Definition of Broadband
Broadband is a form of high-speed internet, which is better than dial-up connection. Broadband provides an "always on" and faster connection to the internet.
Types of Broadband
There are a wide variety of broadband technologies available in a lot of areas where they are provided by service providers, the most commonly used types are ADSL,wireless, cable and satellite broadbands. These four types of broadbands all use higher bandwidth than dial-up. Higher bandwidth would mean faster connectitivy and more data can be transferred.
ADSL
The same cables are used to connect the Internet and the telephone when connecting via ADSL broadband. A phone socket filter is added to the phone line which then converts the signal into two separate signals, one for internet access and the other for telephone service. This is why you can still use your telephone even when you are connected to the internet using the same line, unlike dial-up connections wherein you would have to have separate connections if you want to be able to talk on the phone and be on the internet at the same time.
Wireless or WiFi
Wireless broadband is similar in technology with a difference only of picking up the connection wirelessly or without using cable wires or network cables.
This is the type of broadband connection used by laptop and hand-held device users so that these devices can be carried anywhere around the house where signals can be picked up easily for internet connections.
The way Wi-Fi works that it converts the internet data into a radio signal which is then picked up by each wireless device such as laptop and gaming console, in the house using a a wireless card and Wi-Fi adapter.
Cable
Cable can provide digital TV, internet and phone service. This can be easily set-up by your cable service provider by using a set-top-box using a cable modem.
Satellite
Satellite broadband either works via a 'one way' or 'two way' link.
The one way link works by a satellite sending information to your computer using a satellite dish. You still need a phone line in order to click on a link using a normal dial-up connection because there is no way you can send signal back to the satellite. The only advantage this one has over a dial-up connection is that you can download information at high speed.
With a 'two way' link you can do both using the satellite, you can transmit and receive data at the same time without having the need to use a phone line. This is a faster method of the two. The reason why satellite broadband is not as popular as ADSL and cable because it can be costly to install and may be affected by weather conditions.
Tags: dial-up connection, phone line, need phone, need phone line, same time, service This, than dial-up
