Differents types of Internet Connection, ISP, and Internet Address

Types internet connection:

• Dial-up connection                                                                   
• Broadband internet connection/direct connection

Dial-up connection   

1. Conventional dial-up

PC has to dial via phone line to connect to the internet.

it slower but cheaper and ties up to the phone lines and it was secure from hackers

example: TMNet

Advantages

-secure from hackers because not continually connected

 to the internet.

-include inexpensive hardware

-easy to set up and use

Disadvantages

-Slow connection speed (max of 56Kbps)

-Inconvenience because you have to dial up your ISP every time you

 want check email

-telephone line will be tied up while accessing to the internet

2. ISDN

•     also transfer data over ordinary telephone lines but typically  
•       uses two phone lines to transfer data. it requires a special ISDN modem
•      ISDN is faster but pricey. it doesn't tie up phone line and used by businesses and                      individualy.

Broadband internet connection/direct connection

1. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

• Broadband delivered over telephone lines

• Must be less than 3 miles from a switching station

• Transmits over telephone lines but does not tie up the line

• Fast, direct Internet access via standard telephone line

• ADSL is one of the more popular types of DSLs

• Requires DSL modem

• Available in urban areas

• Half or less of cable speeds

• Example :- Streamyx without WiFi

2. Cable Internet Service/ Cable Modem

•   Cable modem: Most widely used home broadband connection

•   Provides high-speed Internet access through    the cable television network via a cable modem.

3.Fixed wireless

• Uses radio transmission towers rather than satellites

• Not available in all areas

• Expected to use WiMAX

• Provides high-speed Internet connections using a dish-shaped antenna to communicate via radio signals.

4. Wi-Fi ( Wireless Fidelity)

• Data is transmitted through radio waves

• Public wireless networks

• Both free and fee-based are available

• Currently Wi-Fi for short range, but WiMAX may soon be an option

• Provide high-speed Internet connections to compatible or properly equipped wireless computers and device.

• Example : Streamyx with WiFi

5. Satellite Internet service

• Broadband option for rural areas

• More expensive than cable or DSL

• Available in many areas other broadband options are not

• Provides high-speed Internet connections via satellite.

• A satellite dish communicates with a satellite modem.

                                        

6. Fiber to the Premises (FTTP)

• Also known as Broadband over Fiber (BoF)

• Delivers over fiber-optic cabling all the way to the building

• Available in limited areas

• Fast but expensive

• Uses fiber-optic cable

• Provide high-speed Internet access to house and business users.

7. Cellular Radio Network       

• Also known as Mobile wireless 

• Access via mobile phone or device

• Offers high-speed Internet connections to devices with built-in compatible technology or computers with wireless modems.

• Example provider:- Celcom, Maxis, DiGi

Internet Service Provider

An ISP (Internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals and other companies access to the Internet and other related services such as Web site building and virtual hosting. An ISP has the equipment and the telecommunication line access required to have a point-of-presence on the Internet for the geographic area served. The larger ISPs have their own high-speed leased lines so that they are less dependent on the telecommunication providers and can provide better service to their customers. Among the largest national and regional ISPs are AT&T WorldNet, IBM Global Network, MCI, Netcom, UUNet, and PSINet.

Access Provider

A business that provides individuals and organizations access to the Internet for free or for a fee

Responsibilities of an ISP

• Providing and maintaining a connection to the Internet

• Support the hardware and software needed to service that connection

• To protect their site and network from external threats such as viruses, hacker attacks and other illegal activities

• Provide 24-hour customer service and technical support

Example of ISP in Malaysia

ISP: TMNet

Products : Streamyx , UniFi, TM Hotspot

ISP : Time

Product : Time Fibre Home Broadband, Time Broadband

ISP: Packet One Network

Products : P1

ISP : YTL Communications

Product : YES

Internet Address

• A number that uniquely identifies each computer or device connected to the Internet.

• IP addresses are also referred to as IP numbers and Internet addresses.

• IP address sometimes is called a dotted decimal number or dotted quad.

Usage

• A way to find specific server or computer on the internet or a network

• Provide identity to a computer in a network

• Identify for a particular device/machine on a particular network

• Allows transfers of files and e-mail

Structure

• IP addresses usually consists of four groups of number each separated by a period.

• The number in each group is between 0 and 255.

• It is 32 bit long ,each group is 8 bits long

• Commonly written in decimal.

• Written, for example, 128.35.0.72

IP versions

Two versions of the Internet Protocol (IP) are in use:

•  IP Version 4 (IPv4) 
•  IP Version 6 (IPv6)

• IPv4 an address consists of 32 bits which limits the address space to 4294967296 (232) possible unique addresses.
• Version 4 of Internet Protocol,the most widely used version of IP
• Version 6 of Internet Protocol, has more capabilities than IPv4, including providing for far more IP address

Domain names and IP addresses

People prefer to use easy-to-remember names instead of IP addresses 

Domain names (a part of the URL) are alphanumeric names for IP addresses.

 e.g., neon.ece.utoronto.ca, www.google.com, ietf.org

The domain name system (DNS) is an Internet-wide distributed database that translates between domain names and  IP addresses

Top-level domains (TLDs)

The first-level set of domain names are the top-level domains (TLDs).

Three types of top-level domains:

• Organizational: 3-character code indicates the function of the organization
• Used primarily within the US 
• Examples: gov, mil, edu, org, com, net

Geographical: 2-character country or region code

Examples: us, va, jp, de

Reverse domains: A special domain (in-addr.arpa) used for IP address-to-name mapping

There are more than 200 top-level domains.

Generic Top-level domains (gTLD)

A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is one of the categories of top-level domains (TLDs) maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet.