Archive for June, 2008
A while back there was a whole lot of advertising from broadband companies in the UK where if you sign up to their broadband packages you get a free laptop as well. Are any of these still going? I know AOL is still doing it but who are the rest?
I just got Comcast broadband yesterday and did the self install . Everything is working fine however I really want to use wi-fi (wireless) connection at home as we have 2 laptops both with built-in wifi-cards. Running windows XP on both machines .
Can anyone recommend a wireless router that actually works with the Comcast broadband RCA cable modem and explain simply how to set this up so I can use wireless at home ..
Many thanks to anyone who can offer some solutions as theres a lot of conflicting info online on how to do this .
Graham
The broadband packages that are offered by all the broadband service providers differ with each other in providing broadband speed, limit, monthly charges, usage, download limits, contract length, combination packages and usage policies. To make their position more strong and to attract the customers, most of the providers have started offering different types of broadband deals with low monthly charges.
To get a clear idea of the packages and broadband deals that are offered by all the major and virtual broadband companies, you have to visit the trusted websites over the Internet and just enter your post code in text box. It helps you a lot to compare all the packages and deals of the present day broadband market.
Before going to select the best broadband package, at first you should have a clear idea of your Internet usage. If you are a light Internet user, no need to consider the broadband speed and monthly downloadable limits, while selecting the broadband package. Your problems will start here, if you are a heavy Internet user. Without considering or inquiring about the speed, usage and download limits, if you take broadband connection, you will face lots of problems and loose more money. Some of the broadband providers offer you unlimited downloads. But, later will restrict your download limits by applying usage policies on you. So, you should be very careful, before going to select any broadband package.
Almost all the broadband providers try to involve you into a 12 or 18 months contract. If you do not want to take the facility for a long time, you can select your convenient broadband package that offers you flexible contract times. Most of the broadband packages come with fixed monthly charges and a nominal fee for a modem or installation or wireless router. Hassle-free Internet usage is possible only if you select the best broadband package with best deal.
By: Andrew Peterson
About the Author:
Andrew Peterson is a professional writer, presently working for community shopping store. He is writing on various products and services, like cheap broadband service providers, gas supplier, cheap electricity suppliers, mobile phones and many others.
I am planning to subscribe to an ISP but would like to find out which connection “wireless” or “DSL” suits my needs.
I am using a laptop at present to do my computing needs and connecting to the internet through a GPRS connection on my mobile phone. the costs of using this method are quite high at present so I would like to consider other ways of connecting.
Although the U.S. once led the world in Internet deployment and innovation, our nation continues to plummet in international rankings in terms of broadband adoption, speeds and costs. As a result, there is growing support for an affirmative national broadband policy to promote more affordable and ubiquitous access to high-bandwidth connectivity.
Since 2001, the e-NC Authority of North Carolina has been at the forefront of state efforts to promote availability and adoption of broadband, particularly in rural and distressed urban areas. The e-NC Authority provides a vital state-level view of what it will take to make this essential 21st Century infrastructure available and affordable for all. At this forum the e-NC Authority will release and present a major white paper, prepared by the Baller Herbst Law Group, that comprehensively examines trends and issues in broadband deployment, including:
* The growing benefits of broadband to economic development, education, health care, public safety, telework, urban revitalization, and environmental sustainability, and other key areas of American life;
* Broadband deployment efforts in leading Asian and European nations and how they differ from the U.S. approach;
* The level of bandwidth capacity that will be sufficient to enable America to thrive in the emerging knowledge-based global economy;
* How national, state and local broadband strategies can contribute to America’s success;
* And policy recommendations to help North Carolina and the United States capture the full benefits of broadband in the years ahead.
The panelists discussed the policy recommendations of e-NC and other participating organizations and their implications for developing a national broadband strategy to energize high-speed broadband deployment and adoption throughout the U.S.
Factors such as security, installation and price, are all taken into consideration when assessing customer satisfaction but speed and performance are the most important qualities hands down.
Security is a concern for subscribers due to the fact that you maintain an internet connection at all times with either high-speed option. The buzz over the past few years was that cable is less secure due to cable modem service using a shared cable line for an entire neighborhood. Basic network firewall capabilities prevent this problem by blocking files from being viewed or downloaded. And providers systematically bundle security features in the cable modem hardware. Hence, neither option is more or less secure than the other. Furthermore, the solution for both is identical. Limiting printer and file sharing when possible along with installing firewall anti-virus software is sufficient protection for most.
Installation may be a bit easier with DSL. Most computers have an existing phone line in close proximity and it is widely known that DSL is fairly easy to self install. It is also possible to self install cable, however, it is not as widely known and it is less likely that an extra cable line is readily available. This leaves the customer at the mercy of the cable company to run the line and install the modem.
Prices are fairly close. One sample showed DSL being slightly less expensive and later that same year a sample produced the opposite results. This is the result of competition being fierce and different promotional packages, for example, free installation or promotional introductory rates which yield similar net results.
Speed and performance is ultimately going to determine the victor especially with the other variables being so close. Cable modem theoretically offers higher levels of bandwidth which roughly translates to raw speed. There are a number of factors that reduce this speed. A number of people accessing the internet from the same neighborhood simultaneously can reduce the speed. The home network may not be able to match the speed of the internet connection. Also, cable providers often set “speed caps” that limit the bandwidth of their service.
Technology and upgrades in network infrastructure have enabled DSL to work on closing the gap, however, DSL is offered in lower bandwidth than cable. Like cable, the maximum bandwidth of DSL often will not be reached. Furthermore, depending on location, speed may vary between households. DSL providers also set speed caps. Speed caps are set for a number of reasons such as to ensure that the provider can accommodate more customers or as an attempt to create equal distributions of bandwidth.
Generally speaking, cable’s theoretical bandwidths are higher and its speed is more consistent amongst users. In contrast to DSL in which you may experience greater speeds depending on the quality of the phone line at your residence and the proximity of your home to the phone company! Even with the speed caps set by providers of both types of service cable maintains the advantage of being faster than DSL.
In the US cable modem subscribers are consistently slightly higher in number than DSL subscribers. Factors such as security, installation and price, are all taken into consideration when assessing customer satisfaction but speed and performance are the most important qualities as evidenced within the high-speed internet market.
By: Allison Merlino
About the Author:
Thank you, Allison Merlino
November 8, 2006 lecture by Kevin Hayes for the Stanford University Computer Systems Colloquium (EE 380).
From dial-up and PPP to 802.11 and WPA, the presentation traces how the changing connectivity landscape drove the development of new security protocols, especially in the case of wireless networks.
EE 380 | Computer Systems Colloquium:
http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee380/
Stanford Computer Systems Laboratory:
http://csl.stanford.edu/
Stanford Center for Professional Development:
http://scpd.stanford.edu/
Stanford University Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanforduniversity/
I’ve called AT&T about a few minutes ago about my dsl connection is down, they ran some tests on my modem from their head quarters and said that my dsl modem is damaged and they will send me a new one. But how can they be sure ? I’m currently using a public network connection for internet.
