About Broadband Internet Connections

There is a lot of confusion regarding the term 'broadband' as it applies to the internet. We hope to clear a few points of confusion up and simplify the matter for the average internet user.

This is not meant to be an engineering or highly technical perspective or a complete expose on the subject - just something we hope that will help answer a few questions that a lot of folks have about this subject.

First, let us start with a basic principle that may or may not be of interest, but can be helpful in your understanding of the terms that get thrown around - sometimes too loosely.

The term 'broadband' is a shortened name for 'broad bandwidth'. Broadband, or broad bandwidth, is what is required for the 'high speed' transmission of data. In the realm of computers and the internet, this data is in the form of digital information that is transmitted back and forth between your computer and the internet.

So the terms 'broadband' and 'high speed' are actually equivalent terms as used in the context of internet connectivity, as they both mean the same thing.

Another way of looking at it is: To achieve higher speed data transmission, one must user a broader band circuit or system. Thus the two terms are generally used interchangeably when referring to the internet.

Another term that bears explanation is "modem". Modem is a compound contraction of the term "modulator-demodulator" and is a device that is used to connect digital (and other) signals to some sort of transmission line or device. Virtually all connections to the internet require some sort of modem - either a dial-up modem, DSL modem, wireless modem, cable modem and so on.

Dial Up Connection

The slowest common form of connecting to the Internet is 'dial up'. This is where a computer is connected to the internet via a modem that connects to an ordinary voice telephone line. Because such telephone service was originally designed for 'voice only' - which is very 'narrow band' - dial up is the slowest common form of internet connection. To be fair, the speeds that can be obtained using dial up modem technology are actually amazing considering the connection is to something that was designed originally only for limited voice transmission.

Broadband Internet Connection

The term 'broadband internet connection' refers to a number of different means or methods for obtaining higher data transmission speeds than is possible using dial-up connection.

Examples of ‘broadband’ (AKA ‘high speed’) internet connections are:

(In approximate order of their speed - keep in mind that speeds vary and some technologies can overlap others.)

• ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network or Isolated Subscriber Digital Network) - a system that is similar to and generally slower than DSL (see below) in that it uses a special telephone connection. Not commonly used today - was more common at one time.


• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – a special high speed telephone line internet service – you can only get DSL if you are within about 18000 feet of a ‘switch’  – which is about 3 miles.  In other words, folks out in the country cannot usually get DSL.  (A ‘switch’ is a telephone company terminal device that costs a lot of money and they are therefore generally only installed in high density population areas.)


• Broadband Mobile – an internet connection that works through a cellular telephone provider, such as Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc. This is similar to but faster than a dial-up connection. It is essentially 'dial-up' on a cell phone network. Since the cell phone networks are newer than ordinary telephone lines and by their nature operate with broader bandwidth specification, broadband mobile is faster than dial up. The actual speed varies and is dependent upon the actual network and other factors.


• Wireless Internet - this is a system whereby the user connects to the internet via a radio link - also known as 'wireless'. This is very similar to 'broadband mobile' but does not take place on a cellular telephone network. The radio frequency link is usually UHF (Ultra High Frequency) and is capable of higher bandwidth and therefore faster connection speeds than dial-up, ISDN and DSL. A typical wireless internet connection will require an antenna at the user's home or office that is aimed at the service provider's antenna, which is usually located on a water tower or other tower structure. Wireless internet generally requires a direct and unobstructed line-of-sight between the user and the provider.
  
  

About Wi-Fi NOTE: Wireless Internet should NOT be confused with 'wireless' or Wi-Fi Network. These two technologies are frequently confused since they are often both referred to as 'wireless'. Wi-Fi is a wireless Network connection method. It is IEEE specification 802.11a,b,g and n. The most common is 802.11g and 802.1n. The 802.11n technology is the fastest Wi-Fi available as of this writing. Wi-Fi is a SHORT RANGE wireless connection method, typically covering only several hundred feet or so. The exact distances will vary from under 100 to over 300 feet, depending up equipment and conditions. NOTE that because Wi-Fi is such a short range connection, it is NOT suitable for 'mobile' operations, such as in an automobile. It is best used as a FIXED solution, such as in a coffee shop or motel that provides Wi-Fi access. Wi-Fi access is usually free of charge for motel guests and patrons of certain businesses; we would recommend that you never pay for Wi-Fi service unless absolutely necessary. Wi-Fi is a network connection technology and is NOT a direct connection to the internet. Wi-Fi is usually employed to connect a computer to wireless (there is that term again) router or switch, which in turn connects to some sort of modem that connects to the internet. Wi-Fi is also often referred to as a "Hot-Spot", "Wireless", "Wireless G" and "Wireless N". We only mention it here because the term 'wireless' as applied to Wi-Fi often results in its being confused with other wireless internet connection methods. Many Cable and DSL Modems available today also include a router and Wi-Fi (wireless network) capability in the same unit.



• Cable – hooked up to the cable company – such as Cable One. 


• OTHER Wired Services – such as T1 connection – usually only available to corporations or other such large entities.


• Optical - various - the fastest method - uses Fiber Optics

Continue reading if you want a more in depth explanation -
otherwise, that's it.

Internet Connection Speed Comparison Chart

From http://support.summersault.com/bandwidth_chart.html

Network Connection Speed Comparison Chart

For those who just cannot get enough technical insight, we offer the following connections speed comparison chart:

Kb = kilobits, KB=kilobytes, Mb=megabits, MB=Megabytes, Gb=Gigabits
(A byte is 8 bits)

Originally from http://www.garywachs.com/pages/speed1.htm