Is there anyway to connect to the Internet rather than through an ISP?

[john]

[Nisia]

No. The internet is an interconnection between servers. You will always be using an ISP to get you internet connection from. It is more of a horizontal structure rather than one centralized place where the internet comes from. Companies who get hooked up to other companies creating a network called the internet and they all resell it to each other.

[justme]

There is no legal way!

[Jim]

You cannot connect to the internet without an internet service provider.

[rowlfe]

The simple answer is NO. At least not in a legal way.

The internet consists of servers, linked to one another by data pipes, which are high speed trunk lines. Your ISP simply provides you with an access point to log in to their server which gets you access to the other servers. The topology prevents you from getting access except through an existing server which is what any ISP provides, for a fee. Servers are not cheap, nor are the high speed megabit trunk line connections linking servers to one another. The phone companies are not in the habit of giving away bandwidth. If you set up a server in your house, you become part of the internet just like any other ISP out there, for the cost of your internet service. You could go into business selling access via your server, if your ISP allows it of course. Most have a non-compete clause in the signup agreement or forbid servers entirely on a residential connection. This mainly applies to cable broadband, NOT DSL. Servers hog bandwidth which is why the cable ISP does not want you running one. It would compete with other users on the cable with you. If you have a game console connected to the net, you are running a server. If your provider finds out, and they WILL simply by looking at traffic from your connection, the user agreement says they can turn your connection off. In reality, they do NOT turn your connection OFF, but rather throttle your connection. Turning your connection of stops the money, so throttling it is, which limits traffic and keeps your money flowing while not allowing your server to hog bandwidth from their other customers on the line with you. They will NOT tell you when they do this, and likely will deny it if asked. You contracted with them for a certain speed of connection, NOT throughput, which is what they limit. Speed stays the same, while they limit the the quantity of data you send and receive.

[i + i]

You don't have to have your own ISP
if you have ready access to free wifi,
but no, all connections at some point
go through one. Or you could become
a mega-hacker, learn BGP, and figure
out how to become an ISP yourself.