The Internet has become an important part of everybody’s life. It has endowed us with the luxury of high-speed communication. You can simply connect your laptops, computers, tablets, smartphones, and televisions, to a WI-FI connection and use the internet. So, WI-FI for sure has made everything very simple and easier. However, one of the major questions that every internet consumer must ask is where the WI-FI router receives its internet connection from.
Chances are you may be using a cable broadband internet and fibre connection. While these 2 are highly popular internet networks, there are various other kinds as well.
Here in this beginner’s guide, let’s take a brief overview of the different kinds of internet networks. Firstly, discussed here are a few basic terminologies linked with the internet.
What’s the internet?
Technically, the internet is a network that helps computers interact with one another. To communicate, they should be connected somehow. Here’s where the fibreoptic cables and networking devices on the hardware side and distinct protocols on the software side come to play.
With the assistance of this software and hardware combination, you can transfer and receive massive amounts of information like emails, documents, browsing on the world wide web (WWW), calls, and many others. In the real world, the internet concept is more complicated.
In case you want your laptop or computer to connect to the internet, you must have access to the internet. You will get access only if you avail an internet network. Who gives the internet connection? Your internet service provider or ISP. What’s an ISP? Ever used a landline telephone in your home? You require an account with a telephone to make calls. An internet service provider is almost a similar entity but has internet access.
An Internet service provider is a company that permits you to connect to the internet network. For this, you require to have an account with an internet service provider. After this, based on the kind of internet network your ISP operates, they will offer all the cabling and electronic equipment at your premises for you to sign in with your credentials and begin using the internet network.
What are the kinds of internet networks?
So, what are the distinct kinds of internet networks? Here’s a list of some of the popular kinds of internet networks.
∙ ISDN
∙ Dial-up internet
∙ DSL
∙ Fibre
∙ Cable internet
∙ Cellular broadband
∙ Internet leased line
∙ Satellite
∙ Power line internet
∙ Fixed Wireless
Let’s briefly view some of the distinct types of internet connections.
Dial-up internet –
If you had an internet network in the early 90s then most probably it must have been dial-up internet access. It uses traditional telephone lines to offer the internet network. To establish the internet network with an ISP (telephone company), the computer requires dialling a number (same as a conventional telephone number). You require a special device called a modem to convert the digital data from a computer to analogue data to transmit over telephone lines. The modem even receives analogue data from ISP and converts the same to digital data for the computer.
An essential thing you must note about the dial-up internet network is that you can use either modem or telephone at a time. After the connection has been established post dialling the number, in case you try making a phone call, the modem does not function, and you will not have any access to the internet. Dial-up has a slow internet speed, which usually is in the range between 28 kbps and 56 kbps. Also, it is a cheap solution because it uses prevailing infrastructure to offer an internet connection. Despite this specific drawback, a dial-up internet network is a prudent way to get the internet in a few remote places.
ISDN (integrated service digital network)
ISDN is the previous version of a broadband internet connection. It makes use of the public switched telephone networks to simply transmit both digital and voice data. While dial-up is a popular kind of internet connection in the USA, ISDN has become widespread in Germany, France, the UK, India, Japan, and other portions of Europe. The basic internet speed using the ISDN channel was nearly 64 Kbps. By simply bonding the 2 channels together you can theoretically get nearly an internet speed of 128 Kbps.
DSL
Another prudent internet connection that offers access to the internet via the prevailing telephone network is a digital subscriber line or DSL. The major benefit of DSL is that you can simultaneously make use of both a telephone and modem for an internet network. DSL has replaced the dial-up as well as the ISDN connection. DSL uses 2 distinct sets of frequencies for transmitting digital data as well as analogue audio over telephone lines.
For regular phone calls, it uses standard audible frequencies. However, to transmit digital data, it uses a higher frequency. The telephone company installs a kind of filtering device to separate both signals.
There are 2 kinds of DSL networks – SDSL and ADSL. The full form of ADSL is an asymmetric digital subscriber line. Here in this kind of network, the speed downstream is considerably higher as compared to the upstream. The full form of SDSL is a symmetric digital subscriber line. Here in this kind of internet network, both downstream and upstream speeds are nearly identical. ADSL is way more popular than SDSL.
In the basic ADSL, you can get internet speeds of anywhere from 256 Kbps to 20 Mbps based on the plan. Later, the high-speed standards were in effect wherein the internet speeds moved up to 100 Mbps.
Internet leased line
Internet leased line is nothing but a private telecommunication circuit functional between 2 or more locations as per the commercial contracts. It is at times even called a private circuit. Typically, a leased line is used by businesses to connect geographically distant locations.
Unlike conventional telephone lines in PSTN (public switched telephone network), leased internet lines are usually not switched circuits, and do not have any associated telephone number. Every side of the line is connected permanently, always dedicated, and active to the other. An internet leased line can be used for internet, telephone, or other kinds of data communication services. Few are ringdown services and a few connect with PBX (private branch exchange) or network routers.
Primary parameters impacting the recurring lease fees include the distance between end stations as well as circuit bandwidth. As the connection does not have any 3rd party communications, a carrier can assure the specified quality level. So, an internet leased line connection is a premium connectivity, delivered over fibre, which offers symmetrical, uncontended bandwidth with complete duplex traffic. Also, it is called an ethernet leased line, data circuit, dedicated line, or private line.
Conclusion
It is tough to imagine a world without any internet connection. Whether want to connect via a video call, conduct brief research or check the availability of tickets for a trip abroad, the internet is a must. However, you must do your research to find out the best internet connection that can meet your needs and fit your budget.
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