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4.1 Manage Connectivity

Manage Connectivity

Introduction

Before you even try to surf the powerful place like the internet there are some things you need to do before you can get started. You just can’t open it and think it’s already connected to the Internet by itself. You need to configure all the parts and hook up wires that are crucial to the future working of you computer. If you don’t know anything about computers you can always research it and try to do the step-by-step versions with simplified instructions. Of course even with beginning computer users you need to the know the difference between dial-up, DSL, cable, and wi-fi Internet access. If you don’t know those terms then I suggest you stop what you are doing, and google it because you are really behind on the times. Now if you are too lazy to go to Google then I will tell you.

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Internet Speeds

The crucial things to know about your internet connection, called bandwidth, are:

  • Do you have it -- i.e. are you connected?
  • Reliability -- does your connection stay up and working?
  • Speed -- is your connection slow, medium or fast?


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Bits not bytes

To understand your speed, you will need to understand a little bit about how data transmission speeds are measured.

  • Speed is measured in bits
  • Storage is measured in bytes (1 byte = 8 bits)
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Units of measure

bits/sec

  • 1 bit/sec = a single digit of binary (a 1 or a 0)

kilobits/sec

  • 1,024 bits/sec = 1 kilobit/sec

megabits/sec

  • 1,024 kbits/sec = 1 megabit/sec

gigabit/sec

  • 1,024 megabits/sec = 1 gigabit/sec
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Internet Connections

Dial-up
Using your computer to dial over your phone line to another modem connected to the internet. This type of internet access is very slow with maximum speed of 56 kbit/s. What does Modulator-demodulator mean and why do I care}}
DSL
The use of a modem and your existing phone lines to connect the internet. When you are connected the phone line isn't tied up, unlike dail up. It is also faster usually a speed of 128 kbit/s to 1.5 Mbps. The downside of dsl is that if you are further than 1.25 miles from the central office the speed is affected.
Cable
The use of a modem with the existing cable t.v line. This type of internet is becoming more popular as the price comes down. The maximum download speed of a cable modem is 8 Mbit/s. this type of modem is not affected by distance unlike dsl. This type of internet is usually the most expansive.
Wi-Fi
The use of internet without any wires that can be used with any of the three listed above. It uses a router to collect and send packets to the modem. This type of internet access really helpful if you like traveling around your house.
Fiber
As the need for speed internet access speed increases (because people want to use the internet to make phone calls, watch video, play 3D computer games, and do other bandwidth-intensive activities) vendors need to provide increasingly hi-bandwidth technologies. The fastest of these, to date, is fiber optic cable to the home. Speeds for this can range from 51.84 Mbps to 100 Mbps.
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Hardware

Now that you know the different types of internet connections available you now need to know the things that make a computer internet ready. These hardware devices are crucial for internet access. Without any of these components your computer (also called by network professionals, the client) will NOT be ready for internet connectivity. You may not heard of any of these before, but you will surpraised how many times you have used these.

Modem
Device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. In other words, a modem translates analog signals into digital signals.
Ip Address
Unique numbers that different devices use to communicate with each other. Before you ever go on the internet you need to make sure that you have a valid ip address. Everything that you do on the internet can be traced back to you and your computer.
Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter
The physical connection of a computer and the internet access.
TCP/IP
The protocol on a computer that regulates the transport part of a network. This protocol monitors that data arrives safe and working and fixes any problems with the packets.
Domain Name Server (DNS)
A database that holds all the ip addresses with their URL name. A computer can't read human words so it needs to be translated into numbers.
Gateway Router
A device that links the computer to the internet
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Troubleshooting tools

After you set up all your hardware you need there might be a problem with the devices. Errors like those might be time consuming going over by itself. That's why troubleshooting tools are so popular.

Ipconfig- A command that controls the network settings. It is very helpful to determine a problem with your network on windows 2000/xp.

Ping- A tool that determines whether a host is accessable through your ip network.