What is DSL?

The full form of DSL is known as the digital subscriber line, which consists of various different technologies that provide an internet connection to a computer network using the DSL.

The digital subscriber line , or most commonly known as the DSL, involves the use of the pair of copper phone lines using the wiring networks, these also comprise of a main switch which has special hardware to relay the internet signals to the other end of the user. A continuous digital connection network can be achieved using this technology.

The DSL technology is purely based on digital composition and thus there is no use of the digital to analog conversion for the internet transmission as required in the previous modems of the traditional times. The DSL system does not use the frequency spectrum of the audio in the phone, because it requires the frequency above that which means that the telephone can be used while the internet connection is still on.

The speed of the DSL system technology is incomparable to any other internet connection provider, previously used. If compared, the DSL wins over 50 times faster inter speed than the general modems used and is about 12 times faster than the ISDN connection. The reason behind this is that the DSL system used different frequencies for the encoding of the data, which allows a much faster internet speed. Another factor which contributes to the high speed of the DSL is that it is not a bus technology because of which its offered bandwidth is much more consistent than the other types of modems which provides the same bandwidth to multiple users.

However, the only conditions that can affect the transmission speed are the wiring conditions and also to some extent the distance limitations.

Advantages and Disadvantage of Internet

Internet Advantage

Faster Communication

The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has excelled way beyond the expectations. Newer innovations are only going to make it faster and more reliable. Now, you can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. For more personal and interactive communication, you can avail the facilities of chat services, video conferencing and so on. Besides, there are plenty of messenger services in offering. With the help of such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts and explore other cultures.

Information Resources

Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. There is a huge amount of information available on the Internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is simply endless.

Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research or the purpose of gathering resources. Even teachers have started giving assignments that require extensive research on the Internet. Besides, you can have an access to latest researches in the field of medicine, technology and so on. Numerous web sites such as America's Doctor also allow you to talk to the doctors online. 

Entertainment

Entertainment is another popular raison d'être why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, Internet has become quite successful in trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. Even celebrities are using Internet effectively for promotional campaigns. Besides, there are numerous games that can be downloaded from the Internet for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers. 

Social Networking

One cannot imagine an online life without Facebook or Twitter. Social networking has become so popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great medium to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding long-lost friends, you can also look for job, business opportunities on forums, communities etc. Besides, there are chat rooms where users can meet new and interesting people. Some of them may even end up finding their life partners. 

Online Services

Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc., right from your home. Some travel websites even plan an Itinerary as per your preferences and take care of airline tickets, hotel reservations etc. 

e-Commerce

The concept of e-commerce is used for any type of commercial maneuvering or business deals that involves the transfer of information across the globe via Internet. It has become a phenomenon associated with any kind of shopping, business deal etc. You name a service, and e-commerce with its giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make it available at your doorstep. Websites such as eBay allow you to even bid for homes, buy, sell or auction stuff online. 

What Is Internet?

The internet in simple terms is a network of the interlinked computer networking worldwide, which is accessible to the general public. These interconnected computers work by transmitting data through a special type of packet switching which is known as the IP or the internet protocol.

Internet is such a huge network of several different interlinked networks relating to the business, government, academic, and even smaller domestic networks, therefore internet is known as the network of all the other networks. These networks enable the internet to be used for various important functions which include the several means of communications like the file transfer, the online chat and even the sharing of the documents and web sites on the WWW, or the World Wide Web.

It is always mistaken said that the internet and the World Wide Web are both the same terms, or are synonymous. Actually there is a very significant difference between the two which has to be clear to understand both the terms. The internet and World Wide Web are both the networks yet; the internet is the network of the several different computers which are connected through the linkage of the accessories like the copper wires, the fiber optics and even the latest wireless connections. However, the World Wide Web consists of the interlinked collection of the information and documents which are taken as the resource by the general public. These are then linked by the website URLs and the hyperlinks. Therefore World Wide Web is one of the services offered by the whole complicated and huge network of the internet.

The use of IP in the Internet is the integral part of the network, as they provide the services of the internet, through different layers organization through the IP data packets. There are other protocols that are the sub-classes of the IP itself, like the TCP, and the HTTP.

ISP - Internet Service Provider

ISP

With the Internet becoming one of the vital services of our daily routine, the Internet bill has joined the set of compulsory monthly expenses, including the electricity bill and the various other taxes. To pay our Internet bill we turn to our ISP, the company that is responsible for delivering Internet access to our place.

