|
|
 |
 |
Common
methods of internet access include dial-up,
landline (over coaxial cable, fiber optic
or copper wires),
T-
lines, Wi-Fi,
satellite
and cell phones.
Wi-Fi
provides wireless
access to
computer networks, and therefore can do so to the Internet
itself. Hotspots providing such
access include Wi-Fi-cafes, where a
would-be user needs to bring their own wireless-enabled
devices such as
a laptop or PDA.
These services may be free to all, free to customers only, or
fee-based. A
hotspot need not be limited to a confined location. The
whole campus or park, or even the entire city can be enabled.
Grassroots
efforts have led to wireless community
networks.
Satellite
Internet services are used in locations where terrestrial
Internet
access is not available and in locations which move frequently.
Internet access via satellite is available worldwide, including vessels
at sea and mobile land vehicles.
Satellite internet providers may have restrictive monthly bandwidth
allowances. When a user exceeds this the company may slow down their
access, deprioritise their traffic or charge for the excess bandwidth
used. For consumer satellite internet, the allowance can range from
500MB to 17GB per month. [1]
|
Broadband
Internet access, often shortened to just
broadband,
is high-speed Internet access—typically contrasted with
dial-up access
over a modem.
Dial-up
modems are generally only capable of a maximum bitrate of
56 kbit/s (kilobits
per second) and require the full use of a telephone
line—whereas
broadband
technologies supply at least double this speed and generally
without disrupting telephone
use. (Though the opposite word for
broadband is not dial up, it is used here for practical
understanding
purposes only.)
Although various minimum speeds have been
used in definitions of
broadband, ranging up from 64 kbit/s up to
1.0 Mbit/s, the 2006 OECD report [1] is
typical in counting
only download speeds
equal to or faster than 256 kbit/s as broadband, and
the US
FCC
currently defines
broadband as anything above 768 kbit/s [2] [3]
Speeds are defined in terms of maximum
download because several common consumer broadband
technologies such as ADSL are
"asymmetric"—supporting much slower maximum upload speeds
than download.
"Broadband penetration"
is now treated as a key economic indicator.[4][5]
|
|
|
Internet
Service Providers
- Compare Internet provider rates, features, and promotions for
standard dial-up, high speed dial-up, and broadband Internet access. In
addition, users have access to an ISP help guide, FAQs, consumer
reviews, and user submitted ratings.
Our Sponsors: