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The ins and outs of Internet access. |
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Internet connection in the past was by a dial up account with a service provider, now dial up is being replaced by broadband. Updated with latest situation at 21/8/2007 #1 Dial up. For this you need the ubiquitous dial up modem. Modem means modulator/demodulator and what it does is convert analogue to digital and visa verse. The type of analogue signal you are dealing with is one that can be carried over a telephone line in the same way as a voice signal. It works ok but it’s painfully slow. Normally, your connection will be to a dial up server run by a company that provides this as a service, hence the name “Internet service provider”. (ISP). To configure your system you only have to enter the dial server phone number, your username, and your password. For email there are two or three other values that have to be entered. Most ISPs provide a set-up disc, although you should not need it if you want to configure your computer manually. If the ISP takes measures to ensure that you can only configure your system using their disk, be suspicious and rightly so. Try asking their help line “What is your disk doing that you don’t want me to know about?” Worst example that I know about is the major supermarket chain that provides a cut price dial up Internet access but whose disk attempts to take control of the way you use the Internet. At the very least expect running a disk to change your homepage to their own, which means you look at the ads that they want you to see. Personally, I would like to take all the computer hijackers, spammers, virus spreaders and shoot them. #2 Broadband This is correctly called Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). The signal that travels along the cable however is definitely analogue, hence the need for a modem. However, you need a special type of modem called an ADSL Modem. It’s very fast compared to dial up, the actual speed depends on local conditions, some exchanges will only support a speed of 2 Meg at this time, but its still lightening compared with dial up. The speeds are often quoted as “Meg”; this actually means megabits per second. Note that its megabits NOT megabytes. There are 8 bits to a byte. An Ethernet standard local network can achieve 100 megabits per second, but sometimes has to switch down to 10. A dial up 56K fax modem can achieve in reality little better than 32K, this is 32,000 bits per second. So our comparison of dial up to say 8 Meg broadband is 32,000 bits per second on dial up compared to 8,000,000 bits per second broadband. This would mean that your broadband is 250 times faster although in reality the 8 Meg bits per second would not be achieved. Because the broadband signal and a normal telephone voice signal are in a different range, the same line will support a broadband and telephone voice signal simultaneously, however you will need a filter, usually supplied with the modem or modem router to avoid interference with you phone calls. As I have said, you need an ADSL Modem. These come either to connect to your PC through a USB connection, or an Ethernet cable. The Ethernet is better, trust me. However, better than an ordinary modem is a Firewall Modem Router. Let’s explain this. Modem, has already been explained. Firewall This refers to a system whereby your computer or network system is protected from external threats. This can be in the form of a software program such as the firewall you get with Windows XP, or a hardware firewall which is even better. The best protection is provided by using both systems. Your firewall modem router will have this functionality. Windows firewall, unlike some third party ones, is no nuisance by the way. Go online with no firewall and you will get something you don't want in 5 minutes. Router. There is a hardware device that allows several computers to be connected together on a network, usually a hub or switch. A router is similar except that it allows computers with different operating systems to work together. In effect, your firewall modem router will have an array of RJ45 sockets or ports so that you can connect several computers to the same broadband Internet connection and share it. RJ45 refers to the actual socket, an American telephone socket like you have on modem for your telephone cable is an RJ11; the RJ45 is similar but larger. American telephone socket is the little square one, British is the flat one, that’s why the modem cables are the way they are. So on any modem router with Ethernet out, the little square hole is for the telephone cable, bigger square hole is for Ethernet cable to your computer or computers. And don't forget to connect your phone through the supplied filter, otherwise you will get interference in your phone conversations. A thing to remember is that if a service provider offers 2 different levels of service, one for a single computer, the other for multiple users, you are being conned. OK they may have different speeds and download limits but the ability to support multiple users lies in the hardware you connect to, there is nothing to stop you throwing their single port modem in the trash and fitting your own multi port router. Another thing is that it’s not necessary to run their installation disk, you can configure the modem or router yourself, and so broadband may well blow out the service providers who want to hijack your computer with their damn installation disks. You can usually set up a broadband modem or router simply by opening Internet Explorer and typing in its IP address, http://192.168.0.1 Your computer will automatically configure itself to 192.168.0.2, but its best if you remove file sharing and Client for Microsoft Networks from your TCP/IP properties as a security measure. If you are running a small office network and you want to limit Internet access to say just 2 machines you can fit a second Ethernet card to them for the broadband. Letting everyone have Internet access can be the mistake of your life, think about it. Providers My top of the pops is TalkTalk. £20.49 (Talk3 International call plan) a month buys you unlimited UK landline calls and 8 meg broadband. The price includes VAT which you can claim back if you are a business, and also line rental which they pay to BT. READ MY LIPS: IT INCLUDES LINE RENTAL. I have to say it twice because it seldom sinks in the first time. There is currently a £30 connection