TYPES OF INTERNET

There are various type of connectivity to get hook on to Internet. They

all can be broadly classified into following category.
Gateway Access
Gateway Access is also known as Level-One connection. It is the
access to the Internet from a network, which is not on the Internet.
The gateway allows the two different types of networks to talk to
each other. But the users of the Gateway Internet have limited access
to the Internet. They might not be able to use all the tools available on
Internet. The local Internet Service Provider (ISP) normally defines
this limitation. Good example of network with Level One
connectivity within India is that of VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Limited). All access to Internet from India are through VSNL
gateway.
Dial-up Connection
Dial-up connection is also known as Level Two connection. This
provides connection to Internet through a dial-up terminal connection.
The computer, which provides Internet access is known as Host and
the computer that receives the access, is Client or Terminal. The
client computer uses modem to access a host and acts as if it is a
terminal directly connected to that host. 56K modem access is now
widely available and supported by most ISPs. It allows user to surf the
Web at 56 Kbps with graphics. So this type of connection is also
known as Remote Modem Access connection. And the host to
which the client gets connected is actually connected to the Internet
by a full time connection (See Leased Connection).
In dial-up connection to Internet, Host carries all the command that
are typed on a client machine and forward them to Internet. It also
receives the data or information from the Internet on behalf of the
Client and passes it to them. The client computer acts as a dumb
terminal connected to remote host.
This type of connection can further be divided into three categories.

Shell Connection:
In this type of Internet Connection, the user will get only textual
matter of a Web Page. This connection does not support Graphics
display.Shell Accounts were the only type of Internet access available
for many years before the Internet entered in to the world of graphics
and became more users friendly.
TCP/IP Connection:
Todays graphical World Wide Web browsers provide easier access
with multimedia sound and pictures. The major difference between
Shell and TCP/IP account is that, Shell account can only display text
and does not support graphics display, whereas TCP/IP can display
both.
ISDN:
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) offers Internet
connectivity at speeds of up to 128 Kbps through the use of digital
phone lines. ISDN is a dial-up service that has been provided by
telephone companies for many years.
To access any of these dial-up accounts you need the followings;
Computer
Modem
Telephone Connection
Shell or TCP/IP/ISDN account from the ISP
Internet client software such as Internet browser
Leased Connection
Leased connection is also known as direct Internet access or Level
Three connection. It is the secure, dedicated and most expensive, level
of Internet connection. With leased connection, your computer is
dedicatedly and directly connected to the Internet using highspeed
transmission lines. It is on-line twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week.
DSL connection
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a family of technologies that
provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone
network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In
telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to
mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), the most
commonly installed DSL technology. DSL service is delivered
simultaneously with wired telephone service on the same telephone
line. This is possible because DSL uses higher frequency bands for
data separated by filtering. On the customer premises, a DSL filter on
each outlet removes the high frequency interference, to enable
simultaneous use of the telephone and data.
The data bit rate of consumer DSL services typically ranges from 256
kbit/s to 40 Mbit/s in the direction to the customer (downstream),
depending on DSL technology, line conditions, and service-level
implementation. In ADSL, the data throughput in the upstream
direction, (the direction to the service provider) is lower, hence the
designation of asymmetric service. In Symmetric Digital Subscriber
Line (SDSL) services, the downstream and upstream data rates are
equal.
DSL or - an 'always on' connection- uses the existing 2-wire copper
telephone line connected to the internet and won't tie up your phone
like the old modem does. There is no need to dial-in to your ISP as
DSL is always on. DSL is called ADSL ( Short for Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line) for home subscribers.
As we said before ADSL is short for asymmetric digital subscriber
line and supports data rates up to 10Mbits ( May 2009 ) when
receiving data ( download ) and from 16 to 640 Kbps when sending
data ( upload ). ADSL is called asymmetric because it supports
different data rates for upload than for download traffic.



Advantages:
Security: Unlike cable modems, each subscriber can be
configured so that it will not be on the same network. In some
cable modem networks, other computers on the cable modem
network are left visibly vulnerable and are easily susceptible to
break in as well as data destruction.
Integration: DSL will easily interface with ATM and WAN
technology.
High bandwidth
Cheap line charges from the phone company.
Good for bursty traffic patterns

