A
common phrase that you will hear when shopping for an Internet Service Provider
(ISP) is up to, as in a connection speed up to 56K.
There
are several methods available to connect your home computer to the Internet.
These range in cost from installing a simple modem in your computer for Rs 750/-
to spending tens of thousands of of Rupees on optical fiber cable and the
associated hardware. As with most other things, the more it costs usually the
better (faster in this case) it is. The thing that you need to ask yourself is,
is it worth spending Rs. 10,000 per month for a fast Internet connection to surf
the web for recipes and do e-mail or can I get by with a Rs 750/- per month
service that only provides a 56K connection.
Before
we get into the various types of services, a few definitions are in order. First
off, the speed of an Internet connection or the data transfer rate, is measured
in bits per second (bps). Modems will list their connection speed as Kbps (Kilo
= thousand) bits per second. The faster services will either be listed as Mbps
(Mega = million) or Gbps (Giga = billion). You will also see services described
in terms of upstream and downstream data transfer rates. Upstream refers to the
rate at which data is transferred from your computer to your ISP. Downstream
refers to the rate at which data is transferred from your ISP to your computer.
There are a couple different types of wiring that are used for Internet
connections that you should be aware of, twisted pair or 10BASE-T (telephone
cable) and coaxial cable or 10BASE-2 (cable TV cable). Twisted pair cable simply
means that each pair of wires are twisted together, this reduces the amount of
interference (called noise) that can affect the signal. Coaxial cable will
usually be shielded which means there is a layer of material inside the cable to
reduce interference.
Modems
A
modem (modulator/demodulator) connects your computer to the Internet by
modulating the digital signal from the computer to a carrier signal (audio).
This audio signal is then sent (via the modem) over your existing telephone line
to your ISP. Your ISP will have a modem that your modem is dialed in to that
demodulates the signal back to digital, giving your computer the ability to
connect to the Internet. The data transfer rate of a modem is limited by the
telephone company's bandwidth which is about 3,000 Hz.
If
you upgraded from a 33.6 Kbps modem to one of the new 56 Kbps modems when they
first became available, you seen a rather modest increase in your dialup
connection speed at best. Theoretically, the maximum modem speed connection over
a standard analog telephone line is approximately 35 Kbps, so a 33.6 Kbps modem
connected about as fast as the telephone line would allow. I was getting a 31.2
Kbps connection with my 33.6 Kbps modem and after upgrading to a 56 Kbps modem,
I got 31.2 Kbps. Remember what I said about up to.
Lucent
Technologies developed the K56flex modem technology that enables a 56K modem to
connect at up to 56 Kbps over a standard analog telephone line (53K is about the
maximum). This new technology offers faster Internet access without the need to
install an expensive ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line. To take
advantage of this increased connection speed, the modem that you are using as
well as the modem that you are dialing into must have the K56flex technology.
What this means to the typical Web surfer is that Web pages that contain
graphics, video, and sound files will download much faster.
If
you are purchasing a 56K modem with your new computer, make sure that the modem
uses the new K56flex technology or the modem's firmware is upgradeable.
For
more information on K56flex technology, see The Official 56K Modem Web Site. If
you have a 56K modem that is not currently running the K56flex standard and need
the firmware upgrade, see the V.90/K56flex Upgrade Central site.
ISDN
Like
modems, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) use twisted pair cable for
the Internet connection. Where the modem uses your current analog telephone
line, the telephone company will need to install a new digital line for ISDN.
Typically the ISDN service is allocated in 64 Kbps channels, one channel gives
you a 64 Kps connection, two channels gives you a 128 Kps connection.
DSL
refers to Digital Subscriber Line and is a relatively new technology for home
Internet access. DSL uses your existing telephone line, but is able to
significantly increase the bandwidth over the lines between your home and the
telephone company. This is one of the more attractive alternatives to using a
modem, especially if you have two phone lines with one line just for computer
use. DSL gives you 24 hour access to the Internet and does not interfere with
incoming and outgoing telephone calls. In other words, your computer is
connected to the Internet 24-hours per day, you can still use your telephone
anytime you wish, and you only need one telephone line! There is a drawback to
DSL however, you need to live less than 3 miles from the phone company's main
office and the closer you are to the main office, the faster the data transfer
rate. Data transfer rates range from 128 Kbps to 8.5 Mbps.
Depending
on the type of service that your telephone company supports, there are several
options for DSL, which include Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL),
Consumer Digital Subscriber Line (CDSL), EtherLoop, High Bit-rate Digital
Subscriber Line (HDSL), ISDN based DSL (IDSL), Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber
Line (RADSL), Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), and Very High Bit-rate
Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL).
Cable
Modems
If
you have cable TV and your cable company supports it, a cable modem may be an
option for you. A cable modem uses your existing cable TV cable by allowing you
to connect your computer (using a network interface card) to the set-top box
that connects your TV to the cable. The upstream data transfer rate for a cable
modem is 27 Mbps and around 2.5 Mbps downstream, but this depends on the cable
company's connection to the Internet.
