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Choosing A Usenet Provider

Finding the Right Usenet

Completion, speed, number of newsgroups, retention, unlimited downloads and quality of support are just a few of the things you should look for when searching for a Usenet provider. For those of you who are not sure what each specific term refers to, here are short descriptions of each.

Article (Message) Completion

The article completion rate or just ‘completion’ is probably the most important criteria you should look at when selecting a provider. It basically means being able to find all the parts of a binary file that you need to be able to download and assemble the complete file. In Usenet, files are broken down into small chunks that need to be put together by the user (most newsreaders handle this part too). The higher the completion rate, the better it is for you, as you will be able to find most of the parts that make up the file you want to download and you will be able to reassemble it again and use it.

The price difference between Usenet providers who offer high completion and average completion is insignificant, usually only a few dollars a month which makes it infeasible to pay for service with mediocre completion. For example, Fast Usenet offers one of the best completion rates in the industry (over 99%) at a very affordable monthly price.

Download Speed

It is important for you as a user to not only find the articles you need but also to be able to download them as fast as possible, no matter where you are in the World. This is the issue of access speeds when reviewing service providers.

For example, Fast Usenet offers access to 50 simultaneous connections to servers that are geographically diverse (USA & Europe) which allows you to connect to the one closest to you and thus achieve a greater access speeds than with a provider whose only servers are physically located far away from you. This helps you achieve lightning fast downloads, ensuring the articles you request are delivered as fast as your Internet connection allows it. We do offer a bandwidth speed test if you are interested in seeing the speeds you can achieve with Fast Usenet.

Newsgroups Offered

Newsgroups offered is important because it determines how much information will be available to you. The more newsgroups offered, the better it is for you, as the chances they will have the newsgroups that interest you is much higher. Fast Usenet offers more than 120,000 newsgroups for you to choose from. We most likely will have the ones you need and in the very rare cases when we don’t, you can easily request to have the newsgroup added by contacting support.

Article Retention

Another very important criterion is the article retention rate offered by a provider. Retention refers to how long articles are kept on the servers without being removed. Fast Usenet offers some of the longest retention rates in the industry. We retain binaries for over 12 years and text articles for up to 30 which will help you find older messages when needed. For more information about retention and how it works please visit our Usenet retention page.

Number of Peers

Peers are other Usenet providers. Usenet functions by different providers sharing information (peering). If an article is posted to Fast Usenet, it’s then sent to all the providers that we peer with. That way if someone is using a different service they can see the message you post. Fast Usenet has peering arrangements with many other leading providers.

Unlimited Downloads

Some newsgroup providers (such as Fast Usenet) offer membership accounts that feature Unlimited access. Our Unlimited membership plan doesn’t have speed caps, no download limits and unrestricted access with up to 50 simultaneous secure connections. Our Unlimited plan is great because you never again have to worry about whether you have reached your download limit. Not all providers have such plans, and many users pay similar prices for accounts that do limit their download capabilities.

Customer Service

The quality and availability of technical support options are key things to consider when choosing Usenet access. You don’t want a provider that doesn’t answer support questions or takes forever to get an answer from; therefore you should look for a provider that offers 24-hour support and has a proven record of providing excellent customer service. Fast Usenet is one of a few providers who are open 7 days a week with extended work hours, offering high-quality professional support over the phone, chat, and email.

Free Trial Offer

I don’t know about you, but I like to try things before I buy. That’s why we suggest looking for a Usenet provider that offers a free trial period. That way you can test their service and see if it’s right for you. Some providers are located in different geographical locations, are co-located in different data centers and utilize different networks. That’s why we suggest you signup for a provider like Fast Usenet that offers a 14 day free trial. That way you know you are getting the right service, and if you aren’t happy you can cancel risk free.

Providing Quality Usenet Service for Over 10 Years!