Disadvantages
No current standardization: A person moving from one area to
another might find that their DSL modem is just another
paperweight. Customers may have to buy new equipment to
simply change ISPs.
Expensive: Most customers are not willing to spend more than
$20 to $25 per month for Internet access. Current installation
costs, including the modem, can be as high as $750. Prices
should come down within 1-3 years. As with all computer
technology, being first usually means an emptier wallet.
Distance Dependence: The farther you live from the DSLAM
(DSL Access Multiplexer), the lower the data rate. The longest
run lengths are 18,000 feet, or a little over 3 miles.
Cable Modem Connection
A cable modem is a type of Network Bridge and modem that provides
bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a
HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to
deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking
advantage of the high bandwidth of a HFC and RFoG network. They
are commonly deployed in Australia, Europe, Asia and Americas.
Cable Modem Connection
Above figure shows the most common network connection topologies
when using cable modems. The cable TV company runs a coaxial
cable into the building to deliver their Internet service. Although fed
from the same coax that provides cable TV service, most companies
place a splitter outside of the building and runs two cables in, rather
than using a splitter at the set-top box. The coax terminates at the
cable modem.
The cable modem itself attaches to the SOHO computing equipment
via its 10BASE-T port. In most circumstances, the cable modem
attaches directly to a users computer. If a LAN is present on the
premises (something many cable companies frown upon), some sort
of router can be connected to the cable modem.
Advantages
Always Connected: A cable modem connection is always
connected to the Internet. This is advantageous because you do
not have to wait for your computer to log on to the Internet;
however, this also has the disadvantage of making your
computer more vulnerable to hackers. Broadband: Cable
modems transmit and receive data as digital packets, meaning
they provide high-speed Internet access. This makes cable
modem connections much faster than traditional dial-up
connections.

Bandwidth: Cable modems have the potential to receive data
from their cable provider at speeds greater than 30 megabits per
second; unfortunately, this speed is rarely ever realized. Cable
lines are shared by all of the cable modem users in a given area;
thus, the connection speed varies depending upon the number of
other people using the Internet and the amount of data they are
receiving or transmitting.
File Transfer Capabilities: Downloads may be faster, but
uploads are typically slower. Since the same lines are used to
transmit data to and from the modem, priority is often given to
data traveling in one direction.
Signal Integrity: Cable Internet can be transmitted long
distances with little signal degradation. This means the quality
of the Internet signal is not significantly decreased by the
distance of the modem from the cable provider.
Routing: Cable routers allow multiple computers to be hooked
up to one cable modem, allowing several devices to be directly
connected through a single modem. Wireless routers can also be
attached to your cable modem.
Rely on Existing Connections: Cable modems connect directly
to preinstalled cable lines. This is advantageous because you do
not need to have other services, such as telephone or Internet, in
order to receive Internet through your cable modem. The
disadvantage is that you cannot have cable internet in areas
where there are no cable lines.

Disadvantages
Cable internet technology excels at maintaining signal strength
over distance. Once it is delivered to a region, however, such as
a neighborhood, it is split among that regions subscribers. While
increased capacity has diminished the effect somewhat, it is still
possible that users will see significantly lower speeds at peak
times when more people are using the shared connection.
Bandwidth equals money, so cables advantage in throughput
comes with a price. Even in plans of similar speeds compared
with DSL, customers spend more per Mb with cable than they
do with DSL.
Its hard to imagine, but there are still pockets of the United
States without adequate cable television service. There are far
fewer such pockets without residential land-line service
meaning cable internet is on balance less accessible in remote
areas.
VSAT
Short for very small aperture terminal, an earthbound station used in
satellite communications of data, voice and video signals, excluding
broadcast television. A VSAT consists of two parts, a transceiver that
is placed outdoors in direct line of sight to the satellite and a device
that is placed indoors to interface the transceiver with the end users
communications device, such as a PC. The transceiver receives or
sends a signal to a satellite transponder in the sky. The satellite sends
and receives signals from a ground station computer that acts as a hub
for the system. Each end user is interconnected with the hub station
via the satellite, forming a star topology. The hub controls the entire
operation of the network. For one end user to communicate with
another, each transmission has to first go to the hub station that then
retransmits it via the satellite to the other end users VSAT.
Advantages
Satellite communication systems have some advantages that can be
exploited for the provision of connectivity. These are:
Costs Insensitive to Distance
Single Platform service delivery (one-stop-shop)
Flexibility
Upgradeable
Low incremental costs per unit

Disadvantages
However like all systems there are disadvantages also. Some of these
are
High start-up costs (hubs and basic elements must be in place
before the services can be provided)
Higher than normal risk profiles
Severe regulatory restrictions imposed by countries that
prevent VSAT networks and solutions from reaching critical
mass and therefore profitability
Some service quality limitations such the high signal delays
(latency)
Natural availability limits that cannot be mitigated against
Lack of skills required in the developing world to design,
install and maintain satellite communication systems adequately

In choosing an internet connection, it is very important to
consider your location and specially your budget. There are a
lot of choices that can be considered. However, it is a common
denominator among people, whether they utilize the internet for
work or play, to opt for with a fast web connection.
Dial-up
The dial-up or the Analogue can be considered as the poor
mans connection because it is believed to the cheapest and
slowest internet connection. It has the speed of up to 56kbs
and uses an Internet Service Provider (ISP), cable and a
modem to translate the analogue data. With this, the user
needs to dial a phone number to the ISP in order to be
connected. Moreover, the modem translates the said analogue
data into digital which can be understood by the user.




