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Telephones,
Cables, and Satellites
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It is possible to
connect to the internet using wireless technology,
however most of us are physically connected by some
sort of wire to the internet. If you have a typical
computer with a standard modem you'll be able to
dial up through your regular telephone line. This
is what most people do. If you are just starting
on the internet, this will probably be sufficient.
There are alternatives, however, that are good for
increasing the speed of your connection.
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There are a variety
of telephone options. If you're interested contact
your telephone company and you can inquire about
the price and availability of ASDL, ISDN, and T-1
lines. These can be pricey and they are not universally
available. There is one thing that a lot of people
choose to do, though. They add an additional phone
line to their home. This won’t add any speed to
your system, but it may make it more convenient
to use.
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Keep in mind; if
you are using your phone line to go online, then
your telephone is busy. If you are online all day
long, then you can't receive phone calls. One of
the joys of having two lines is being able to talk
to someone on the phone while surfing on the net.
If, for example, I'm shopping online and I have
a question that can't be answered, I can call the
merchant on the phone and we can surf and talk together.
When I'm done, I can finish my shopping on line,
or I can place the order over the phone. It's my
choice.
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Cable modems and
satellite connections provide high-speed connections.
For more information, you should speak directly
with your cable company or one of the satellite
companies.
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One word of caution.
With most of these options, your computer may stay
connected to the internet when you aren't around.
It can make you more susceptible to the bad people
on the net. There are precautions that you can and
should take that are beyond the scope of these lessons.
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Bandwidth
Sometimes you will here
the words bandwidth when people talk about
the internet. What they are talking about
is related to this idea of speed. Increased
bandwidth results in the ability to transfer
more information in a given period of
time. So if someone wants increased bandwidth,
they are looking for increased speed.
The result will be larger and more complicated
stuff being sent across the internet.
It is already possible to send live video
across the net, but for most of us, it
looks kind of jerky. As bandwidth increases
and modems get faster, it is inevitable
that you will be able to make the kind
of face-to-face phone calls that they
made on the Jetsons.
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