Page 68 - digitalliteracy

3.1 What Is a Network, and How Do You Join One?

Types of wired and wireless Internet services are summarized in Table 3.1. The primary dif-
ferences among these types of services are the speed at which the data can travel and the cost
of the Internet service. The choice, however, is not always up to the consumer. Not all places
in the United States, and certainly not in the world, have all these options available. You may
have none of them available in your specific area. Talk to your neighbors and friends to find

Table 3.1: Wired and wireless Internet connections

Description Pros and cons

Wired Internet services
Dial-up service Using a modem, the computer dials a • Slowest
telephone number provided by your ISP • Least expensive
to connect to the Internet. A dial-up con- • Offered in remote, rural areas
nection occupies a phone line, and you • Not recommended for online course
will not be able to use the phone for voice work
communications while on the Internet.

Integrated ISDN transmits data and phone conver- • Better quality and faster speed than
service digital sations together on a single telephone dial-up
network (ISDN) wire. ISDN offers a better quality Internet • Requires installation of an ISDN
service connection and faster speed than a dial- phone line
up service. Special ISDN phone lines need • Being replaced in some areas by
to be installed, and a phone number still other technology, but still offered in
must be dialed. places
Digital sub- DSL uses two fiber-optic telephone • Typically offered by telephone
scriber line (DSL) lines to give you telephone and Internet companies
service service, so you can send and receive • Generally faster and less expensive
telephone calls and use the Internet at than ISDN
the same time.
Cable Internet Cable connections use a modem to con- • Typically offered by cable companies
service nect to the Internet through fiber-optic • The fastest of the wired services
cable television lines.
Wireless Internet services

Wireless network Verizon and AT&T are the leading wire- • High rates of data transfer with new
service less Internet providers; however, Sprint 4G and 5G technologies, meaning
and T-Mobile also provide wireless Inter- faster Internet service
net networks in some geographic areas. • Offers greater security than earlier
wireless networks

Wi-Fi network This type of wireless network is used • Multiple computers and devices con-
in coffee shops, bookstores, and other nect simultaneously
hotspots. • Limited geographic range of use

Bluetooth service Bluetooth transmits data over short • Not recommended for online course
distances using short-wavelength ultra- work
high-frequency radio waves and creates • Best suited for use with mobile
a “shared” Internet connection across devices such as smartphones, tablets,
devices. and gaming consoles
Internet over Internet over satellite service allows • Usually more expensive and slower
satellite service users to access the Internet via a satellite than most other options
that is orbiting the earth. • Available only in certain areas

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