TV Cable modem
Another form of internet connection is the Cable modem which
is relatively faster than the previous types. It has a speed of
512kbs to 20Mbps and uses television lines to be able to
connect into the internet. Compared to telephone lines, cable
TV uses coaxial cables which provide higher bandwidth.

Broadband and Optical
Broadband is a connection that does not need a modem in
order to be able to connect unlike other types of connections
and is believed to be the most reliable. Talking about cable
connection, there is another type called Optical Cable that can
reach a speed of 16Gbps+. It is fiber-optic and has the highest
data rates compared to the other common internet connection
and is fairly easy to maintain.

Satellite
Meanwhile, a connection over Satellite is stable however; it
has a slower speed than that of broadband because of its
distance. This type of connection uses a communication
satellite that is positioned in the orbit that provides an
uninterrupted connection but due to its very far distance from
the users, it transmits data slower than normal.

Tier Carrier
Further, there is a type of internet connection that can be
connected to the backbone of the internet itself. You can
research t1 service providers online. This is the kind of
connection that is used by ISP. Tier Carrier has subtypes that
vary in speed and number of individual channels that they
carry. With the T-1 line, it can carry up to 26 individual channels
while T-3 can carry up to 672 and with a speed not slower but
can be higher than 43Mbps. A T-5 however has the speed of
up to 400Mbps. This kind of connection is impractical to be
used by home-based computer sets.

Internet2
Moreover, if you think you have the fastest connection, think
again. Today, there is this type of connection that can reach a
speed of up to 100Gbps. Internet2 is believed to be the worlds
fastest internet connection and it really feels different to have
this kind of connection. This was developed through the effort
of a networking consortium to provide a high internet speed for
education and research purposes. Still, it remains an alien thing
to have such a connection.

As technology grows, so does our need for things to go faster. Ten
years ago, websites just included images, coloured text and some
repetitive melodies. Now Flash websites, animations, high resolution
photos, online gaming, videos or streaming ( radio on the internet ),
are getting more popular for people who demand faster and faster
internet connections.
The connection speeds listed below represent an average speed at the
time of publication ( May 2009 ). This will no doubt change over
time.

1) PCI modem( see image above ). Analogue up to 56000 bits per
second. It means that in a second, 56000 bits ( 0 or 1 ) travel through
the copper wire. It is both economical and slow and it is also called
dial-up access. If you connect the modem, you get internet but as it
uses the analogue telephone line, if you surf on the internet, nobody
can call you because the line is busy.
Using a modem connected to your PC which is very cheap ( about 10
) , users connect to the Internet only if you click on the telephone
Access Icon and the computer dials the phone number provided by
your ISP ( Internet Service Provider ) and connects to the network.
The signal is analogue because data is sent over an analogue
telephone network. This modem converts received analogue data to
digital ( always analogue on the telephone site and digital on the
computer side ).
As dial-up access uses ordinary telephone lines the data rates are
limited and the quality of the connection is not always good.
Nowadays very few people use this type of connection.

3) Cable
There are two type of cable; Coaxial and optic fibre. The first one is
used by cable TV and that is common for data communications ( see
image on the left ).
The cross-section of the cable shows a single centre solid wire made
of copper surrounded by a copper mesh conductor. Between the main
wire ( in the centre ) and the mesh conductor is an insulating
dialectric. This dialectric ( blue part in the image ) has a large effect
on the essential features of the cable. Depending on the material that
isulator is made of, the cable has different inductance and capacitance
values and these values affect how quickly data travels through the
wire. The last layer is an outside insulator to protect the whole wire.
Data is transmitted through the rigid wire, while the outer copper
mesh layer serves as a line to ground.



Optic Fibre.
Fibre-optic cables are strands of a special optical material as thin as a
human hair that carry data ( files, videos .. ) over long distances. Now,
there is not electrical signal. In Optical fibres data are carried as light
signals
How Does an Optical Fiber Transmit Light?



What is the secret of optical Fibre? Why doesn't the light ray escape
from the strand?
Suppose you want to shine a torch beam down a long, straight
corridor. Just point the beam straight down the corridor. -- light
moves in straight lines so the light will reach to the end of the
corridor.
What if the corridor has a bend in it? . Just place a mirror at the bend
to reflect the light beam towards the other side of the corridor.
What if the corridor has multiple bends? You might places as many
mirrors as bends so that it bounces from side-to-side all along the
corridor. This is what happens in an optical fibre.

