Characteristics Of Internet Connection Methods

Internet

The internet is a system of communication between computer networks that allow information to travel along with different locations. Before connecting to the internet, you must have certain types of hardware and an internet service provider [ISP] who are companies that own servers that are used to access the internet.

3G and 4G

These are provided by mobile phone operators. 3G is the most common and it can cover wider areas than 4G,- they are newer, and not common with restricted areas. 4G networks are starting to offer up to 1 Gbits/s. 3G was mainly produced for phone calls however with improved internet access speed than with the earlier 2G. They have two separate plans: standard voice and data plans. Data plans have a restricted download limit and exceeding them can be expensive. Internet access may vary depending on location and technology. The advantages are that there is no fixed connection required and it is available from remote locations. Files and documents are easily accessible through your phone and you don’t need to keep re-installing any software as there is only internet recharge cards that allow you to access the internet. Even though that standard broadband connections are available widely, some areas don’t have them which at this stage, internet mobile connection is very useful. You can also take off the connection to save data and turn it on when you need to use it again. It is hassle-free and easy because it doesn’t require wires or modems. Some disadvantages is that the internet connection isn’t fast and this will rise issues in certain areas, this means more longer waiting time during downloading documents or files. They can be expensive and you can’t easily share the connection. Because of high latency, it will mean not being suitable for some games. If various users are trying to access the same internet, the speed can be reduced significantly. A major disadvantage is that is very expensive and you also add on extra money for the extra data that you use.

3G and 4G are the most used data for mobile phones. The website must require smaller files because the disadvantages such as slow internet connection and overcrowding during many users using the same internet at the same time can cause buffering and long loading time. The website must be quick to load so it is preferable that I do not use lots of large images or other assets because they will not load properly for the audience when they use this format of internet connection.

5G

5th generation wireless is the latest of mobile data and is known to have greatly increased the speed and response of wireless networks. It will demonstrate a sharp increase of data being transferred because of advanced technology such as antenna and more available bandwidth. 5G uses radio waves which are higher and more direct than that of 4G. An advantage of 5G will be the great increase of bandwidth. Bandwidth is the space available for people who are using data to transfer and download it. This means that people wouldn’t have to be competing for sharing internet connection which means they can get more done with their devices. This makes it more capable to handle heavy websites with lots of assets. This is because more bandwidth also means a faster speed which means no need to wait for loading and everything can be done quickly. However, the bandwidth being high meant less coverage so it prevents people who are using the same connection from being able to use it from further areas. 5G is designed to use the radio frequency 6 GHz which is unfortunately used by many other signals, such as satellite links. They are expected to launch across the world by 2020.

Broadband

This is provided through companies of telephone and cable and it is a high-speed internet connection. It is one of the fastest connections providable and it uses various data channels to send large amounts of data. Broadband is short for Broad Bandwidth. These are such as DSL ( but not all DSL considered Broadband) and Cable and they have high bandwidth connection:

DSL Broadband

It is the most common way to connect to the internet for home and small businesses. It includes the existing telephone cabling infrastructure. For example, BT ( telecom) provides the telephone connection to most homes and these same wires are used to provide broadband internet. The broadband connection and standard phone service share the same line without interfering with one another. This means you can still place and receive calls at the same time. Broadband speeds provided by providers is the maximum that is possible over an ADSL connection and the speed depends on how far you are from the telephone exchange. The advantage is that it is fast, and is usually always on so that you are always connected to the internet. Two major disadvantages are that you need to set up a special connection, a fee and modem, and second, you can’t always get it. It only works if you are 3.4 miles from your telephone company. The farther you are, the slower the DSL connection will be.

Cable Broadband

This helps connect you to the internet using a cable which is usually using the same lines the TV service. Instead of using copper wires, they use coaxial wires which gives a much faster internet connection. They can provide speeds ranging from 36Mbps to over 300Mbps. They include good packages which are cable TV. They can offer very high connection speeds but it can be shared with other users. Due to this, you can experience slower connections due to congestion. In the UK, Virgin Media is the only supplier of cable broadband. It does not need any phone service to work. When you turn on the internet, so will the network. This means it will be always on and less time is needed to log in. They are suitable for using various internet applications such as internet users who download lots of web content or online games.

As the bandwidth will be shared, it is preferable that the website has smaller files so that it would mean less loading for big assets. This means it will be easily available for everyone viewing it using a broadband connection.

Fibre/Fibre Broadband

The speed can depend on the technology you use to connect to your home: FTTH connects directly to home which gives you the fastest speeds possible. FTTB has cables running to your building but not directly to your living area. This provides a fast connection and is common in flats. FTTC, connection connects to a junction box which could be a few meters away. The connection is slower because of the distance and the copper wires in which your cabinet is covered in. It is the most widely available connection. FTTN connects to a junction box that is even further from your home and can be a few kilometers away which means an even slower connection speed. This is currently introduced by BT and offers speeds up to 76 Mbit/s. They offer two types depending on your location: fibre to home or cabinet. Fiber to home is the fastest yet requires new hardware. Fibre to the cabinet is slower than home as the entire connection isn’t fibre. They have largely replaced copper wire in main networks. They have extremely high bandwidth, and they can be over long distances. The disadvantages are that they are more fragile than electric wires, and can be harder to install. They also cost more than copper cables. G.Fast is the next generation of fibre broadband and has speeds over 300Mbps. It is quicker than broadband. It uses copper wires and improves speeds by increasing the range used by the signal. It has been introduced in many locations and it is expected to be in over 10 million properties by 2021.

