Computer and Internet
Since the wane of the previous millennium, the Internet, a global network connecting millions of computers, turned the pivot in world history for triggering a deep profound impact into modern civilization. Through the Internet, the distance in between exchanges of data, news and opinions was breached more than ever. The Internet should not be confused with the World Wide Web though.
There are a variety of ways to connect to Internet. Most online services, such as America Online, offer Internet access, lest people can connect to the Internet through a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Common types of Internet connection include dial-up, landline broadband, Wi-Fi, satellite and even cell phones.
Types of Internet Connection
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi allows access into the Internet and other networks through wireless means. Connection is relative to the specific location, among other conditions. So-called hotspots are confined geographical region spanned by access points where wireless-enabled mobile devices such as a laptop or PDA can connect to the Internet. A hotspot can be a Wi-Fi café, campus, park, or even an entire city.
Wi-Fi conforms to a global set of standards. Only one and the same Wi-Fi client works across the globe.
Originally Wi-Fi was intended to for simpler mobile devices and LANs, but has now experienced popularity as means of Internet access. Wi-Fi is especially crucial to limited spaces where cables cannot infiltrate, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings.
Any Wi-Fi network supports roaming. With this, the mobile station concerned such as a laptop computer, can move from one access point to another without disrupting the connection.
Dial-up
Dial-up access is a form of Internet connection employing a modem connected to a computer and a telephone line. Such is then used to dial into an Internet service provider's (ISP) node to establish a modem-to-modem link, which is then routed to the Internet.
Dial-up remains as of now as one of, if not the most accessible and cheapest Internet connection. However, it does not guarantee the fastest in access.
Since telephone cables are universal, dial-up ever remains useful. If anything, it is the obvious choice for most rural or remote areas where getting a broadband connection is impossible due to low population and demand.
Typically, dial-up modems have a maximum theoretical speed of 56 kbit/s; these speeds are currently considered the maximum possible. Phone line noise and conditions, as well as the quality of the modem itself, are pivotal in determining connection speeds.
Broadband
Over recent years, broadband Internet access has been increasingly put forward as the better alternative to dial-up access. Accessed either via cable modem and DSL, broadband connections exceed the speed capacities of dial-up. Internet content such as Macromedia Flash, online gaming and streaming media require large amounts of bandwidth only maximized through broadband access.
This Internet access is segregated into two of the most popular consumer broadband technologies, DSL and cable modem. They are typically capable of serving 256 kilobits per second or more. This is at any rate, approximately four times the speed of a modem utilizing a standard digital telephone line.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, is a broadband technology using digital data transmission over the wires used in the "last mile" of a local telephone network. DSL download speed ranges from 128 kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 24,000 kbit/s depending on the technology and service level implemented.
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), an offshoot of DSL with a slower upload speed, is a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines rather than a conventional modem’s. Anyhow, it is equal to the download speed for Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL).
For conventional ADSL, downstream rates start at 256 kbit/s and typically reach 8 Mbit/s within 1.5 km (5000 ft) of the DSLAM equipped central office or remote terminal. A newer variant called ADSL2 provides higher downstream rates of up to 12 Mbit/s for spans of less than 2.5 km (8000 ft).
Cable
Prevalent in Canada and Europe, the cable modem is a special type of modem designed to modulate a data signal over cable television infrastructure. They are an efficient method of providing broadband Internet connection. This technology makes use of bandwidth on a cable television network.
Satellite
Where terrestrial Internet access is not available, Satellite Internet services are suggested for very mobile stations like vessels at sea. There are three types of satellite Internet service namely the one-way multicast, one-way with terrestrial return, and two-way satellite access.
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