Connecting to the Internet

Connecting to the Internet

Modem

A modem (modulator-demodulator) is a network hardware device that modulatesone or more carrier wave signals to encode digital information for transmission anddemodulates signals to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data. Modems can be used with any means of transmitting analog signals, from light emitting diodes to radio. A common type of modem is one that turns the digital dataof a computer into modulated electrical signal for transmission over telephone linesand demodulated by another modem at the receiver side to recover the digital data.

Broadband

In telecommunications, broadband is a wide bandwidth data transmission with an ability to simultaneously transport multiple signals and traffic types. The medium can be coaxial cable, optical fiber, radio or twisted pair.

In the context of Internet access broadband is used much more loosely to mean any high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access.

Cable Modem

A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the highbandwidth of a HFC and RFoG network. They are commonly deployed in Australia,Europe, Asia and the Americas.

DSL

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology for bringing high- bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines. xDSL refers to different variations of DSL, such as ADSL, HDSL, and RADSL.

Satellites Broadband

Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communications satellites. Modern satellite Internet service is typically provided to users through geostationary satellites that can offer high data speeds, with newer satellites using K_a band to achieve downstream data speeds up to 50 Mbps

Wireless

Wireless communication is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not connected by an electrical conductor.

The most common wireless technologies use radio. With radio waves distances can be short, such as a few meters for television or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications. It encompasses various types of fixed, mobile, and portable applications, including two-way radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless networking. Other examples of applications of radio wireless technology includeGPS units, garage door openers, wireless computer mice, keyboards andheadsets, headphones, radio receivers, satellite television, broadcast televisionand cordless telephones.

Somewhat less common methods of achieving wireless communications include the use of other electromagnetic wireless technologies, such as light, magnetic, or electric fields or the use of sound.