From Dial-Up to Wireless Internet: An Overview of Options for Getting Online
If there's one thing that has revolutionized the way that people communicate and businesses function in the past 20 years, it definitely has to be the internet. For those who only entered the workforce after its widespread effects, imagining business transactions or even social communications without email or networking sites is downright impossible, and even adults who had to catch on quick or get left behind have managed to master everything from building web pages to posting on people's Facebook walls. As the technology grows and expands, it is important to keep in mind that there are now a number of different options for getting online. So whether it's a broadband connection or the super-fast 4G network, here are some of the ways that people have gotten online in the past, and ways that they might in the future.
Dial-Up Before scoffing at this option, it's important to remember that, for most of the world that's online, this is still the reality. However, it is pretty difficult for most people accustomed to things like speedy wireless and instantaneous downloads to envision the past, when a single file could take upwards of 15 minutes to even just upload, let alone download.
DSL/Cable A step in the right direction as far as most internet functions are concerned, DSL and cable went ahead and offered a new way of getting online that didn't have to involve a phone line. Instead, data comes and goes through a cable, which means speedier transfer times, a more stable connection, and no more waiting. However, the service is not without its problems, and it is no longer the fastest kid on the block.
T1 and T3 Faster than DSL and cable, T1 and T3 are just a faster take on the plug and go way of getting online. Helpful for anyone in an office environment, this was a definite step in the right direction for making a faster internet, paving the way for various advancements in networks, like the creation of 3G and 4G.
Free Wireless Or paid wireless, you take your pick. The fact is, the concept of making a network where a cord was not necessary for getting online revolutionized just about everything, from home offices to freelancing around the world. However, the trouble with wireless is that often times, the signal drops abruptly not 30 feet away from the router. While commercial takes on wireless--from Google providing service in airports to various college campuses around the world--have proven rather successful, wireless definitely has a ways to go, too.
Mobile Broadband Taking the concept of wireless a step further, this is what the future of getting online looks like. Taking a cue from the ease with which cell phone users can connect to their networks, different companies offering WiMax services have completed their extensive networks, which stretch across the United States (with plans to extend coverage even further). Instead of finding a network or setting up a computer, simply turning any machine on will find it automatically online, thanks to a far-reaching and speedy network which makes everything from video conferencing to simply checking email faster and easier than ever before.
Dial-Up Before scoffing at this option, it's important to remember that, for most of the world that's online, this is still the reality. However, it is pretty difficult for most people accustomed to things like speedy wireless and instantaneous downloads to envision the past, when a single file could take upwards of 15 minutes to even just upload, let alone download.
DSL/Cable A step in the right direction as far as most internet functions are concerned, DSL and cable went ahead and offered a new way of getting online that didn't have to involve a phone line. Instead, data comes and goes through a cable, which means speedier transfer times, a more stable connection, and no more waiting. However, the service is not without its problems, and it is no longer the fastest kid on the block.
T1 and T3 Faster than DSL and cable, T1 and T3 are just a faster take on the plug and go way of getting online. Helpful for anyone in an office environment, this was a definite step in the right direction for making a faster internet, paving the way for various advancements in networks, like the creation of 3G and 4G.
Free Wireless Or paid wireless, you take your pick. The fact is, the concept of making a network where a cord was not necessary for getting online revolutionized just about everything, from home offices to freelancing around the world. However, the trouble with wireless is that often times, the signal drops abruptly not 30 feet away from the router. While commercial takes on wireless--from Google providing service in airports to various college campuses around the world--have proven rather successful, wireless definitely has a ways to go, too.
Mobile Broadband Taking the concept of wireless a step further, this is what the future of getting online looks like. Taking a cue from the ease with which cell phone users can connect to their networks, different companies offering WiMax services have completed their extensive networks, which stretch across the United States (with plans to extend coverage even further). Instead of finding a network or setting up a computer, simply turning any machine on will find it automatically online, thanks to a far-reaching and speedy network which makes everything from video conferencing to simply checking email faster and easier than ever before.
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