HOW THE INTERNET WORKS For the purpose of this example lets say that you want to send

a file to a friend who lives on the opposite side of the country. You select the file that your fr iend wants and you send it to him via email. Transmission Control Protocol / Int ernet Protocol (TCP/IP) prepares the data to be sent and received. TCP/IP ensure s that a Macintosh network can exchange data with a Windows, or a Unix network, and vice-versa. The file that you are sending does not travel to your friends computer directly, or even in a single continuous stream. The file you are sending gets broken up into separate data packets. The Internet Protocol side of TCP/IP labels each pac ket with the unique Internet address, or IP address of your friends computer. Si nce these packets will travel separate routes, some arriving sooner than others, the Transmission Control Protocol side of TCP/IP assigns a sequence number to e ach of packets. These sequence numbers will tell the TCP/IP in your friends comp uter how to reassemble the packets once he receives them. Amazingly, the complic ated process of TCP/IP takes place in a matter of milliseconds. The packets are then sent from one router to the next. Each router reads the IP ad dress of the packet and decides which path will be the fastest. Since the traffi c on these paths is constantly changing each packet may be sent a different way. It is possible to discover the paths between routers using a utility known as Tr aceroute. Using your favorite search engine, type in traceroute to find different Web sites hosting it. Also, check out the Internet Traffic Report to find out how much global Internet traffic there is at this momentand where the bottlenecks are. This information may not useful to youbut its interesting! The Internet Traffic Report monitors the fl ow of data around the world. It then displays a value between zero and 100. High er values indicate faster and more reliable connections. This information may no t useful to youbut its interesting! The Internet Traffic Report monitors the flow of data around the world. It then displays a value between zero and 100. Higher values indicate faster and more reliable connections.

ADSL & Cable Broadband Anyone who is interested in dwelling into the world of high speed internet come across two main contenders; DSL and Cable. Both provide similar services and off er super-fast web surfing that can be almost 3 times faster than the speed of a dial-up service. This means that with these two services one can download files, send multiple emails as well as stream videos at really fast speeds. Although t hey are superficially similar, there are a couple of differences between these t wo broadband services. Firstly, let us have an idea of the working principle of these two individual br oadband services. ADSL Broadband ADSL, abbreviation for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a type of broadband connection that is available through a users active telephone line. Unlike the d ial-up service which uses the phone line to get connected to the internet, the A DSL works on the telephone line side-by-side with the voice calling functionalit y. Thus while using the ADSL service, one can connect to the internet as well as make and receive telephone calls. In the ADSL service the data transmission rat e is quite fast. ADSL or Asymmetric DSL is called so because the rate at which the data is upload ed and downloaded is not the same. In fact the uploading speed is lower than the downloading speed. While the download speeds can go up to 8Mbps, the upload spe eds are just about 1Mbps. As the ADSL service is provided via the telephone line , it is widely available; almost 90% of the UK population have access to ADSL co nnection. For effective, interference-free ADSL broadband connection, one needs to connect

micro-filters on all the telephone lines. This prevents crackling on the phone line during internet access. Finally, installing an ADSL modem/router, connectin g an ethernet or USB cable to the comp0uter/laptop will help you log onto the we b. Cable Broadband Unlike the ADSL service, the cable service is not provided via the users telepho ne lines but is supplied via coaxial cables, which are connected to the main cab le cabinet on the street corner. The service is provided over a shared cable lin e. The cable modem allows the user to send data over the cable television struct ure. This is done to make use of the unused bandwidth available on the network. As of now in UK, Virgin Media is the sole supplier of cable broadband service. After having had an idea about the basis of the two types of broadband connectio ns, now is the time for major distinguishing factors. Owing to these factors the re is a silent ongoing war between these two broadband connections. Bandwidth and Speed: When it comes to bandwidth and speed, cable broadband is th e one who wins the battle. Cable is capable of offering a speed that is almost 2 times faster than ADSL. However cable services can slow down if too many people are accessing the internet at the same time in the same region. With ADSL this is not the issue, even if you and your neighbour are using the internet at the s ame time, it does not considerably affect your browsing speed. Nonetheless, the speed and bandwidth battle is always won by the Cable Broadband. Security: Cable service is provided through a shared line, thus the people using cable broadband in a particular region happen to belong to the same local area network or LAN. This provides anyone in the neighbourhood the facility of clicki ng onto your windows network and download your personal data unless proper secur ity measures are not taken. In case of ADSL, as everyone is using their own dedi cated telephone line to connect to the internet, the option of someone in the ne ighbourhood accessing personal data is considerably less. Nonetheless, it is alw ays safe to have proper security measures irrespective of the type of your broad band connection. The security battle is thus won by ADSL Broadband. Installation: This is the next important factor to be considered when a type of broadband service is to be taken. With cable service all you need to do is call the cable technician to get a new line installed. Next you just need to connect this line to your modem; it is as easy as plugging your VCR to the television. O n the other hand, with the ADSL service, one needs to go through a series of ste ps to get the installation done. You will need some micro-filters to be connecte d on the phone lines to prevent voice crackling on the phone line. Also, the mod em needs to be installed by running through the installation process steps on yo ur computer/laptop. This makes Cable Broadband the winner of the installation ba ttle. Cost: When it comes to cost, ADSL tends to be less expensive than cable. With th e various package deals currently available, you can manage to reduce your phone bills to a great extent. As cable broadband is tied with the television service from the cable provider, you may have to make a huge monthly payment to cover t he bill costs. Therefore, in the pricing category ADSL Service emerges as a winn er. Alternatives to ADSL & Cable Broadband If you feel the ADSL and Cable are both not the right type of internet service f or you then there are a few alternatives you might want to consider. Wireless Internet: In remote areas where it is not possible to provide ADSL or C able Broadband service, the wireless internet service is the best option. A dedi cated telephone line is not required in this type of service. Local internet ser vice providers offer local coverage by using the wireless technology. Here a sma ll antenna is fitted outside the users house which receives the connection. Satellite Broadband: This type of broadband connection is accessible throughout UK, but is only used as the last option. There are two types of satellite broadb and connection. The first type is a one-way connection, wherein the computer con nects to the internet to receive data via a satellite and a dish, however data c

an be sent only with the help of a dial-up connection. The next type is a two-wa y connection wherein the satellite and dish is used for downloading and uploadin g purposes, but it is very expensive to install it and it requires a monthly sub scription. Which is Better ADSL or Cable? This question of which types of broadband service is best has no definite answer . Firstly, one needs to check the availability. More often both ADSL and Cable a re not available in the same areas, so there is no choice to this section of peo ple. They will have to opt for whatever is handy. Next thing one needs to consider is their usage pattern. If you are a passive us er who uses the internet for browsing and checking emails and similar stuff then ADSL is a better choice. However if you have a business to run and own a websit e then cable broadband might be the right choice. Both the services have their own sets of merits and demerits. Have a look at var ious packages offered by the ISPs, analyse your requirements and accordingly mak e an appropriate choice.