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How Does High Speed Internet Work?
How Does High Speed Internet Work?
Commonly called “broadband,” high speed Internet provides users with a connection that is much faster than a traditional dial-up connection over a telephone line, as was standard in the beginning of the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has clarified high speed Internet as being a connection providing data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps) from the Internet to a computer (downstream) or from a computer to the Internet (upstream). In the 1990′s as the Internet was first infiltrating our lives, connections through telephone lines were initially widely experienced at 7,000 Kbps, progressing over several years to 56 Kbps before more rapid connectivity became typical of households in 2000 and beyond. As of June 2007, there were over 100 million active broadband connections in the United States.
There are several technologies which provide users with high-speed access to information available through the Internet. These technologies transmit all data digitally as “bits” of information, whether the data is text, sound, video, or other images. Broadband is connected to a home or business through an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as a telephone or cable company. The ISP installs their connection technology much as a voice telephone line is installed, utilizing electrical or telephone wiring, coaxial cable, or wireless devices.
What Are the Advantages of Broadband Internet?
Connection to the Internet was once so slow that use of the World Wide Web for anything outside of entertainment was both expensive and frustrating. Because preexisting telephone lines were used to dial into the Internet, billing for such connection was by the minute and during the time of connection phone lines were often unable to receive or transmit traditional voice calls. Download times were also painfully slow at about 3.5% of today’s minimally accepted speed for broadband connectivity. Upload times, such as for attaching of documents to emails, were even worse than standard Internet browsing.
Through broadband, use of the Internet became easier, less costly, and much faster. It also expanded use of the Internet for other purposes such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a technology which provides an alternative to standard telephone service for traditional voice conversations. Besides expanded use for voice transmission, there are other benefits to the speed of broadband:
* Use of distant reference or cultural resources through online databases
* Medical specialists can provide services and share information with patients in rural, otherwise inaccessible areas
* A broader spectrum of work opportunities are available to the disabled, activity-limited persons, and stay-at-home parents
* Students can study and gain advanced degrees without attending live classes
* Business materials and documents are transmitted instantaneously
* Consumers have access to shopping opportunities regardless of geography
* Limitless information on virtually any subject is readily and immediately available as needed
* Deployed soliders can connect with their families in their home country through video and audio
What Are the Different Types of High Speed Internet Service?
The type of broadband you choose will likely depend upon local service availability, pricing, and package inclusions. Several platforms of broadband are available on the mass market:
* Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) – DSL is wireline transmission utilizing preexisting traditional copper telephone lines. The speed of DSL varies widely according to local availability but can range from several hundred Kbps to several million bps. Within DSL there are two subtypes: ADSL and SDSL. ADSL is Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line and is primarily residentially used due to its heavier downstream capability and speed than upstream. SDSL, Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line, carries equal downstream and upstream speed for companies and other users who tend to utilize video conferencing or transmit large files on a daily basis. Of SDSL there are two additional subtypes: High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL) and Very High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL). Speed is the variance between HDSL and VDSL, as their names imply.
* Cable Modem – Cable modem service is provided by cable companies. It delivers broadband on the same coaxial lines that deliver television pictures and sound, without interrupting your television service. Cable modem transmission speeds are generally 1.5 Mbps or better.
* Fiber-Optic Cable (Fiber) – Fiber broadband is generally provided by telephone companies with such technological capability. Data is converted to light electrical signals and carried through transparent glass fibers the diameter of human hair. Fiber optic transmissions far exceed the speed of DSL or cable modems, but this service is only available in limited areas, primarily new construction areas and high-tech business centers.
* Wireless – Wireless fidelity (WiFi) is often used in conjunction with DSL or cable and provides desktops, laptops, PDA’s and cellular phones with Internet connectivity without direct line access to the DSL or cable. A radio link between the customer and the provider is the source of connection. Called a “hotspot,” such service may be provided by a homeowner for their own private use, or even by a city government or commercial entity for free public use at will within that hotspot. Coffee shops, airports, bookstores, and other such places are providing WiFi for their customers. WiFi speed and reliability are similar to DSL and cable modems, but may require a special antenna connected to the laptop or other personal equipment on which the user desires the connection.
* Satellite – Satellite broadband is another form of wireless connectivity, but uses satellite signals for access and data transfer. Speed of satellite broadband is determined by the user’s service package, access to the orbiting satellite, and weather, but the speed is generally slightly slower than DSL or cable. Prime usage areas for satellite broadband are remote locations, such as highly rural areas, wilderness, or underdeveloped communities. This type of service requires a two to three foot satellite dish at the main operation location, a specialized satellite modem, and an unobstructed line of sight to the orbiting satellite.
* Broadband over Powerline (BPL) – BPL is a new form of broadband. It is emerging as a solution for utilization of existing electrical power connections such as outlets in homes in lieu of other types of connection. Because electricity is so widely available, this new broadband offers easy connection and wide-reaching access when it is fully integrated into availability. Speed will be comparable to DSL and cable modem connectivity, where available. The BPL Database provides an updated listing of the limited service providers at www.bpldatabase.org.
Regardless of how your broadband Internet connection is accomplished, speeds are leagues ahead of the painstakingly slow access of the 1990′s. The many forms of high speed Internet and its wide availability have transformed every aspect of our lives, from how we conduct business, to where we work, how we build relationships, and even how we perform tasks such as shopping and filing our taxes. Without broadband life would be very different and much more limited, just as the very near future will bring even bigger changes of speed, reliability, and flexibility in how we transmit data through broadband connection.
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 6th, 2010 at 8:33 am and is filed under Computers, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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