How to tell the difference between internet connections?

If you’re looking for a better Internet connection, or just looking to find out what each type of connections really is, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will try to shed some light on the subject of Internet connections.

Dial up connections

The dial up connection is the most basic type of connection. A dial up connection is made through a modem that uses a telephone line to connect to the Internet. The modem must dial the telephone each and every time it wants to connect to the Internet.

ISDN Connection

The second form of dial up connection is through an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). This type of connection is a high speed dial up and requires a special dedicated digital telephone line. This connection improves speed because the signals received are already in digital format, although it is costly.

Broadband Connections

Broadband is a high speed Internet connection that makes surfing the web a lot more enjoyable. It easily accommodates the video, audio, and complex graphics that are growing on the Internet. Broadband is a type of data transmission in which a single medium or wire can carry several channels or communication paths at the same time.

Broadband cable connections are capable of transmitting both television signals and Internet data at the same time. Broadband telephone connections like DSL are able to transmit both voice and data over the same line. Broadband type connections are always running. This means that if your computer is on, you will always be connected to the Internet with no dialing up involved.

Cable – broadband connection

A cable modem is a very fast connection that you purchase from your local cable company. Most cable providers will provide you with the modem and a network card that much be installed in your computer. When you get cable Internet access, your cable company will become your Internet Service Provider.

There are only two drawbacks to this connection. It is a shared connection, which means you share the pipeline with your neighbors. This doesn’t mean that your neighbors will know what you are doing on the Internet, but it does mean that if all of your neighbors were on the net downloading large files at the same time, your Internet connection wouldn’t be as fast as it usually is. Because cable modems are always on, they, like DSL connections, make you more prone to hacking. For this very reason, many cable providers are now providing their customers with firewall software.

DSL – broadband connection

DSL actually stands for digital subscriber line. A DSL connection is a special telephone line that also provides high speed Internet access. You can use one DSL line for both the Internet and voice communications, saving you on the cost of a second line. DSL connections are fast, and in some cases they are just as fast as cable connections. The only drawback here is that the closer you are to the main telephone switching station, the faster your connection speed will be.

When you call the telephone company about DSL, make sure that it is available and that you will be able to get a fast connection. To get a DSL connection, you will need your telephone company to hook the line up. They will usually provide the DSL modem for you as well.

If you are used to using a regular dial up connection, you would probably be amazed by the speed of cable or DSL. It will make surfing the web a much more pleasing experience. How fast can it be? For a quick comparison, if a file takes one hour to download over a standard 56K modem, it will take about 26 minutes with an ISDN line. A cable connection would take around 2 minutes, and a DSL connection would take around 3 minutes. If you want some fast surfing, think along the line of broadband.