Making Sense of Your Connectivity Options
Paul Kleeberg, M.D.
October 3^rd, 2003
Revised: October 2^nd, 2003

Assembly handout (this document): http://fpen.org/aafp/connect.html
Powerpoint presentation: http://fpen.org/aafp/connect.ppt
Definitions of some terms: http://fpen.org/aafp/definitions.html

Outline

Objectives

Connecting to the Internet

POTS, ISDN, DSL, cable, satellite, and dedicated leased lines

Sharing an Internet connection

Sharing a Dial-up, DSL or cable connection

Building ethernet networks: wired and wireless networks (Wi-Fi, Airport)

Comparing the options

Conclusion

Objectives:     (back to outline)

At the end of this talk, you should be able to:

• Understand the different methods of connecting to the Internet
• Know the benefits, limitations and approximate cost of each method
• Know how multiple computers can share one connection
• Know how these techniques can be applied in your home or office
• Know how to set up a secure wireless network in your home or office

POTS     (back to outline)

POTS stands for Plain Old Telephone Service.  This was the most popular method of connecting to the Internet from one’s home or when on the road.  It:

• Uses the standard phone line
• User dials up the ISP to make a connection
• Speeds said to be 56K but always slower
• Requires minimal hardware and setup
• Costs about $14 to $20 / month for unlimited use

POTS Advantages

• Available from anyplace.  Just find a phone line and dial in.
• Easy set up.  Most every computer purchased today includes all the necessary hardware and makes it easy to get connected to any one of several major ISPs.
• Easy to switch ISPs.  If one provides poor service or raises their prices, you can switch to a new provider.
• Useful when traveling.  Many ISPs will have local numbers in different cities so that you are able to access the Internet and your e-mail without having to dial long distance

POTS Disadvantages

• Slow.  Though advertised as 56K, the connection is always slower.  In some communities where there has been recent growth, local phone companies will use their own compression technologies that can cut the speed of your modem in half or more.
• Dialing-up and connecting is slow.  The time it takes to dial up an ISP and have the modem negotiate a connection with the other end can take about a minute
• Ties up the phone line.  A modem cannot use the line at the same time as another device.
• Intermittent connections.  If you are not actively retrieving mail or browsing web pages, the ISP will break the connection.  And, since it ties up the phone line, most individuals will wish to disconnect when not in use.

ISDN     (back to outline)

ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network.  This is a standard for digital communication that was established in the early 90’s.  It was to revolutionize Internet access when most of us were using 28K modems but it was difficult for the end user to get and slow to be adopted for a multitude of reasons.  It is:

• Digital version of dial-up telephone
• Installed by local phone company
• Requires an ISDN card in the PC or an external “modem”
• A digital call is made at the time of need
• Reliable speeds of 64-128K
• Internet access (ISP) a separate cost
• Monthly fee: $45 base fee for metered use, $120 for unlimited use

ISDN Advantages

• Fast dialing (~1.5 sec).  The time it takes to make your initial connection is almost imperceptable.
• Easy to switch ISPs.  All you have to do is call a different number.
• ISP can connect to you (extra cost)
• Available in some locations where alternatives are not

ISDN Disadvantages

• Expensive
• Intermittent connections
• Requires additional hardware
• Requires new wiring
• Metered by phone company and sometimes the ISP
• Difficult to get installed
• Works only at the site of installation
• Limited availability

DSL     (back to outline)

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line.  It is essentially a fixed digital connection between you and your ISP.

• Runs over ordinary telephone wires
• Digital signals use high frequencies not used by analog phones
• Installed by local phone company
• Reliable speeds of 144K to 7M
• Always on
• Internet access (ISP) a separate cost
• Costs from $22 for 256K to $275 for 7M

DSL Advantages

• Always on
• Flat fee
• Reliable
• Requires no new wiring.  Will run over the standard phone wiring in your house.
• Does not tie up phone line.  A telephone and the computer can share the same physical wire and be used simultaneously.
• Fixed IP available so you can use it to host your own domain for your practice
• Can be used to host a web site.
• Dial-up access when traveling often included

DSL Disadvantages

• Can be tough to switch providers
• Requires additional hardware (DSL Router)
• Can be difficult to get installed but this has improved significantly in the past 2 years
• Works only at the site of installation
• Limited availability
• Fast upload speeds are available at an extra cost

Cable     (back to outline)

Cable access to the Internet is provided by many cable TV companies and is the preferred method for high-speed access to the Internet from home.

• Runs over cable TV wiring
• Installed by cable company
• Download speeds of 768K to 3M and higher
• Upload speeds slower.  These can vary from 256K up to 384K
• Always on
• Shared bandwidth.  Just like the freeway, the more people who are trying to get somewhere, the slower it is.
• Unlimited use with Internet access (ISP) included in cost
• Costs about $50 per month

Cable Advantages

• Usually quite fast
• Always on in most installations
• Flat fee
• Somewhat reliable but this varies considerably
• Broader availability
• Does not interfere with TV

Cable Disadvantages

• Shared bandwidth.  The more people that are using it, the slower it is but even at its worst it is much faster than a modem.
• Requires additional hardware (cable box)
• Works only at the site of installation
• Upload slower than download
• No choice in cable company or ISP when selecting service
• Dial-up access when traveling usually not included

Satellite     (back to outline)