charge, there wasn't previously. Maybe its to cover the cost of an overstock of modems no one was buying or to cover the cost of taking people off DACS, see below. Now here are the ducks and dives. They currently offer a free wired modem, but you are better buying the Netgear DG834 Firewall Modem Router from dabs.com . For just over £50 quid you can have the Netgear DG834G which is a wireless version and dabs currently give you a free wireless USB dongle so you don't need a wireless network card. http://www.dabs.com DON'T buy this service from anyone who comes knocking on your door or accosts you in a supermarket, either call in at your local Carephone Warehouse or purchase online. I wont go into the reasons for this statement here, but I could tell a few tales. Ask for call preference to rid yourself of the junk sales calls from Calcutta etc, and while you are at it tell them you don't want calls from their "carefully selected partners" (backhanders) either. Now if you are running a business from business premises, forget this one, go to my last paragraph. However, if you are running your business from home, whether is a sole trader, partnership, limited company, PLC, political party or Tupperware party will make no difference. TalkTalk will do business. Now remember that if your house is next door to your workshops, factory, car sales or whatever, or you live above your shop, you can simply have your broadband into your home and wire your business in. How you do this is up to you, whether with cat 5 Ethernet cable or a simple phone extension. However, if you have your multiport router in the house you can share the broadband between your home computer and the one in your business. If your business has more than one computer needing Internet access, cable in to the uplink of an Ethernet hub, the same way as I describe for sharing using BTs Voyager 220V described below. Beware of the DACS! The bad news is if your line is on a Digital Access Carrier System, DACS. BT use this system extensively as its capable of supporting several telephone lines on a single wire. Unfortunately, it cant be used for broadband. If you are renting your line from TalkTalk, you may have difficulties getting taken of the DACS UPDATE 11/04/2007 I have had some discussion with a representative of TalkTalk who has assured me that steps have been taken to deal with new customers on the DACS system more effectively, and I have no reason to doubt them. So if its business premises There is a big jump in price, basically as a business you are good for more money. I personally cant see any other angle on it. Well, BT Business Broadband Lite is as good as any. Their Voyager 220V firewall modem router is a good piece of kit but its only singe port, hence the single user description. And at the current price of £48 + VAT its a rip-off. Their multi user router is even more expensive. However, both are optional, so you have the right to refuse and purchase my "best buy" model as above from dabs. By the way, dabs is owned by BT so what's it all about? Don’t worry about the download limit, as business user you won’t be downloading movies will you? www.btbroadbandoffice.com/broadband Anti Virus Software The number of machines I see with virus infections, and I hate to say it, usually there are kids involved. The silly games that they download from the Internet nearly always carry a hidden payload. If you go on line with no firewall you can it. Regardless of this the actual risk of virus infection depends on how you use the Internet. If you want good antivirus software that is not intrusive, forget the stuff you buy off the shelf at your local store. Best buys are NOD32 from http://www.eset.co.uk/ or ETrust from Computer Associates. http://www.ca.com These are purchased as a download by logging into their respective sites. There is a good FREE antivirus which some feel is as good as anything at http://www.grisoft.com or get it of the free disk that comes with a lot of computer magazines. The licence is for one computer at home only, be advised. Web Hosting If you want to run a website for your business, I still recommend cheapnet/pobox. Their plus account is £100 a year plus VAT and is an all in package with unlimited email accounts. You can continue to use your existing email account that you have with your old dial up service provider after you have gone to broadband, for as long as your old account remains open. You will be able to receive emails sent to your old address, but some emails that you send may bounce back. This is because the server at the recipients service provider may think your emails as spam. I wont go into the technicalities of this. After going to broadband your best choice is to register yourself or your business as a domain. You can register a co.uk or some others at easily http://www.easily.co.uk/ for a tenner for 2 years. You will also have to pay them a fee for the mailbox. If you want web space, domain hosting, and several mailboxes better off opening a cheapnet plus account as described above. Security I thought that I had better say something about this. When you connect to the Internet you are joining the worlds biggest network. I have mentioned firewalls above. In effect you become a member of 2 networks. The connection between your computer or computers and the modem or router comprises a local network. Each computer will have an IP address. (Internet protocol) as I have also described above. Your computer or computers will also have an EXTERNAL IP address, which is how they can be recognised, and potentially ACCESSED from outside. You can find out this by simply typing in www.whatismyip.com your browser or clicking here. Now your service provider will have a server that assigns this to you, probably each time you log on. If you are on broadband, this is always on, and if you leave your modem or router switched on, its always connected. So even if your outside IP address is dynamic, it will remain unchanged as long as your router is switched on. If you are streaming video to the Internet, maybe as part of a CCTV security system, your IP address remaining static will have advantage. But you will be better paying a fee for a proper Static IP Address. Now my point here is that if you have file sharing enabled and your firewall is down, not only can malicious software get in but potentially a hacker. Kind of makes you think about wireless networks now doesn't it, we wont set them up for file sharing even with the security features. |