5 Types of Dial-up Cable
In today’s world, it is hard to imagine life without an internet connection. The use of the internet has become an essential part of our lives. The speed of the internet and the connections are evolving rapidly, but the road to this point was very rocky.
It is hard to imagine that the loading of a page would take ages, or that complicated designs were practically impossible. Basic designed websites and a dial-up connection were the start of a new era.
There are several ways to connect to the internet, and the first-ever invention was using a dial-up cable. Dial-up cable required a telephone to be able to connect to the server. After the dial-up, DSL, and ethernet cables took over, followed by fiber optics and wireless connection.
The best way to understand the connections that are available nowadays is to start by explaining what the dial-up system was in the beginning.
Dial-up Cable
Dial-up internet connection started a revolution era, and it was very popular at the time considering the fact that everyone wanted to try out this new possibility of exploring the internet and searching for information.
This connection was based on a cable and a telephone line, which was necessary if you wanted to establish a connection to the Internet. The connection was established via a phone connection, and the biggest withdrawal was that you couldn’t use both at a time.
The dial-up connection required the phone line to be unused, in order to function uninterrupted. When the phone rang, or you picked it up to dial a number, the internet connection would be broken, and you would need to start the connection from the beginning.
Besides the really annoying tone that was playing while the connection was being established, the dial-up connection offered very slow access to the internet, and the browsing for simple information would take ages.
However, even nowadays in some areas, you can find dial-up connections being used. This is simply because those areas don’t have the necessary infrastructure to build a better, more stable connection.
Digital Subscriber Line
DSL or Digital Subscriber Line solved the issue the standard dial-up cable had. It was working based on a two-way connection, so the internet connection could function without the phone being interrupted, and vice versa.
Today the DSL is the most common internet connection way, and it is perfect for home use and small business that don’t have big requirements. There are two types of DSL – ADSL and SDSL.
ADSL or asymmetrical DSL is named after the fact that the download and upload speeds are asymmetric. Usually, it is the download speed that is higher than the upload speed, since average users will usually download more content rather than uploading it.
SDSL is short for symmetrical DSL and it offers equal download and upload speeds. However, ADSL is more popular and more used than SDSL. SDSL is perfect for users who upload and download the same size of content.
Ethernet Over Cable
Ethernet cables are the successor of the ADSL internet connection. They offer a connection to the internet via coax cable infrastructure rather than telephone cables. Ethernet cables are the first ones that made it possible to avoid unstable phone lines when connecting to the internet.
There are many different types of ethernet cables, and they are differentiated by the thickest of the cable itself. Very thin cables are not able to transfer the full speed of the internet over a large distance. Also, they are not intended to be used outdoors.
Thicker cables are more durable and can withhold large distances, without reducing the end speed of the internet.
T1 and T3
If you require a private network, then the T1 cable is the one that will make that possible. It works on the same principle as the standard dial-up cable, but the speed is much lower (around 1.5Mbps).
A T1 connection is considered to be one of the most reliable if you want to prevent information or data leaks since it offers a high level of security. On the other hand, T3 cable is much faster (up to 44Mbps) and is perfect for larger businesses with higher demands.
Other Types of Cable Connections
The latest innovation is the use of optic fibers in the cables. It is meant to replace the use of dial-up and DSL cables completely. The basic principle is to install an optic fiber in the cable infrastructure, which will allow astronomical upload and download speeds.
Some of the businesses have already installed this technology in T1 and T3 lines, and thus significantly improved the stability and the speed of the connection. Optic fiber cables are mostly used in companies and are very rarely seen at homes.
However, some of the internet provider companies have recognized the potential and started offering the optic fiber connection to certain areas where this option will be utilized to the maximum.
The issue with all other types of cables that are already mentioned is that if you want to upgrade the speed of your internet connection, you would need to change all the cables to better ones that can handle bigger speeds.
With optic fiber cable, this issue is eliminated, and in theory, the speed can be increased endlessly without having to change the cables at any point.
Wireless Connections
The article would not be complete without the mention of wireless connection types – satellite and wireless internet. Both of them do not require cable infrastructure to establish a connection to the internet.
Satellite internet uses a satellite orbiting the Earth as a reference point – similar to a dial-up cable that uses a telephone line. It is very rare to see satellite internet in commercial use.
Rather than that, wireless internet is widely spread, and many public places also have the option of wireless connection. It uses a cell phone tower as a reference point, so technically wherever you have cell phone coverage, you could also install a wireless internet connection.
Wireless internet is very popular for home use since it offers great coverage in all areas, and internet access for all devices you use at home.
