Wireless Internet

For those of you who are network experts, please excuse the simplification of this page for the being time.

This page is under heavy editing and verification.

Wired Internet to Consumers

• Dial-Up - (speed) - Under the dial-up model, the Internet user uses a standard telephone line to start a connection allowing the transfer of Internet data. The user pays for the telephone line, and typically also for the Internet service itself. If the user already has a phone line, and does not mind it being busy while they are using the Internet, the cost of dial-up is minimal, in the United States typically under $15 a month (not including the cost of the telephone line itself).
• Cable and DSL - These are faster connections that do not require a voice line to operate. They are significantly faster than dial-up and are typically "always-on" meaning you don't have to wait for the connection to start. As soon as you open your web browser, you have Internet. No waiting around. In the United States, the connection can start as low as $15 for promotions, typically $30 to $60 permanently, and more expensive for faster speeds. This type of connection is location-dependent... you can't get these high speed connections everywhere.
• Fios (?) - These are currently faster connections than Cable and DSL in the United States, but is even less available location-wise. The type of technology that had carried long distance phone calls (Fiber optic) is now connected straight to a residence. This offers quick transfers (although to be honest, currently more than most people would need).

Wireless Internet

• Wi-Fi Wireless Internet - This type of wireless is short-range (typically 50-300 feet from an "access point") and is commonly built into laptops and some cell phones. Desktops can also have Wi-Fi adapters added to them, and some lines (such as Apple's iMacs) are sold with Wifi built-in. There are different Wifi technologies, which can get confusing, but are explained below.
• Broadband Cellular Wireless - Broadband cellular in the United States creates an Internet connection between a computer or device (such as a laptop) and a cellular tower. Prices in the United States can be up to $60 a month for 5GB of transfer per month (about one single-sided DVD of data). Overages are extremely costly so broadband cellular uses have to watch their allocation very carefully.
• Satellite -
• (more) -

Common types of Wi-Fi

• 802.11b (Wi-fi)
• 802.11g (Wi-fi sometimes called Wireless G)
• 802.11a
• 802.11n (sometimes called Wireless N, but compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g technology-wise)

The connection you find in most homes and coffee shops is G, although N is becoming more prevalent. One reason G is more popular is because although B and G Wi-fi laptops can run on N networks, the entire network slows down to their speed to accomodate them. For example, if you have 9 users running N laptops, and one person comes in with a G laptop, the whole network is going to run at less than full speed.