• Available from remote locations
• Available from two companies Direcway (www.direcway.com) (Windows only) and Starband (www.starband.com)
• Downloads up to 1M. Upload via up-link. Uplink speeds 100K
• Unlimited service $70/month.  Hardware $500 for single Windows 98SE or newer machine, installation extra.
• Networked computers (Macm Win, Linux, Unix) unlimited service $150/month.  Hardware $600

Satellite Advantages

• Available from anyplace that has a view of the southern sky
• Always on
• Unlimited access

Satellite Disadvantages

• Hardware and installation costs
• Monthly service fee
• Shared bandwidth.  Speeds get slower as more users install the system
• Can be slow when using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Dedicated Leased Line     (back to outline)

• A fixed digital connection with the phone company
• Bidirectional Internet access at guaranteed speeds
• Speeds range from 56K to T1 (1.5M) on up
• Always on, unmetered
• ISP separate charge
• Fees 56K $80/month + ISP $300/m.  1.5M T1 $250/m + ISP $1500/m

Leased Line Advantages

• The most reliable connection to the Internet
• Guaranteed bandwidth and service levels
• Great for hosting a web site or for managing your own security and firewalls
• 56K lines available anyplace there is a telephone

Leased Line Disadvantages

• Expensive
• T1 and higher access confined to metro.  Extremely expensive in rural areas
• Difficult to get installed
• Not easy to switch ISPs
• Requires dedicated hardware

Sharing an Internet Connection     (back to outline)

There are many ways to share an Internet connection among several machines.  This technique has been around for years but has only recently become accessible to the average user.  With the proper tools, one can have any number of machines share the same dial-up, DSL or Cable connection.

Sharing a Dial-up connection     (back to outline)

Sharing a telephone line with any style of computer can easily be done with any number of products.  The Apple Airport Base Station was the first to make this available to the consumer while other products such as the Lucent Orinoco RG-1000 are designed to work with any platform.  Computers connect to the dial-up Internet via a local wired ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi network.

Sharing a Dial-up Connection Advantages

• Cheap
• Uses only one phone line for all the machines on the LAN (Local Area Network)
• Any number of computers can be on the Internet at the same time
• Machines on the LAN are invisible to the Internet at large

Sharing a Dial-up Connection Disadvantages

• Slow. Same problems as POTS: connecting is slow and downloading is slow
• Speed slows as more attempt to use the line at the same time

Sharing a DSL or Cable Line     (back to outline)

Sharing a DSL or cable connection can be done with any number of products called Cable-DSL routers.  Two manufacturers are Linksys and Asante.  These products, which start at about $80, connect to your cable or DSL box supplied by your broadband provider and establish a connection with the ISP as if it were a computer.  They then create an internal network (Local Area Network or LAN) that allows your machines to share that one Internet connection and to connect with each other.  Machines on the LAN are behind a firewall.  A specific machine on the LAN can be assigned as a web server, a secure mail server, an FTP server, or some other service and any requests from the Internet will be passed through the firewall to that machine.

Sharing a DSL or Cable Line Advantages

• Always on
• Uses only one DSL or cable connection
• Any number of computers can access the Internet simultaneously
• Machines on your LAN (Local Area Network) are invisible to the Internet at large
• One of the machines on your LAN can be assigned to function as a web server for both your LAN and the Internet

Sharing a DSL or Cable Line Disadvantages

• Requires extra hardware
• Requires a network

Building Networks     (back to outline)

If you want to share an Internet connection, you are going to need to build a Local Area Network (LAN) to connect these machines to the net.  Today there is a choice between wired and wireless networks.  Both have their advantages and disadvantages.  All operate with any type of computer.

Wired Ethernet Advantages:

• Very high speed: 10, 100 and 1000 M
• More secure - you must connect inside the building for access

Wired Ethernet Disadvantages:

• You have to run wires throughout the facility
• Your computer / laptop requires a wired connection to the network

Wireless Advantages:

• High speed: 11 M (802.11b) to 54 M (802.11a & 802.11g)
• Does not require a cable
• Does not require wiring the facility
• Accessible from anyplace within range of the base station
• Macs and PCs can share the same network
• Wi-Fi and Apple Airport products are compatible
• Most laptops and tablets now come with it built in.  Available on handheld computers (PalmOS, PocketPC) as well

Wireless Disadvantages:

• May require the addition of card in your computer / laptop
• Can make your network insecure unless you take steps to secure it
• Encryption on existing cards poor

Demonstration of building a wireless network     (back to outline)

We will spend time in the lecture demonstrating the creation of a secure wireless network that shares an Internet connection.

Comparing your options

All costs are approximate.  For the latest cost estimates, please see the online version <http://fpen.org/aafp/connect.html> of this document.

Conclusion     (back to outline)

There are multiple ways to connect to the Internet so anyone should be able to have reasonably priced access for their home or office.  In addition, the ability to share a connection makes the usefulness of Internet access even greater at the office or from the home with a family whose members all want easy and convenient access.  Finally, adequate security can be achieved through a few simple steps.

• Handouts from this lecture with additional links: http://fpen.org/aafp/connect.html
• Home networking information from Linksys: http://www.linksys.com/edu/
• Home networking information from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/insider/networking/
• The owners' manual for the broadband wireless router demonstrated in class: ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pdf/wrt54gv1.1_ug.pdf
• Webopedia: An encyclopedia of technology terms http://webopedia.internet.com/

Paul Kleeberg, M.D.              O   o          paul@fpen.org
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