Internet Connection Types

Table of Content

TABLE OF CONTENT 1

INTRODUCTION 2

TYPES OF INTERNET CONNECTIONS 2

DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LOOP 2

CABLE INTERNET SERVICE 6

SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICE 8

WI-FI 10

CONCLUSION 14

REFERENCE LIST 15

THE GANN CHART 16

Introduction

Nowadays concepts of Internet and Wi-Fi walk hand in hand with the normal life of mankind in this technologically equipped world. These technologies take a big and one of the most important places in communicative society. Big cities and developed countries cannot imagine their lives without these very technologies. For sure everyone knows what are Wi-Fi and Internet and their purposes. However, this assignment covers more detailed information: definition of both concepts and technology involved. Moreover, information on service providers is given. In addition, the importance of Wi-Fi, required criteria and implementation circumstances are described. Also, the both advantages and disadvantages of implementing Wi-Fi technology are explained.

According Computer Concepts, Internet is a global system for data communications. It provides connection between computers as both hardware and software roads. It was originally developed as a military project and then handed over the National Science Foundation for research and academic use in mid sixties of 20th century (Parsons & Oja 2008, p.6). The meaning Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) refers to a type of network that transfers data as a high frequency radio signal. It uses Ethernet protocol.

One of the most challenging aspects of internet is selecting the service provider. There are many ways to obtain fast connection to the Internet. Yet, three basic ways are Digital Subscriber Loop (DSL), cable, and satellite.

Types of Internet connections

Digital Subscriber Loop

According to Golden and Dedieu (2006, p.125), Digital Subscriber Line is a type of internet connection which uses normal telephone lines, which are twisted paired. Also a modem is usually used to connect to the DSL. However, DSL modems differ from common modems. Normally ordinary modems have to change data from "analogue to digital" and "digital to analogue". On DSL though, the data straight forward goes to the computer as digital data. Therefore it gives a higher bandwidth and allows higher Kbps rates.

As it is described in Fundamentals of DSL technology, there are a lot of types of DSL, including:

* ADSL, which is popular among home users who mostly use downstream bandwidth. In this word "A" stands for "asymmetric", this means that downstream speed is higher than the upstream speed. The speeds of ADSL vary widely. Usually it offers up to 1Mbps upstream and 9Mbps downstream (2006, p.131).

* SDSL, which is common among business users, is a type of DSL that offers equal downstream and upstream bandwidth. Symmetric DSL can offer up to 1.5Mbps for both download and upload bandwidth (2006, p.130).

* IDSL is actually a hybrid DSL (ISDN technology) that was designed at the same time when the other forms of DSL Internet technologies were made. IDSL however is very uncommon nowadays, because it offers very low speeds, only a maximum of 128 Kbps (2006, p.128).

In order to establish DSL connection at home some equipment first must already be owned. To begin with, for sure there should be a connection to the telephone, as the DSL uses twisted copper telephone lines. Secondly, the user should get a DSL modem, which will cost approximately from 50 to 200 dollars. Parsons and Oja (2008, p.315) clarify that this DSL modem will connect the computer to the telephone line and then covert data from computer to the data which are well-suited with DSL. They also state, that DSL filters are needed too. These DSL filters do not allow voiceband signals to impede with the DSL signals.

Besides, if there are many users then DSL router is required as well. Their prices vary from 300 to 500 US dollars. Likewise, if multiple computers are going to be connected to one DSL connection, the network cards are required for each PC. Their prices are from 30 to 80 dollars for one piece.

Computer Concepts describes that the speed of DSL depends on the distance between the locations of the user and the central office or hub for the telephone company that is providing service. The maximum distance is 18,000 feet or 6 kilometres. Further the user from the central office the lower the connection. But usually DSL speed starts from 16kbps to 640kbps for upstream and 1.5Mbps to 6Mbps downstream (2008, p.315).

Thomas Starr and John Cioffi (2003, p.451) agree that DSL users are considered to be one of most hacker-attractive users. Firstly, they are always on and the crackers can download large files in seconds without affecting users' Web surfing. Also, the high-speed functionality makes PC using the DSL eye-catching. However, DSL is more secure than cable connection, because DSL connection is never shared between the user's neighbourhood and the nearest DSL hub or central office. Besides, DSL uses dedicated rather than shared cabling, and DSL customers in a given neighbourhood do not appear as nodes on a LAN. This is why many people have claimed that DSL service provides better security. Plus, DSL users usually have private IP addresses. The private addresses of each machine connected to one router are then translated to one public IP address. This preserves the number of public addresses needed in the Internet and shields private addressing from the Internet.

In order to get DSL the user should do next steps (Dulaney 2008, p.177):

1. Contact a DSL provider.

2. In the central office, some works, like connecting user's phone line to apparatus that can work with DSL modem.

3. Connect DSL modem's data connection to the phone jack on the wall

4. Connect DSL modem's Ethernet connection to the Ethernet card on computer

DSL connection is suitable for all categories of society. Since it has a lot of types it can be well-matched for anyone. For instance, ADSL is good for home users, while SDSL is common for small to great business corporations.