You are here: Home / Archives for Internet access

Paying for an Internet Connection

If you don’t have an internet connection in your place of residence, you’ve probably thought about paying for one. After all, you can probably get a cable modem connection installed for less than your television bill, given some upfront costs, such as the modem. Or, you can get direct.tv, which offers the best deals in tv packages, such as internet and premium satellite service.

One type of customer who should reconsider the cost is one who doesn’t use the internet often. Convenience could be a factor; however there are plenty of places that offer a free internet connection, such as local bookstores and libraries. While you run errands you could easily check your e-mail, saving you the cost of an internet connection if you don’t need to use it very much.

Another type of customer who may not need to pay for an internet connection is one who has a special type of residence or work. Many businesses obviously have internet connections; thus, you could probably take care of most of your internet needs on your lunch break, if possible. If you don’t need to use the internet that much, you could get by using it at work (of course, not when you’re supposed to be working).

People who live in dorms and near businesses should think about their situation. College students will in most cases need an internet connection, so they should check their school’s library to see if Wi-Fi is offered for free; in most instances it is. Also, most cities have a local eating establishment or coffee shop that offers the internet free of charge.

If you currently don’t have the internet in your home, you can save yourself money by accessing it in other places. Reconsider purchasing the internet if you have convenient access to it in some way, and especially if you don’t use it that often (once daily or more).

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Internet Connection Updates

Anyone who uses the Internet understands the importance of a secure and reliable connection. Those who have been using the web for years can probably remember a time when this was not a guarantee. All it took was a phone call to be disconnected from the Internet, and this was often very frustrating to those trying to do research or shop online. The dial-up connection was often very slow and faulty, making it difficult for users to get anything done. It also used the phone line, so unless there was a separate line for Internet, it could be very difficult to spend much time online.

From there, Internet service providers began offering DSL, T1, and T2 connections, providing much faster online access and file transferring with software like FileZilla without having to use the telephone line in order to connect. Many businesses even now use these connections, since they allow for multiple users to be on the same connection without slowing down the server or causing problems. Since many businesses require online access in order to function, the reliability of a working internet connection is crucial to maintain daily activities.

Wireless Internet connections are now the most popular form of online access, since they allow users to connect just about anywhere. Some airlines are even offering wireless access on flights, which gives travelers the ability to stay connected to the business world even while flying thousands of miles above the ground. This is a huge advancement for those who wish to work on the go, because before the introduction of this service, Internet access while flying was simply impossible. Most public places offer wireless internet to guests, including hotels, restaurants, and even some city parks. The advancements in internet connections and data transfer speeds with FTP software like File Zilla and other transferring programs have made it much simpler for anyone to access the internet for academic, research, work, or personal use.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Connecting to the Internet

Ever tried to connect to the internet only to find that there is a connection problem? Of course, most of us have experienced this phenomenon and it can be extremely irritating. Maybe you merely want to check your email, or you have important work to do online, both of which are impossible to do without an internet connection. These scenarios are likely to happen and that is why a solid internet connection is so crucial. The importance of the internet in our lives continues to grow, and as it does so, the importance of having consistent access to the internet will continue to grow as well.

Chances are, as the internet becomes more and more important to us, public places, places of business and even residential areas will become zones where anyone and everyone can connect to the internet to do things like sharing files with Ares Galaxy or downloading software from sites like openoffice.org. Even now, free Wi-Fi in places like hotels and coffee shops is used to draw customers to frequent there, and it is more than likely that this trend will continue. The internet has become increasingly ubiquitous in the lives of so many people, and chances are that most of us will not want (or not be able) to be in a place where we can’t get online.

Even when we leave out the idea of work necessity, the desire for entertainment alone leads most people to the internet on a regular basis. People want to be able to connect to their friends, play games, watch movies, catch up on TV shows, read the news or celebrity gossip, research subjects of interest, get directions, shop and more. Being able to use the internet for all of these things is becoming more and more important, and as the internet evolves, it will probably become even more interesting to most people around the world.

Filed Under: Internet, Networks Tagged With: , ,

VoIP FAQ

Why use VOIP?
There are many reasons to use VOIP, but the two major ones are Lower Cost and Increased Functionality

Cost savings with VoIP

Due to the explosion of broadband in recent years, more and more people have fast internet connections at their disposal. With VoIP, every call you make can be treated as a “local” call – the internet has no concept of international. When you access a web page in the United States from the United Kingdom, you don’t pay an “international” rate – you simply have a flat rate connection fee. VoIP can be viewed as a similar utility to web access or email – if you’re on the internet with a fast enough connection, you can speak to another party without incurring any call charges whatsoever, as long as the other party is using a device compatible with yours.