Wireless
The
technology to connect a computer to the Internet via a wireless connection is
fairly new. The only wireless connections available at the time of this writing
are General Packet Radio System (GPRS) which has connections speeds raging from
56 Kbps to 114 Kbps and Satellite which has a connection speed of 400 Kbps.
Future technologies will include Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) which will
be available in 2001 and has a connection speed of 384 Kbps and the Universal
Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) which will be available in 2002 that
will have a connection speed up to 2 Mbps. Problems with wireless connections
are interference, noise problems, and bandwidth limitations.
What
Type of Configuration Do You Need
Most
computer systems, particularly the higher-end models, come in more than one
configuration, desktop, mini tower, or tower. The configuration you chose
depends mainly on the amount of expansion you plan to do in the future. Most
tower configurations tend to have a greater amount of expandability than do
desktop models as well as larger power supplies to handle additional internal
components, such as multiple hard drives, CD-ROM drives, and tape drives. Also,
the amount of space that you have in your office or home needs to be taken into
consideration. Tower configurations are made to be placed on the floor (except
for the mini tower models), whereas desktop models are made to sit on the
surface where the keyboard and monitor are located. Other than expandability and
maybe a larger internal power supply, whether the computer is a desktop, mini
tower, or tower configuration, its still the same computer.
Complete
System Bundles
Most
stores, including mail order outlets, bundle various types of computer systems
with a set of software applications. Some of these bundle deals include a
printer, but most do not. If you are thinking about purchasing a bundled system,
find out what exactly is included in the bundle as well as the manufacturers and
models of the various components, such as the hard drive, modem, monitor, CD-ROM
drive and speed, etc. Outlets that have bundled systems that appear to be a lot
cheaper than other outlets are cheaper for a reason and usually this reason is
not readily obvious. For example, around December 1995, my brother purchased the
following bundle from a computer super store for $1349.99:
Brand
X computer system, 75 MHz Pentium processor, 8 MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM drive, 540 MB
hard drive, DOS version 6.20, Microsoft Office version 4.0, Microsoft Windows
version 3.10, and an Internet connectivity package.
Besides
the 2x CD-ROM drive and the 540 MB hard drive which I doubt were still being
manufactured at the time he bought the computer, the software that was included
with this bundle was old! DOS version 6.20 was replaced by 6.22 soon after it
was released, Microsoft Office had been at version 4.3 for well over a year
prior to the time he bought the computer, and Windows was upgraded to version
3.11 at least two years before he made the purchase. And the funniest part of
all of this was the phone numbers that were included in the Internet
connectivity package, they were no longer in use by the provider and had been
given to private individuals!
So
the moral of the story is, watch out for these bundled deals, especially if the
price seems a bit too good to be true. Make sure you know up front what you are
and are not getting for your money.
Sources
for Information
Based
on the type of things you plan to do with your computer, you will have a set of
minimum requirements that the software must have in order to do the tasks that
you plan to perform at a reasonable or acceptable speed (I define an acceptable
speed as being able to do a spell check in a word processing application faster
than I can thumb through Webster's Dictionary myself). To find out what types of
systems are available, the first place to start is by picking up a copy of one
of the many computer magazines on the market or visiting their Web site, such as
PC World, PC Magazine, or Byte, or one of the trade newspapers, such as
InfoWorld or PC Week. These magazines and newspapers usually have articles
comparing the various types and brands of computers as well as other components,
such as monitors, modems, printers, and software. But beware, don't put too much
into the rating systems that these magazines and newspapers use, since many of
the computer manufacturers pay these companies for advertising, I seriously
doubt that a magazine is really going to give a system such as IBM, Compaq, or
Gateway a very poor rating, would you? Use these ratings as a way to narrow down
your list of options.
One
of the best sources for information is your friends and family members. See if
any of them have a system similar to what you want to buy. Check to see if they
have had any trouble with their system or have ever tried to get technical
support from the system's manufacturer. Also see if they have ever had any
compatibility problems with any software applications or hardware. The main
things to look for are compatibility problems with the operating system,
printers, and CD-ROM drives. If they have had compatibility problems, see what
steps they took to get the problems resolved and how long it took to get the
system working again. And finally, see if they would buy another computer system
from this company.
Another
good place to check for information is the World Wide Web. Fire up your favorite
Web browser, then in the locator field enter a URL in the format
www.Company.com, replacing the word Company with the name of the company, such
as www.compaq.com (Compaq), www.ibm.com (IBM), www.gateway.com (Gateway), or
www.dell.com (Dell). Usually these hardware manufacturers, as well as most of
the software and component companies, will have a complete listing of their line
of products as well as the specifications.
In
addition to the World Wide Web, information on the various types of computer
systems and software can also be found in the USENET newsgroups. If your
Internet Provider gives you access to the USENET newsgroups, you can just click
on one of the links below. If your provider does not give you USENET access,
these newsgroups are available via the Web at www.remarq.com.