Before connecting your computer to the Internet, you should consider what tasks you will be doing online. This way, you can ensure the right configuration for your needs, depending on whether your primary purpose will be sending email, for which a narrowband connection may be sufficient, or downloading large amounts of data, which may require a broadband link.
What Does Broadband Mean?
Broadband is high-speed Internet connectivity that allows you to work many times faster than a modem or dial-up link. There are many ways to achieve broadband speed (DSL, ADSL, satellite, cable, fibre, ISDN) and choosing the method that's right for you will depend on your budget and what is available in your town or city.
Digital Subscriber Line Technology (DSL)
Digital Subscriber Line Technology (DSL) allows voice, data, and video to be transmitted over an existing telephone network. Speeds are usually between 354 kbps and 1,000 kbps, depending on the type of DSL technology used and the distance between your computer and the nearest digital telephone exchange. Note: kbps is short for kilobits per second, a measure of data transfer speed, with 1 kbps equal to 1,000 bits per second (bps).
DSL has the advantage of maintaining a constant connection to the Internet. There is no need to 'dial up', which can become quite expensive if you access the Internet frequently throughout the day. There are many variations of DSL, and as a group they are known as xDSL.
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a common form of xDSL technology that works on existing phone lines and this technology does not require another phone line to be installed, which means you can be connected to the Internet while still being able to make phone calls. Its main characteristic is that it uses a large percentage of the line to transmit data downstream, but only a small percentage to upload data, making ADSL an efficient tool for downloading large files and viewing streaming video. Telstra and Optus at speeds of approximately 8 mbps for downloading and 1 mbps for uploading offer this technology. Note: mbps is short for megabits per second, with 1 mbps equal to 1,000 kbps.
Satellite
Satellite technology is available in two forms:
- Two-way satellite transmission is where a dish antenna is used to
send and receive data; the downloaded data usually travels faster than
the uploaded data, which explains why it is called asymmetric.
- One-way satellite transmission is where data is downloaded via a satellite and antenna dish, which is connected to your computer. However, to upload data, a modem and telephone line is still required to link your computer to the Internet. A satellite connection may be the only alternative if cable, fibre, or ADSL is not available in your area.
A cable modem is up to 30 times faster than a standard dial-up connection, and can connect you to the Internet via a cable TV line. This method does not tie up your phone line and there is no need to install a second phone line.
Fibre Optic cable is the technology used for transmitting data from one computer to another in the form of light pulses along a glass or plastic fibre.
A major advantage is capacity. Fibre can handle much more data than a standard phone line, and this higher bandwidth means transfer data speeds are measured in gigabytes. Note: The abbreviation for gigabyte is GB, a unit of measure consisting of one billion bytes (one thousand megabytes).
Another feature of fibre is clarity. Fibre transmissions are not subject to electromagnetic noise, which can damage data as it travels across copper phone lines.
ISDN
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) provides fast digital data transfer over normal telephone lines and allows users to send and receive both voice and data transmission on the same line. ISDN requires a special adapter rather than a traditional modem.
Wireless
Wireless networks allow computers, laptops and personal digital
assistants (PDAs) to connect to the Internet or an internal network
without the need for complex cabling.
A mobile computing environment has the capability of transferring data faster than a DSL connection.
Wireless,
which can be used over distances of up to 16 kilometres, is not
available everywhere but in some cases may be a cost-effective option
when setting up an efficient internal computer network.
Can I Stick With My Modem or Dial-Up Connection?
There's nothing wrong with narrowband. Although an increasing number of businesses are turning towards broadband to operate more efficiently, there are plenty who continue to operate just fine with a dial-up or modem connection.
Narrowband remains popular because it is cheap and readily
available. A modem connection to the Internet uses an existing
telephone line, which means access, is available to almost everyone.
What's
more, the performance of many dial-up modem connections is sufficient
for users who do not require large amounts of bandwidth. While speeds
will vary depending on the quality of your phone line technology,
performance is usually between 14 kbps and 56 kbps.
The main disadvantage of using a modem is that while you are connected to the Internet you are unable to use your phone, which may lead to lost business opportunities.
If you want to use a modem connection and receive calls at the same time, you must install another phone line.
Should I Bother With a Permanent Connection?
A permanent connection allowing instant access to the Internet
provides many business benefits. It eliminates dial-up costs and time
spent waiting for a modem to connect, and enables you to stay in
constant contact with customers and suppliers.
A permanent
connection is especially useful if you would like to run and be in
control of your own Web server and Website, or if you would like to
have your own email server with an unlimited number of email accounts.
Resources
The following link is to the Australian ISP register, which provides a comprehensive list of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This site allows you to browse for ISPs that offer services in your state and also allows you to search for the closest ISP depending on your telephone number.