What is VoIP ?

VoIP is basically a clever “reinvention of the wheel.” VOIP stands for Voice Over IP, or in more common terms phone service over the Internet.
If you have a reasonable quality Internet connection you can get your phone service delivered to you through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone company.

Some people use VOIP in addition to their traditional phone service, since VOIP service providers usually offers lower rates than the traditional phone companies, but sometimes don’t offer full 911 service, phone directory listings, 411 service, etc


How does VOIP work?

A way is required to turn analog phone signals into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet.
While there are a number of ways that VoIP is currently being used, most individual callers fall into one of three categories: ATA, IP Phones, and Computer-to-Computer.


VOIP Using an ATA

ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor, is the most common way of using VoIP. This adaptor actually allows you to hook up the phone that is already in your house, to your computer, and then your Internet connection. What the ATA does, is turn the analog signals your phone sends out into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. Setting up this system is quite simple. It simply requires that you order an ATA (its an adaptor remember), plug the cable from your phone which would normally go into the wall socket into the ATA, and then the ATA gets plugged into your computer, which is connected to the internet.

  • Connection method:
    Ordinary Phone —- ATA —- Ethernet —- Router —- Internet —- VOIP Provider


VOIP using an IP Phone

The IP Phone looks just like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle, the only difference is that instead of having a normal wall jack connector, it has an Ethernet connector. This means, that instead of plugging in your IP phone to the wall jack like you would with a regular analog phone, it gets plugged directly into your router. This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer, and it also means that you will not have to install any software, because its all built in to the handset. In addition, the fact that Wi-Fi IP phones will soon be available, which will allow subscribing callers to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hot spot, make this option an exciting possibility.

VOIP using a Computer software

The simplest and cheapest way to use VoIP is through computer-to-computer calls. These calls are entirely free, meaning no calling plan whatsoever. The only thing you need, is the software which can be found for free on the internet, a good internet connection, a microphone, speakers, and a sound card. Except for your monthly internet service fee, there is literally no cost for making these calls, no matter how many you make.

  • Connection method:
    Computer —– Router —- Internet —- Router —- Ethernet —- Computer

Bandwidth consumption

VOIP Bandwidth consumption naturally depends on the codec used. To test your connection for voip compatibility use . (TestYourVoIP.com will make a call from wherever you are to a U.S. or international test locations and report the results for free. It’ll only take about 20 seconds if you have Java installed.)

What are the disadvantages of an VoIP telephone?

VoIP telephones sometimes have static or echoing sounds that you can hear in the telephone line. These problems are being fixed and may be a result of your equVoIPment being turned up too loud or the person on the other end of the phone may have theirs turned up too loud.Currently very few of the service providers offer emergency services, such as 911, or information services, such as 411. However, the government is making services providers offer this. It is currently being debugged and will be enforce soon. Information services are also being worked on, even though this is only a major want of the customers. If the electricity goes out you have no way to make an VoIP telephone call. A computer requires electricity to be operational. With the computer operating, you cannot access your VoIP telephone connection. This is also being changed by the technicians and developers. They are currently trying to create computers with built in generators or something close to that.

Filed Under: Internet, Networks Tagged With: , ,

Coffee’s Still Wired

When you’re dealing with computer technology and getting on the Internet, you’re going to be using a router, so it’s good to know what it does. Routers are, in some ways, like the hubs of yesteryear (actually, if you use USB devices, you may still have a hub). Routers take the signal sent by your internet service provider and direct it appropriately to your devices. Typically, there will be multiple slots on the router for connecting more than one device (hence the hub analogy) – you may only have one socket on the wall, but if you connect the router to the wall then you might be able to plug in 3 or 4 computers to the router and they can all get on the Internet, resulting in good times for all parties.

Of course, today no one bothers to connect by cable to the Internet anyway, if they even use a computer rather than a smart-phone – it’s all done wirelessly. As such, if you want to join the club, you’d better have a wireless router, which is even better than the wired kind because it’s not limited by the number of sockets on the device. Of course, there are downsides, especially in the area of security, because anyone who’s in range of the router can attempt to connect without being given a cable by you. Fortunately, there are security settings and so a savvy user can get the convenience of wireless without giving up control of who uses the connection.

What is not so fortunate is the issue of stability, because wireless signals are susceptible to interference and, in an age where everything sends a wireless signal, there is no shortage of interference. Wireless technology is slower than wired, too, so you won’t get quite as fast performance out of that internet connection wirelessly. Most distressingly, a lower-quality router or service provider may result in an inconsistent signal and frequent drops of connectivity.

Filed Under: Internet Tagged With: , ,