4) Wireless Internet Connections
Wireless broadband (Wireless Internet Connections ). Instead of using
cable networks for your Internet connection, WIC uses radio
frequency .Wireless Internet can be accessed from anywhere as long
as your WIFI adaptor is located within a network coverage area. It
also provides an always-on connection and it is still considered to be
relatively new.
5) Satellite

IoS short for Internet over Satellite allows a user to access the
Internet via a geostationary satellite that orbits the earth. A
geostationary satellite is a type of satellite placed at a fixed position
above the earth's surface. Because of the large distances between
home and satellite, signals must travel from the earth up to the
satellite and back again. It causes a slight delay between the request
and the answer.

Dictionary:
Tie up . A temporary stoppage or slowing of business, traffic,
telephone service, etc., due to such incidents as a strike, storm, or
accident
Strand: A single filament, such as a fiber or thread, of a woven or
braided material
While technology changes at a rapid pace, so do
Internet connections. The connection speeds listed
below is a general snapshot, representing general
average to maximum speeds at the time of
publication.
As technology grows, so does our need for bigger, better and
faster Internet connections. Over the years the way content is
presented via the Web has also changed drastically.Ten years
ago being able to center, bold, and produce text in different
colors on a webpage was something to admire. Today,
Flash, animations, online gaming, streaming HD video,
database-driven websites, ecommerce and mobile
applicationsto name but a feware standards.
The need for speed has changed the options available to
consumers and businesses alike in terms of how and how fast
we can connect to the Internet. The connection speeds listed
below represent a snapshot of general average to maximum
speeds at the time of publication. This is no doubt will change
over time and Internet connection speeds also vary between
Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Analog: Dial-up Internet Access
Also called dial-up access, an analog Internet connection is
both economical and slow. Using a modem connected to your
PC, users connect to the Internet when the computer dials a
phone number (which is provided by your ISP) and connects to
the network. Dial-up is an analog connection because data is
sent over an analog, public-switched telephone network. The
modem converts received analog data to digital and vice versa.
Because dial-up access uses normal telephone lines the quality
of the connection is not always good and data rates are limited.
Typical Dial-up connection speeds range from 2400 bps to 56
Kbps. Today, analog has been widely replaced by broadband
(Cable and DSL).
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
Integrated services digital network (ISDN) is an international
communications standard for sending voice, video, and data
over digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires. Typical
ISDN speeds range from 64 Kbps to 128 Kbps.
B-ISDN - Broadband ISDN
Broadband ISDN is similar in function to ISDN but it transfers
data over fiber optic telephone lines, not normal telephone
wires. SONET is the physical transport backbone of B-ISDN.
Broadband ISDN has not been widely implemented.
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
DSL is frequently referred to as an "always on" connection
because it uses existing 2-wire copper telephone line
connected to the premise so service is delivered
simultaneously with wired telephone service -- it will not tie up
your phone line as an analog dial-up connection does. The two
main categories of DSL for home subscribers are called ADSL
and SDSL. All types of DSL technologies are collectively
referred to as xDSL. xDSL connection speeds range from 128
Kbps to 9 Mbps.
Recommended Reading: Cable vs. DSL.
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL is the most commonly deployed types of DSL in North
America. Short for asymmetric digital subscriber line ADSL
supports data rates of from 1.5 to 9 Mbps when receiving data
(known as the downstream rate) and from 16 to 640 Kbps when
sending data (known as the upstream rate). ADSL requires a
special ADSL modem.
ADSL+2 - ADSL Extension
An extension to ADSL broadband technology that provides
subscribers with significantly faster download speeds when
compared to traditional ADSL connections. ADSL+2 works in
the same fashion as ADSL a special filter is installed on a
subscriber's telephone line to split existing copper telephone
lines (POTS) between regular telephone (voice) and ADSL+2.
ADSL2+ service is most commonly offered in highly-populated
metropolitan areas and subscribers must be in close
geographical locations to the provider's central office to receive
ADSL2+ service.
SDSL - Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Short for symmetric digital subscriber line, SDSL is a
technology that allows more data to be sent over existing
copper telephone lines (POTS). SDSL supports data rates up
to 3 Mbps. SDSL works by sending digital pulses in the high-
frequency area of telephone wires and cannot operate
simultaneously with voice connections over the same wires.
SDSL requires a special SDSL modem. SDSL is called
symmetric because it supports the same data rates for
upstream and downstream traffic.







Index


Sr.No Contents

TYPES OF INTERNET
CONNECTIONS

Gateway Access

Dial-up Connection

Leased Connection

DSL

Cable Modem Connection

VSAT

TV Cable modem

Broadband and Optical

Satellite

PCI modem

Cable
Bibliography





BIBLOGRAPHY

INFORMATION ARE COLLECTED FROM FOLLOWING
WEBSITES:-

http://www.tutorialspoint.com
http://r4r.co.in
http://www2.its.strath.ac.uk/courses/c/section3_8.html