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Broadband Internet
By Jill Taylor
Broadband Internet 101
The world of high-speed Internet connections can be an intimidating place for the uninformed. It's kind of like that first semester of college for freshmen. Everything is new and a little overwhelming.
Understanding broadband Internet doesn't have to be that daunting of a challenge and I promise this overview won't take a semester to grasp.
The first important thing to understand about broadband Internet is that it is actually a term that encompasses three different types of high-speed Internet connections.
- ADSL
- Cable
- Satellite
All of these options are always connected to the Internet, therefore no dial-up is required. And because no dial-up is required, none of them will tie up your phone lines. Let's learn a little about the differences between broadband connections.
ADSL - Stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This connection shares your existing telephone line and uses it as the medium through which you'll receive an Internet connection. Don't worry though, even though it shares your telephone line, it doesn't take it over, therefore you'll never need to dial-up and you'll still have a high-speed connection.
Cable - A cable Internet hook up requires the user to have a cable television line running into their home or office. With broadband cable, the Internet is brought in through the cable television line. Surfing the web and downloading information takes about as much space on the cable as one channel of TV programming.
Satellite- Satellite broadband Internet is transmitted from orbiting satellites into the user's satellite dish. Since the quality of the connection is not based on land lines, this option is ideal for Internet users who live in rural areas or areas that are far from the provider's central office.
Now you have a pretty good idea of how the different types of broadband Internet connections compare to each other. Next week's assignment study up on these and impress your friends and family with your Internet savvy.
