The growth of technology can be a difficult thing to follow,
particularly the internet as it is changing and advancing almost constantly,
however many of the older technologies that lead to the technologies we know
now still exist and are still used. This means rather than replacing the things
we need to know, technology is just
adding to them, and not only do we need to know what they are but what their
order is in terms of how recent they are and how advanced they are. Thankfully
when it comes to internet technologies this is fairly easy to follow based on
price alone.
First is the PCI modem, better known as dial-up. This is often free,
requiring only that you purchase a modem (this in itself is usually very cheap
and can be purchased for around £10, depending what you buy and where you buy
it from. This is usually the slowest type of internet connection and is the
oldest, predating Google. This uses your phone line to connect you to the
internet, which means that so long as you’re paying your phone bill you’re
paying for your internet. This is the cheapest option and is considered to be
highly economic as a choice. However because the internet is using your phone
line you phone will be unavailable while you are online. Dial up is a great option for someone
who wants but does not need internet – if you want to have access to the net
but don’t want to be paying for what you aren’t using.
The second is DSL, this uses the same basic technology as Dial-up,
given that it still uses your phone line however it will not keep your phone
line engaged. This is sometimes known as the ‘always on’ connection and is for
anyone who needs a more reliable internet connection. This is an asymmetric
option, meaning that it supports different upload and download rates, at home
you may know it better as ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line). This
supports speeds in the region of 10MB download speed and is one of the most
reliable connections available. If you care more about having a constant
connection than speed and want something cost effective this is an ideal
option.
The third is cable, though there are two types of cable. First there
is coaxial; this is what you commonly see used by cable TV and is a very popular
choice for data communications. This is a flexible option that can be designed
to suit the individual needs of the user, as the features of the cable will be
impacted by the materials used to construct the cable. This is a mid-priced
option as well as a reliable one, generally using a copper wire surrounded by
copper mesh conductor to transmit data. This is a very efficient method for
data transfer across distances at higher speeds (making it a good choice for
businesses). There is also fibre-optic, a much more recent addition to the
cable options. An optic fibre connection uses specially designed material in
strands as thin as human hair to communicate data, this is using optical
signals rather than electrical signals which allows for much higher speeds.
This is ideal for high speed connections particularly over long distances and
is becoming a much more cost effective option.
The fourth option is wireless, because of portability, speed and
reliability this is one of the most popular options. Wireless uses radio
frequency to transmit data and can be accessed from anywhere so long as there
is a WiFi adaptor located within a network coverage area and attached to your
device. This is the technology that most already know about and are familiar with
due to its current popularity.
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