If you get more than a tiny bit of traffic a 56kbps linke or better is suggested. A 128kbps link can handle a lot of traffic. Idiom provides high-quality web server hosting. Please see Idiom's hosting services page for more information. You can receive mail via SMTP if you have an SMTP server running on your system.
STMP servers tend to be difficult to administer.
Idiom can handle your email needs. If you can afford it a full-time link is well worth it. Your email arrives immediately. You can surf on a whim. You can access your systems remotely.