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Check you broadband speed and test
your firewall with these links
Broadband meter:
www.2wire.com
Firewall tester: www.grc.com
A Broadband Cable or DSL
(Digital Subscriber Service)
connection to the internet costs a little more than a dial-up (phone line and
ISP; (Internet Service Provider), and in some cases costs less. Your
internet experience will be more enjoyable, faster downloads, great streaming
videos and excellent online gaming.
Dial-up vs. broadband details: Your extra phone line will cost
you $16-$20 per month and your ISP for your mail and Internet service can cost
$10-$30 per month for a 56K dial-up connection. Comcast Broadband Cable is now
expensive up to $59.00 per month depending if you have basic cable TV service
or not. DSL from SBC runs around
$29.95 per month for specials. On the average less than $40.00 per month. So, for the about the same money
as dial-up or slightly more, you can have a blazing fast
connection to the Internet, which is at least 10 times or more faster speed than
dial-up. I switched to SBC Yahoo DSL when Comcast took over from AT&T. I have
Satellite TV and did not have basic cable service and they wanted to raise my
internet from $45.00 per month (with no modem lease fee's) to $59.00, do the
math!
Cable (such as Comcast, etc.)
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If you have cable TV, the same cable that is used for the TV is also used for
your computer. This saves on installation costs. Check with your local cable
company.
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Contrary to popular belief, cable does not slow down to a crawl. They do experience some slow down, but it is way faster than 56K
dial-up.
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Typically, the
bandwidth speed is above 300kbps (kilo bits per second). We do see from time
to time speeds of 465 kbps to 1700 kbps per second on the average and have
occasionally seen 3 MB (mega bytes) per second speeds in certain areas, which is a rare occurrence.
DSL (such as SBC Yahoo, etc.)
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There are
several DSL companies. They all vary from price per month and speed. One major
drawback with DSL is how far your home or office is from the main DSL
switching center. The further you are away, the slower the speed to the
Internet.
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We have seen speeds of over
1300+ kbps or better with DSL if you are closer to the main switching station.
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Generally
DSL is screaming fast. However, you should check
with your DSL provider about your location.
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With DSL you
use your existing phone line. SBC will send you a kit that has easy to
install filters that will separate you phone line from the DSL service.
You can surf the net and talk on your phone at the same time, and never miss a
call. You only need one phone line.
Satellite (such as Star Band)
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Satellite is a wireless connection from a satellite that
is parked above the earth.
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They have good
upload and download speeds, however it costs a little more.
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If cable or DSL is not an option in your area, you may want to consider a
satellite connection.
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It works the same as Satellite TV. You have a little satellite dish that is
physically connected to a modem, which is then connected to your
computer.
Routers Make it happen
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Routers for your internet allow you to share one cable or DSL connection for
multiple computers for internet access simultaneously without the added expense
of paying for each individual computer to be connected to the
internet. Most routers will allow up to 250 computers or more to be simultaneously
connected to the Internet with no noticeable slowdown. Most routers typically
run a little over $100, for a four-port router, which is great for home use
and small office. Additional computers can be connected to the router using a
hub.
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There are several available routers on the market, however we recommend
Linksys because of its outstanding performance and its excellent firewall
capabilities. When you are on the Internet, it literally puts your computer in
stealth mode. Hackers or port scanners cannot get into your computer. It
provides outstanding security. This is called a "firewall".
Firewalls Make it happen
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A firewall is like a filter between your computer and the outside world. It is
a method of keeping your network free from intruders. It can be a single
router that filters out unwanted packets (a packet is a block of data), or
special software like Windows XP that has a firewall built in, or a
combination of routers and servers each performing firewall processing.
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Go here to test
your shields and probe your ports:
http://www.grc.com
Modems Make it happen
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Most modems are installed inside your computer that is used for dial-up
service to your ISP. A modern modem has a rated speed of 56K, however speeds
are limited to 52 or 53K. Some modems only connect at 26.4 or 28.8. Why? Your
phone lines and other factors limit this. This is why Cable and DSL are so
popular as they have blazing fast speeds.
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Cable or DSL modems are interfaced to your computer through a network
adapter,
typically called a NIC (nick) card, Ethernet card or Network card. Your NIC card is
installed into your computer instead of a modem. Most Cable and DSL modems are
of the external variety,
Linksys
Modems however there are internal DSL modems available. With internal
modems you cannot share your connection through a router. If you
purchase your own Cable modem you can generally save around $3.00 per month
with your Cable Company.
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