Table of Contents:

• What is an ISP?
• Internet Access Technologies :
• Dial-Up Internet Access
• DSL
• Cable Internet
• Wireless Broadband ( WiBB )
• Wi-Fi Internet
• ISDN
• Ethernet

What is an ISP?

The ISP, short for 'Internet Service Provider', is the company that connects your personal computer, notebook, netbook, PDA, mobile device, game station, etc. to the Internet. Another name for ISP is IAP, or Internet Access Provider.

Internet access technologies

The connection between your Internet enabled device and the global network is executed through a specific digital data transmission technology. It represents the transfer of information packets through an Internet Protocol route.

According to the method of data transmission, the Internet access that ISPs provide to users can be divided into several types, the most popular of which are:

Dial-up Internet access

This is the oldest method of providing access to the Internet. It uses a telephone line to perform a modem-to-modem connection. For that purpose, the user's computer is attached to a telephone line enabled modem device, which dials into the node of the ISP and starts transferring data between the servers that store websites the user wants to see and their Internet connected device. The dial-up Internet is today considered outdated in most Internet societies due to the slow connection speed it ensures (about 40-50 kbit/s.). However, the wide availability of telephone access makes this type of Internet access the only alternative for remote areas that remain off the broadband network. It is also the least expensive Internet access service and is preferred by users on a tight budget.

DSL

DSL, short for 'digital subscriber loop' or 'digital subscriber line', is an advanced version of the dial-up Internet access method. In contrast to dial-up, DSL uses high frequency to execute a connection over the local telephone network. This allows the Internet and the phone connections to be run on one and the same telephone line. The digital subscriber line technology ensures an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), where the upload speed is lower than the download speed, and a Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), offering equal upload and download speeds. Of them both, ADSL is much more popular and is even known as just DSL to users.

Cable Internet

The cable Internet is among the most preferred methods for providing residential Internet access. Technically speaking, it represents a broadband Internet access method, using the high-bandwidth cable television network to transmit data between the global network and the households. To use cable Internet you will need a cable modem at home that will be connected with the CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) of your cable ISP. The cable Internet access can be offered together with a cable television subscription and separately, for customers' convenience. The second case incurs higher subscription fees due to the extra equipment installation costs.

Wireless Broadband (WiBB)

This is a new-generation broadband Internet access technology, allowing the delivery of high-speed wireless Internet within a large area. Wireless broadband ISPs (WISPs) ensure connection speeds that come close to the wired broadband speeds provided by DSL and cable ISPs. To get wireless broadband you need to place a specific dish on your house roof or apartment balcony and point it to the transmitter of your WISP. This type of Internet access is used as an alternative to the wired broadband connection in remote areas.

Wi-Fi Internet

Wi-Fi (from Wireless Fidelity) has become one of the most widely distributed Internet access methods, with the growing usage of portable computers and Internet enabled mobile devices, such as smart phones, PDAs, game consoles, etc. In this sense, it is the most mobile Internet access method, since you are able to use it everywhere as long as you are located within the scope of coverage, i.e. within the range of an Internet connected wireless network. Due to its ability to serve mobile devices, Wi-Fi is used in public places such as airports, hotels and restaurants to provide Internet access to customers. There are also specialized Wi-Fi hotspots where the service is either free or paid. Some of the largest cities in the world are in the process of building Wi-Fi networks that cover all the public places in the central areas.

ISDN

Another online data transmission method worth considering is ISDN or the Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN represents a telephone system network, integrating a high-quality digital transmission of voice and data over the ordinary phone line. Ensuring a much better data transmission over the phone line than an analog line could allow, the ISDN offers a fast upstream/downstream Internet connection speed of 128 kbit/s. This speed level can be considered as a broadband speed as opposed to the narrowband speed of standard analog 56k telephone lines.

Ethernet

Another Internet access type worth mentioning is Ethernet - the most widespread wired LAN (local area network) technology, also used in wireless LANs. The Ethernet technology may ensure various speed levels and can thus be divided into several types: regular Ethernet, providing transmission speeds of up to 10 mbits/s, fast Ethernet, offering up to 100 mbits/s, gigabit Ethernet, supporting 1 gbit/s and 10-Gbit Ethernet, coming at up to 10 gbits/s.