Chapter - 3 Cable Cnnectins One bradband alternative is thrugh cable TV, where yur Internet cnnectin is delivered t yur hme thrugh yur televisin cable. Many cable prviders wn't qute yu an exact speed, and if they d indicate a speed, yu'll usually find it written as "up-t", nt guaranteed. It als depends n the speed they ffer. Generally, between 256 t 1000 kbps is the dwnstream speed (frm the Internet t yur cmputer) that can be expected. This is 4-18 times faster than dial-up. The upstream speed is much lwer, usually 2-8 times faster than dial-up. These, f curse, are apprximatins. The bttm line is: yu will ntice a big difference between dialup and cable, especially if yu are int playing games nline r dwnlading large files/pictures. Cable Internet access is a shared medium, meaning yu share the pipe with everyne else using it. There is nly s much rm in that pipe, s yu culd run int clgs every nw and then. Prepare fr Cable T prepare yur cable Internet cnnectin fr use, yu will need t d few things. Since cable mdems are external, yu will need t plug them int an electrical utlet r UPS (Uninterrupted Pwer Supply) fr pwer. The mdem is cnnected t yur input surce, which is the TV caxial cable line. The mdem is als cnnected t yur PC.
Yu plug ne end f an Ethernet cable (which lks very much like a phne line, except it is a bit wider) int the external mdem, and the ther end int the Ethernet card's jack n the back f yur cmputer. During installatin, an Ethernet card will need t be installed in yur cmputer, if yu dn't have ne. Yu culd als use a USB cnnectin, if Ethernet isn't available. Cable additins In additin t yur mdem and televisin cable line, yu will als need: Activatin sftware frm yur ISP that sets up the cnnectin fr Internet. The sftware that lets yu use the Internet (Web brwser, e- mail sftware, etc.) Firewall sftware, since yur cmputer is always cnnected t the Internet. If yu have a cable Internet cnnectin, yur cable cmpany will be yur ISP. Yu dn't need any ther ISP. Cable Facts Cable Internet is nly available in certain areas. If yu have a cable prvider, check with them fr availability. If yu d nt have a cable prvider in yur area, yu prbably wn't be able t get cable Internet service. Expect t pay much mre fr cable Internet service cmpared t dial-up service. While cnnected t the Internet via a cable mdem, yu can: Still make and receive telephne calls.
Still watch cable televisin, althugh yu will have t subscribe t this service separately. Yu will nt be able t take yur cable mdem with yu when yu travel. Each cable prvider determines which cable mdems wrk with their system. Yu may nt be able t use yur cable mdem elsewhere, if yu mve. Ways t Cnnect: Bradband - DSL DSL is anther ptin fr high-speed Internet access. Fr hme use, it is similar t cable in terms f its speed. DSL uses yur existing phne line t access the Internet. An inline filter cnnected t the phne jack separates yur vice traffic (talking n the phne) frm yur data traffic (surfing the web), allwing yu t d bth at the same time. Prepare fr DSL T prepare yur DSL Internet cnnectin fr use, yu will need t d few things. DSL mdems are external, s yu will need t plug them int an electrical utlet r UPS fr pwer.
Yu'll need t put special DSL filters n each phne jack. The mdem is then cnnected t yur input surce, which is yur telephne line. Yu simply plug ne end f yur phne cable int yur phne jack and the ther int the mdem. The mdem is als cnnected t yur PC via an Ethernet cable, which is plugged int the Ethernet card's jack n the back f yur cmputer. During installatin, an Ethernet card will need t be installed in yur cmputer, if yu dn't have ne. Yu may als need t check yur PC fr the minimum system requirements needed t use DSL. DSL additins In additin t yur mdem, phne line and DSL filters, yu will als need: Activatin sftware frm yur ISP that sets up the cnnectin fr Internet. The sftware that lets yu use the Internet (Web brwser, e- mail sftware, etc.) Firewall sftware, since yur cmputer is always cnnected t the Internet. If yu have a DSL Internet cnnectin, yur phne cmpany will be yur ISP. Yu dn't need any ther ISP. Wireless Internet Wireless technlgy has made it pssible t use radi signals t access the Internet. Fixed wireless Internet cnnectins get their service frm WISPs (Wireless ISPs) The WISP has an antenna n a twer, beaming its signal t subscribers within a certain radius.
