Connecting to the Internet

Revised March 2012

There are various ways to connect to the Internet. For all practical purposes, the terms Web, WWW, & Net all refer to the Internet and are used interchangeably. There are some differences, but unimportant to the novice user.

Using the web consists of 3 basic functions: 1) Connecting, 2) Using a program called a Browser, and 3) Looking at pages on the web called "Surfing"

1) Connecting: A company that provides a service to connect you to the Net is called an ISP (Internet Service Provider). There are custom ones like AOL. There are ISP's that do nothing but provide the connection for a fee and there are ISP's that provide the connection at no charge in exchange for advertising, much like a newspaper. There are ISP's that provide fast connections using Cable or DSL, satellite and wireless.
Click Here or Here to learn about broadband.

2) Browser: Check the Browser page for information about browsing.

3) Surfing: Click here to learn tips on surfing

Modem Connections: 56K modem connections for the web are obsolete as they are replaced by cable and DSL. The only need for a modem today is for sending and recieving faxes. which by the way is easy with Windows 7. It's included with all versions.

A modem is a device that sends electrical information into the telephone line or cable so it can be received by another modem on another computer. You can get technical discussions of modems elsewhere on the Net. Our purpose here is to explain the general concept.

Most telephone modems are inside the computer. They can be identified by the telephone jack outlet in the back of the computer. External modems are available, but rarely used on home computers. New computers may or may not be supplied with a modem. Be sure to ask if you need one for using the computer for faxing.

Paid ISP's charge from $30 to as high as $75 per month. Note: most free services have been dropped. The less expensive services are obsolete.

Another type of modem is used for high speed connection to cable or DSL or wireless. These are special modems that connect to the telephone line (for DSL) and to the television coax cable in the case of Cable or to a receiver box for wireless.

DSL is a service that transfers data over the telephone line at a frequency that does not interfere with regular phone calls. This means you can have only one phone line for the telephone and your computer and use them at the same time. In order to have DSL service, it must be available in your area. Even though it uses the regular phone lines, there are special equipment requirements in the phone system.

DSL typically costs about the same as Cable at about $40 to $50 per month after Installation cost that can run from $100 to $300 or more. Many services run a special when it is first made available to provide a free modem and free DIY installation.

The DSL modem has a connection for the phone jack in the wall and a network connection to your computer. Your internal modem is not used for Internet service. If you use your computer as a telephone answering machine or for sending and receiving faxes, your internal modem will still be connected to the phone line.

Cable modem service can only be provided by your local cable provider and also may not be available in your area. Information is transferred over the coax TV cable. The modem has an outlet to connect the coax to and another outlet to connect to your computer with a network wire. Network wire is similar to a telephone wire, but the plugs are slightly larger. The statements for the internal modem above in the DSL discussion apply here as well.

Satellite service is available in any location. It typically is more expensive than the others, but if you have no cable or DSL services in your area, it may be your only choice. Check out www.wildblue.com/ for more info.

Both of the Dish providers for TV also have Internet service. Check the cost.

One other way to connect is through the cell phone service. Most cell providers have this service and the quality varies a lot. Check with other customers in your area.

Wireless ISP's may be available in your area. Most are higher speed than dialup and are also somewhat more expensive. In our area, we have a number of competing services. Look in your yellow pages for local services. Check carefully on prices. Installation, contracts and monthly charges vary widely. You might even question existing customers about reliability. That also may be a problem.

For the first 3 years in Pahrump, I used a company called Keyon based in Las Vegas. For the most part it worked well for me, but some customers had a lot of down time. Most wireless providers work by putting a special antenna on the outside of your house aimed at a tower receiver somewhere in line of sight to your house. Then a cable is brought into the house to your computer.

In November 2006, I switched to AT&T Wi-Max service. This was a new concept being tested by AT&T in Pahrump & some place in Texas. It lasted for 2 years and then was dropped by AT&T making a lot of customers angry.

We switched at home to DSl which just became available. At work we went to another wireless service that really stunk. About that time Keyon revised their service to a new higher speed system also baswed on WiMax but a 4G system similar to Cell phones so we went back to them.

Our DSL at home did not work well and with phone service that we really did not need, the cost was over $60/month. So we went back to Keyon at home too. We have had it for a couple of years now and it works very well.

If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to E-Mail me using the link below