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Technology Watch |
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July 2001
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The Skinny on Broadband In the next three weeks, Adam and I will explore the world of broadband Internet connections. Broadband is also known as 'fat pipe' Internet connections. In a nutshell, broadband means always on fast Internet connections. Broadband comes in many types and flavors. During Tech Watch, we will discuss satellite, DSL, cable, and wireless broadband. Although not new, I feel that satellite Internet access is poised to make some strong growth. Why? It is relatively easy to deploy and unlike other broadband options, location is not a large factor. In fact, if you can see the southern sky from your home or office, then chances are you can access the Internet with a satellite. For many rural (and even suburban) homeowners, cable or DSL Internet access are not even options. So, satellite becomes a viable option if speed and reliability are needed. DirecPC was the first company to offer satellite Internet access about five or so years ago. Until recently it worked by dialing into an ISP (like most users do now) to make requests to the Internet and then the satellite would flash the request back to the PC at fast speeds. DirecPC still offers the same service, but have also recently launched a new two way satellite system called "satellite return system". This method uses the satellite for traffic to and from the Internet eliminating the need for a dialup connection and phone line. I have been fortunate to receive a test satellite system from StarBand. I've been using the service for about a month and absolutely love it. The speed and reliability are outstanding compared to my old dialup connection. With dialup, I could expect download speeds of 2.2kb/sec at best and usually in the 1.7 range. Translation: to download a 10mb file would take roughly 1- 1.25 hours... with the StarBand system, the same file is downloaded in under four minutes (70-90kb/sec)!! Doing normal web surfing and research also exhibits huge increases in speed. Sites like ESPN or CNN that would take upwards of 60-90 seconds to load on my dialup now load in less than fifteen. That's the good news...high speed Internet access can be had almost anywhere via satellite. Now for the bottom line. It costs roughly $700 for installation and equipment and $70/month for access. If you bundle Internet with satellite TV, you can get both for $99/month. Satellite
Summary
Phone lines don't have to be slow...if you lay out a little extra cash. ISDN (integrated services digital network) connections remain one of the older forms of broadband Internet access. Although in comparison to DSL (keep on reading), satellite (described above) and cable (which we'll discuss next week), the speeds are slightly anemic. ISDN utilizes 64 kbps speeds on one line and up to 128 kbps over two lines. In comparison, that 10 mb file download we discussed last week would take around 10-12 minutes for download. ISDN is provided through local phone companies and ISP's. The cost is generally in the $90-110/ month range. So for a moderate speed gain, the cost doesn't justify the speed in today's world with so many other options. DSL (digital subscriber line) fills up the second high speed way to take advantage of copper...and it's an awfully attractive one at that. DSL comes in many flavors and speeds, with the most common being ADSL (the 'a' stands for asynchronous....meaning the download and upload speeds are different). The most common speed peaks at around 384 kbps. Again, using our 10 mb download, DSL could have it to you in under 4-5 minutes. Speeds can approach as high as 32Mbs with DSL, but the cost at this speed is prohibitive for anyone but institutions and lottery winners. Both these options can pack more data down our existing copper wires through sophisticated data modulation schemes that can be transferred safely and efficiently. Two other criteria, however, must be met in order for this speed to occur. The first being location. In order to qualify for these services, the phone company tests your line to see how much wire is between you and their switching station. The further away you are the less speed you will experience. If you live more than two or three mile wires away from the switching station, you may not qualify at all. As you might imagine, this can be a big hurdle for deployment of DSL service. The second criteria is the equipment needed on the computer end to translate these packets of data into usable information on our monitors. Both ISDN and DSL have special 'modems' that accept the lines from these services and coordinate the data between them and the PC. Read this article from CNET for a complete run down of DSL. ISDN
SUMMARY
DSL SUMMARY
For this week's installment of Tech Watch, we brought in a local expert on wireless Internet Technology; Bill Hubbartt of Grand Valley Internet. Bill has provided us with the following informative links about wireless Internet technology in general and specific information about wireless in Western Colorado: GJ Wireless from Grand Valley Internet WIRELESS SUMMARY
Currently, more than 6 million computer users access then Internet via cable. That amounts to nearly two-thirds of all broadband users with DSL ranking a distant second. Cable internet access is provided over coaxial cable tv cables and routed through a special cable modem then into a computer via USB or Ethernet connection. Speeds for cable Internet access approach 100 times that of dialup modem access in the download direction. Cable is offered through a limited number of vendors and like DSL is only available in certain areas. Deployment of both cable and DSL have been quite slow overall. For more information about cable modem technology visit: CABLE SUMMARY
Call us on Saturday mornings Read our past Technology Watch features: PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants) Viruses -- What, How, Who, Why? Computer Measurement Standards AOL The good, bad and the ugly Upgrading - Should you or shouldn't you?
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