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The Basics of Cable Internet
Millions of people all over the world have access to television.
The majority of these people access their TV shows and programs
using a cable connection, which provides lots of channels and a
clear signal. The beauty of the cable connection lies in its
speed and dual function. Not only does it provide television to
the masses, it can now provide high speed access to the World
Wide Web. Have you ever wondered how this cable technology
works? Then keep reading and learn something new!
Understanding Cable Internet Access
In order to have a clear understanding of how home users access
cable Internet, you must first understand how television signals
are transmitted to your television. Each television channel that
is accessible from your television set has a six-megahertz (MHz)
frequency on the cable. The cable then transmits these signals
of a specific range of frequencies to your home television.
Since the cable can transmit hundreds of megahertz of signals,
there is room for more television channels than you would ever
have time to watch.
So when a cable
company decides to offer Internet access, they give the Internet
data a specific six-megahertz frequency on the cable. This is
enough space to send information from the Internet to a home
computer. In order to send and receive data, home users need to
purchase some hardware. They require a cable modem on their end,
and their cable provider must have a cable modem termination
system (CMTS) on their side. The CMTS is able to take the data
from as many as one thousand users on one channel and connects
them to an Internet Service Provider. The fact that there are
many users on one channel is one of the primary concerns of
using cable Internet.
If you are the first user to connect to the World Wide Web on a
particular channel, you will have the entire bandwidth to
yourself and the speed of your connection will be very close to
its theoretical maximum. But as more and more people connect to
that channel, they will all have to share the bandwidth. So at
high traffic hours, such as in the early evening or at lunch
time, the Internet connection speed can be very slow. Users can
rest assured that such a problem can be easily addressed. When a
cable company has too many users on a particular channel, all
they have to do is set up a new channel and diverge some users
to the new one. They are able to easily control the number of
users on a particular channel, so if they pay attention to the
number of clientele, there should not be any problems.
Since many users share one channel, cable Internet users should
take the necessary security precautions. They should have a
firewall so that they are able to ensure that no one else is
capable of accessing their private information and data. A
firewall acts by monitoring the activity of other users and
preventing them from sharing or accessing unsolicited
information.
Another benefit
of cable Internet access is that the quality of the connection
does not rely on the distance from user to provider. DSL
Internet relies heavily on the geographical proximity of the
user to the central office, but cable Internet users do not have
to worry about distance. Their main concern lies with the number
of users on a particular channel.
Buying the Modem for Your Cable Internet
There are a few main types of cable modems, so users should make
sure they understand the differences between them before they
make their purchase. There is an internal cable modem, an
external cable modem and an interactive set-top box.
The internal cable modem
is basically an add-on card that Internet users can add on to
their personal computer. One drawback of this type of modem is
that it is most compatible with desktop personal computers,
which may lead to problems if you own a Mac or a laptop. The
modem will also require some specific network configurations, so
if those are not already in place, you Internet service provider
might have to upgrade your network programs.
The external
cable modem is a small box that you attach to the exterior of
your computer through an Ethernet connection. If you do not have
an Ethernet port, you will have to purchase a card that will
allow this type of connection. There are some benefits to having
an external versus an internal modem. An external modem allows
you to connect multiple computers to the Internet and it is
compatible with most operating systems so you can use it on your
Mac, Unix, PC or laptop.
The interactive
set-top box has two functions. Its main function is to provide
television channels for your TV set. Additionally, it acts as a
modem so that you can access the Internet through your
television! You can surf the net and check your email using your
TV.
Availability of Cable Internet Access
The availability
of cable Internet services depends on how updated your local
cable company is. The technology requires fiber optic lines with
two-way transmission. Cable providers must upgrade their
existing systems in order to provide Internet service. Today,
forty percent of homes in the United States and Canada have
cable Internet access.
When you subscribe for cable Internet, you will pay your cable
provider rather than your Internet service provider directly for
the access. The cable company’s responsibilities lie in
installing your modem and managing your service over the local
cable network. The cable company itself is connected to the
Internet service provider. So the Internet provider actually
provides the connection to the Internet, while the cable company
deals with the technicality of that service through the cable
network.
Cable Internet
users can expect to pay anywhere from thirty to fifty dollars a
month for their Internet access, which usually covers unlimited
access to the Internet and some Internet applications and
software. The start up cost of installing cable Internet can be
in the range of fifty to two hundred dollars depending on what
components you need to install.
Cable Internet Provides High Speed Online Access
Cable Internet
is roughly twenty times faster than dial up Internet access.
Pages should download instantly and the transfer of large audio
or video files should progress smoothly. In contrast to dial up
access, you will have a permanent online connection to the
Internet and will not have to bother with the time-consuming
process of dialing up every time you want to access the
Internet.
Cable Internet
service has become widely recognized as an effective information
service that it in use through North America and parts of Europe
and Asia. The permanent and speedy connection it affords makes
it a top choice among Internet users. As more and more cable
companies upgrade and install fiber optic cables, this
technology will become even more accessible to the general
public. Get connected to the information highway and ensure that
you have the access you need to news, shopping, and financial
and educational resources. Stay connected with friends and
family by making using of instant messaging programs and email
services that are made possible by your cable Internet access.