As a hme subscriber, yu wuld have an antenna n yur rf, cnnected t a special mdem in yur huse. Yur cmputer wuld be cnnected t yur mdem. Alternative Internet Cnnectin Devices Other than a PC A PC is nly ne device used t access the Internet. There are thers that are tl-specific r used fr ne r tw particular purpses. Sme examples are: Web-TV is a prduct that allws yu t surf the Web r e-mail thers using yur televisin and Web-TV service. E-mail messaging statins are stand-alne prducts that plug int a phne jack. Yu subscribe t an e-mail service which prvides yur dial-up cnnectin. Web-Enabled Devices Many cellular phne service prviders ffer Web-enabled cell phnes, which allw yu t web brwse and use e-mail fr an additinal fee. The fee pays fr the mbile Web service. Mst Web-enabled cell phnes transmit data at 14.4 kbps, which is much slwer than a dial-up mdem. They als display Web pages n a much smaller scale. Fr these reasns, web pages must be written differently fr these devices. At this time, the majrity f Web pages have nt been re-written using the special language required fr these gadgets, s a lt f what is available ver the Internet will nt be available this way. Mst cell phne prviders cnnect yu with predefined sites, ffering web mail, instant messaging, and news in an apprpriate frmat fr cell phne Web service. Handhelds r PDAs (persnal digital assistant) als have Webenabled features, similar t Web-enabled cell phnes. When yu purchase ne f these items, yu will be given its service ptins.
Other Internet Cnnectin Technlgy There are ther ways t cnnect t the Internet, but these are usually reserved fr businesses r schls, due t their high csts. These cnnectins are very high-speed r are used fr specific purpses. Sme examples are: ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Netwrk) T1 T3 ISDN Facts ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Netwrk) ISDN uses same physical lines as yur phne but requires special (cstly) equipment. The service requires ISDN terminal adapters and ISDN ruters t cmmunicate with ther equipment. A service cntract is usually required, and lng distance phne charges culd apply. ISDN is a dial-up service, but the dialing is initiated by the ISDN equipment when yu access the Internet. ISDN ffers shared access fr multiple users, and is mre widely available than DSL. ISDN is slwer and the equipment tends t be mre expensive than what's required fr ther bradband services, s it's n lnger a tp chice fr businesses...except where the thers aren't available. ISDN is slwer and the equipment tends t be mre expensive than what's required fr ther bradband services, s it's n lnger a tp chice fr businesses...except where the thers aren't available.
T1 and T3 Facts T1 and T3 lines are als knwn as leased lines. Leased lines are very expensive and are nrmally used nly by large universities, cmpanies r the ISPs fr their cnnectins. T1s and T3s require different physical lines than thse used by yur hme cnnectins, and the equipment used t make them wrk is very cstly. Where dial-up mdems are transferring data at 56.6 kbps (thusand), T1s transfer data at 1.5 millin bps! T3s are the equivalent f twenty eight T1 lines. Prtect Yurself Firewalls act as a barrier between yu and the Internet. If yur Internet cnnectin is always n, yu must install a sftware firewall t prtect yurself. Check with yur Internet cnnectin prvider fr free firewall slutins. Anti-virus sftware shuld als be installed n yur cmputer and updated regularly. Internet Service Prviders (ISP) Once yu have decided what type f cnnectin yu want and yu have all the hardware cnnected, yu must have an Internet Service Prvider (ISP). When yur cmputer wants t cnnect t the Internet, it calls yur ISP via yur mdem. Yu must have an accunt set up with them fr them t answer yur call. Once it answers, the ISP will then cnnect yu t the Internet.
Hw the Wrld Wide Web Wrks Yu were intrduced t the Wrld Wide Web (WWW), ne f many Internet tls. Yu use a special sftware prgram called a Web brwser t access this piece f the Internet. The Web is an immense cllectin f dcuments r files stred n cmputers all ver the wrld, which yu can request and have delivered right t yur hme. These dcuments cntain text cmbined with ther media, including graphics, vide, audi, and animatin.