Can you even imagine the world without the Internet? Can you imagine living without the ability to turn on your computer and use the World Wide Web as an omnipotent and omniscient tool that it is? Well, you will probably have a negative answer to the previous two questions. However, you will also have a negative answer to the following question: what exactly is broadband Internet? Sure, a lot of people will say that this is the type of Internet connection they have set up at their homes or offices, but this doesn’t really answer the question, does it?
So, What Is Broadband Internet?
Technically speaking the FCC currently defines broadband Internet as a connection that is faster than 4 Mbps. However, the more common definition is anything that is faster than a traditional 56 K dial up Internet connection.
In most cases, it is true to tell people that broadband, also commonly called high speed Internet is the type of Internet connection they are using, as this really is the most commonly used type of Internet connection throughout the USA and the entire world. In addition to this, it is also true to say that this is the form of Internet access that offers the highest Internet connection speeds at the moment, and when compared to dial-up connection, broadband Internet is the obvious choice.
Types of High Speed Internet
There are five types of broadband Internet, and below they are listed and explained:
DSL – The Digital Subscriber Line Internet access is a type of Internet connection that comes to you through your telephone line. Contrary to what many people may think, you can use your Internet and your phone at the same time, as voice and Internet connection travel at different frequencies which are commonly separated by a device called a DSL splitter. DSL speeds range from 256 Kbps to over 6 Mbps, although the distance that you are located from the telephone companies CO will affect the speed that will be available.
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Cable – If you have Cable TV, you can probably ask your Cable TV provider for Cable Internet. Currently DOCSIS 3.0 cable connections can provide the fastest consumer Internet connections, with some cable companies such as Comcast offering speeds of over 100 Mbps in select areas. With Cable Internet, your connection speed will depend on how many users are using the same connection bandwidth at any specific moment. So, you will not have the same Internet connection speed in the mornings and in the evenings, as the evenings will be characterized by more active users, thus a somewhat slower connection.
Satellite – Even though the satellite Internet connection is the slowest and the most expensive type of broadband Internet to set up, it is the only option for many who live in areas where other types of broadband Internet are not available. The connection speed will in this case may depend on weather conditions, and the speed will generally be lower than with the other three types of broadband Internet. Satellite Internet is also a poor choice for gaming due to the high latency (delay) of the signal. This is due to the extreme distance that the signal needs to travel from the earth to the satellite and back.
Wireless – Wireless Internet is available from cellular providers such as Verizon, At&t, Sprint, etc. It currently comes in two flavors of 3G and 4G. 3G or third generation wireless is the most widespread and offers speeds comparable to low end DSL services. 4G or as you may have guessed fourth generation wireless is the new kid on the block and boasts much higher speeds. Even though the 4 G wireless network is expanding rapidly there are still relatively few locations providing widespread 4G coverage. Wireless broadband Internet is very convenient; however its Achilles heel is the low usage limits as compared to DSL and cable plans. Most wireless providers charge outrageous overage fees or throttle your connection to a crawl when you exceed these modest bandwidth limits.
Fiber-optic – This is the least used, as well as the one of the fastest broadband Internet connections out of the four types mentioned here. The reason why it is the least used is the fact that not many areas have fiber-optic Internet connections available yet. However, where it is available, its cost is very competitive with standard DSL and Cable, but provides much higher connection speeds. There are a couple of types of fiber optic Internet connections. FTTH (Fiber To The Home) This is the type of connection used by Verizon FiOS which brings the fiber all the way to your house, if you get the At&t U-Verse version it is FTTK (Fiber To The Kerb/Curb) which uses copper from the curb to your house. Both Fiber connections provide ADSL2+ Internet speeds of up to 50 Mbps and can also provide on demand HD television and digital telephone service on the same line.
In order to choose one of these types of broadband Internet, you will first have to check and see which of them are available in your area. Some Internet services, specifically DSL, are very sensitive to the distance of the line. For example you might qualify for a specific level of service while your next door neighbor doesn’t. Not all Internet service providers will offer the same terms and conditions, so you will also have to shop around before you make the final decision. You’ll want to pick the fastest broadband plan that fits your budget. In some select areas this can be 100 Mbps+. But these extremely high end broadband plans are also extremely expensive. You may find that a high speed Internet plan in the 5 to 25 Mbps range might satisfy your Internet service needs at a much lower cost that won’t break your monthly budget.