The website needs to have smaller files because if the audience using this type of internet connection, the assets of the website will buffer and not show up meaning the audience has less access and interactivity with the website, limiting their use.

Dial-Up

In order to access the internet, the phone user must link their line to a computer. It is the first iteration of the internet available. Dial-up uses a standard phone line meaning that calls couldn’t be made when the internet was in use. The disadvantage was that speed was that slow it was very time-consuming. It is the least expensive way to access the internet but it provides the slow connection. Many remote areas depend on this type of connection because broadband and wireless are uncommon in remote areas with low population options. A disadvantage is that the connection is slow and your landline is tied up. An advantage is that you can take your dial-up account anywhere and connect to the internet anywhere where there is a phone line that is accessible. You don’t even need a DSL box or special line to connect.

Public WiFi/ Hotspots

The technology is the same as wireless home networking so if you have a device that equips to a wireless connection, it will also work on public wireless networks. Provide you with internet access over a wireless local area network that connects to an ISP. They use WiFi technology. The disadvantage is that it is only available in limited areas and poses strong security risks. Public WiFi can be an issue because it means many people will be connecting to the same network. This will cause slow bandwidth and this means many buffering and loading issues. This is included in areas such as school and work where internet access is shared amongst staff and students. This means it requires more loading time in these areas because of the shared network.

WiFi

WiFi refers to a wireless technology that uses radio waves to exchange data through a network. It is best known for wirelessly connecting tablets, smartphones and computers to the internet. It is an internet connection which is ‘always on’. It is a popular alternative to using Ethernet cables and an advantage is that it allows multiple people to access the same network simultaneously. Despite being able to connect many devices, this means the bandwidth is split between them. This slows down the connection to each of the devices which means increased loading times and buffering. The WiFi is at it’s best when there is fewer people using it so that there isn’t a huge queue for bandwidth. This form of the network could be used in public areas or transport, such as the bus, school, home or work. these areas are all busy which means that this connection would have lots of people accessing it. This means the website must be able to upload data quickly and easily to keep up with the slow bandwidth. It would help if there were less people using devices to connect to the internet in any way, which would mean more bandwidth for that one device.

Satellite

This is the internet where data comes through a satellite. The user must have a satellite dish antenna and a transceiver. The upstream data is sent at a slower speed than the downstream data. This makes the connection asymmetric. Signals are received by dish antennas. They are rather pricey and a good idea for people who live in rural areas where DSL and cable modem connections aren’t available. You can use a satellite connection even with basic hardware. It allows the internet connection to be always on. It is good for web browsing and downloading files but because for the long latency, online gaming isn’t very compatible for this type of network.

ISDN

Integrated Services Digital Network authorized users to send data, voice and video calls over standard/ telephone lines. ISDN would have to be installed at both ends of the transmission such as the User and the ISP. It is mostly used for telephone rather than data communication. It is useful for tills in shops and EPOS machines, especially in areas with low broadband coverage. ISDN2 is preferable for smaller businesses that can’t afford breaks in data transmission. FOr large businesses, ISDN30 would be required as it helps with high-quality videos and consistent huge data transferring.

Network

A network includes two or more computers connected together to be able to share resources, exchange files and allow electronic conversations. There are two main types of networks named: Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN).

LAN

Is a network preferable for a smaller area? This means such as a school, library or a building. The computers used with this network are usually known as workstations or servers. Servers are not used directly by humans but provide service to human users of the network. Workstation means they have a human user that interacts with the network through them. They can be connected wirelessly or by cables. Cable connections remain the fastest hence why nearly all servers are connected in this way. However, it is easier and less expensive to use wireless.

WAN

Opposite of LAN, it connects computers with a wider area such as Florida, the United States or the world. Through using this, schools in one country can connect to other countries without having to pay massive phone bills. It is much complicated as it includes various bits to it.

School Network

School network has a setting called User access control and this decides what the students can access on the internet during on the computers. Services such as access to research, email accounts and many others are provided. Through an internet gateway, the school can provide all computer users with internet access. However, they are very expensive to install. If a server goes down, it could bring the whole network down with it meaning every user of the school computers will no longer have access.

As the audience is young adults this would mean many would still be in education. This means the website must be accessible from areas such as schools and libraries which the connection is shared and could cause low loading. This means the website must have smaller files so that the assets will not buffer and it can load easily so that the audience do not have to miss the experience and interactivity. Also, the website needs to be professional and certified enough that it isn’t blocked by the school network as this would prevent people from accessing the website