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If you're reading this online, undoubtedly, you're already connected. But if you're curious, or have some friends or family who are clueless, you can print this article and send it to them.
Basically, if you are going to connect to the Internet, you have three ways in which to do it. Through a Modem, ISDN connection,
Broadband, or a leased line (T1, T3, Frame Relay).
What is a Modem?
A modem translates the digital signals from your computer into analog signals that can travel over a standard phone line. Modems come in different speeds and can be installed inside your computer (internal), or connected to your computer's serial port (external).
Telephone lines were designed to carry the human voice, not signals from a computer. So modems were invented to convert digital computer signals into a form that allows them to travel over the phone lines. Those are the scratchy sounds you hear from a modem's speaker.
Believe it or not, there actually is meaning in all that noise. A modem on the other end of the line can understand it and convert the sounds back into digital information that the computer can understand. The word modem stands for MOdulator/DEModulator.
What Kinds of Modems are there?
Buying and using a modem used to be relatively easy. Not so long ago, almost all modems transferred data at a rate of 2400 bps (bits per second). Today, modems not only run faster, they are also loaded with features like error control and data compression. So, in addition to converting and interpreting signals, modems also act like traffic cops, monitoring and regulating the flow of information from each other. That way, one computer doesn't send information until the receiving computer is ready for it. Each of these features, modulation, error control, and data compression, requires a separate kind of protocol and that's what some of those terms you see like V.32, V.32bis, V.42bis,
V.92, FLEX, and MNP5 refer to.
If your computer didn't come with an internal modem, you are
going to have to purchase one. With modems, you get what
you pay for. $50+ may be a lot of money for a computer
part, but it will pay off in the long run (less dropped
connections, and even faster connections). US Robotics and
3Com are two very good brands of modems. Don't forget that
with an internal modem purchase, we recommend that you hire a
professional to install it for you. Refer to the computer
section in the yellow pages in your phone book.
How Fast are Modems?
A modem's speed is measured in bits per second (bps). A 14.4 modem sends data at 14,400 bits per second. A 28.8 modem is twice as fast, sending and receiving data at a rate of 28,800 bits per
second, etc.
Until nearly the end of 1995, the conventional wisdom was that 28.8kbps was about the fastest speed you could squeeze out of a regular copper telephone line. Today, you can buy
56kbps modems just about anywhere.
What is ISDN?
There are faster ways to transmit data by using an ISDN or leased line. ISDN requires a so-called ISDN adapter instead of a modem and a phone line with a special connection that allows it to send and receive digital signals. You have to arrange with your phone company to have one of these installed. An ISDN line has a data transfer rate of between 57,600 bits per second and 128,000 bits per second, which is at least double the rate of a 28.8 modem.
What is Broadband?
Broadband is a high-speed internet connection becoming more and
more popular today. Unlike Cable and DSL, Dasia.Net's
Broadband Wireless uses 2.4 Ghz radio signals rather than
physical lines to transmit data bi-directionally from a tower to
an antenna/radio connected to your PC. Your radio transmits and
receives data to Dasia.Net’s Internet backbone, allowing
high-speed broadband access up to 11 Mbps to the Internet
without the need for phone lines or cable. Currently,
Dasia.Net's wireless is more than 8 times faster than the
average broadband connection!
More information: Dasia.Net
Wireless Internet Services
What are T1 and T3 Leased Lines?
Leased lines come in two configurations: T1 and T3. A T1 line offers a data transfer rate of 1.54 million bits per second. Unlike ISDN a T-1 line is connected all the time. This is useful for web servers or other computers than need to be connected to the Internet all the time. It is possible to lease only a piece of a T-1 line using one of two systems: fractional T-1 or Frame Relay. You can lease them in blocks ranging from 128kbps to 1.5Mbps. The differences are not worth going into in detail, but fractional T-1 will be more expensive at the slower available speeds and Frame Relay will be slightly more expensive as you approach the full T-1 speed of 1.5Mbps. A T3 line is significantly faster, at 45 million bits per second. The backbone of the Internet consists of T3 lines.
What Other Factors Affect Speed?
Many things can interfere with the speed of your file transfer. These can range from excessive line noise on your telephone line and the speed of the server from which you are downloading the files, to the number of other people who are simultaneously trying to access the same file or other files in the same directory.
So, Which Modem Should I Buy?
If you are purchasing a modem, get the fastest modem you can afford. In the long run, the money you save in reduced downloading and connect time will more than make up for the extra money you spend on the modem.
Thanks for visiting. We
hope that you found this page useful.
Comments? Please direct
them to support.
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Dasia.NET Tech Support
