeds. That number refers to the amount of information that can be transmitted per second, thus directly represents how fast the connection is.

One last advantage to the dial-up account is the set-up time. Normally, the Internet service provider (ISP) can create your account the same day you request it. And, most people with computers have a modem and phone line, which is all that is required for this type of access.

The next option to discuss is the digital subscriber line (DSL). This option is also provided over phone lines, however, it uses special digital lines and specific equipment for both the user and the telephone company.

The one main advantage to DSL is the speed, ranging from 128k to 1024k. The most common and affordable are the 384k and 768k, which are approximately $60 and $80/month. This is a significant price jump from the dial-up accounts, but the speeds can be 10 or 15 times faster, which is a very large and noticeable difference.

However, there are some disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that the service is limited by the distance and quality of phone lines from the central office. In Yuma, these are located downtown near the courthouse and by the Marine base.

Unfortunately, these distance restrictions combined with phone line quality mean that most of the city will not be able to receive this service. The ISP will give you a preliminary approval indication based on your address. Lastly, installation times have been known to be several months, and complications in the process are common.

There are two other options, ISDN and IDSL, which use two special phone lines transmitting 56k each. These options offer reliable 128k speeds and are accessible to locations beyond the DSL distance limitations.

On the down side, installation times can still take several months and prices range from $100 to $125/month.

The newest option available in town is access over cable lines, not phone lines. This service is provided exclusively by Adelphia, which resells the Cox@Home service. Installation times are reported as one- to two-weeks maximum.

This technology offers very fast connection speeds as well. Adelphia claims 1000k to 3000k connections although 700k to 900k is closer to my experience. However, that is just downloading. Uploading information is restricted to 128k.

Adelphia does require that the service is used and purchased with their cable service. Plus, the infrastructure of the cable system creates the potential for slowdowns based on neighborhood usage.

The final option I'll mention is the availability of wireless connections. As the name suggestions, this service does not rely on phone or cable lines for access. However, the access does require a line of site from your location to the service provider. This means in order to work, the antenna that will be installed on the roof of your location needs to maintain an unobstructed view to the antenna on the ISP's roof.

Prices range from $50 to $125 and up for the wireless service and speeds range from 128k to 1024k.

So, with recent advances in technology and our local communications infrastructure, Yuma businesses and residence finally have options for various levels of Internet access.