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220-1101: Objective 2.7: Compare and contrast Internet connection types, network types, and their features. Different methods of accessing the Internet have come and gone over the decades. This section describes the most common methods an A+ technician will likely encounter. Internet Connection Types One of the best reasons to create a network of any size is to provide access to the Internet. The following sections discuss the many types of connectivity technologies that can be used for Internet access. As you review the following sections, try to determine which type of Internet connections you use at home and in the workplace. When you are shopping for Internet service, the BroadbandNow website (www.broadbandnow.com) is a useful source for finding the types of broadband Internet access that are available in a specified ZIP code. For the 220-1101 exam, it is important to know the different network connection types and their speeds.
Table: Comparison of Network Connection Speeds
Cable Cable is broadband Internet service that is provided by a cable TV company. Broadband can deliver voice, data, and video at one time. Virtually all cable Internet service today is built on the fiber-optic and coaxial network used for the digital cable and music services that most cable TV vendors provide. In most cases today, separate coaxial cables are used for TV and Internet service into a home or an office. A cable modem is required in the home or office to receive the service.
Cable Internet can reach download speeds anywhere from 3Mbps up to 300Mbps or faster. Upload speeds are typically about 10–20 percent of download speeds, but this varies by vendor. An Internet speed test can be conducted on a device to determine the current upload and download speeds (see Figure). Speed can be impacted by longer distances between the modem and the provider’s termination point in the neighborhood. Cable is faster and has more range than DSL. Speed Test Performed on a Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) Router with Cable Internet Service
You can have cable Internet service without having cable TV. Most cable modems connect to a computer or a router via an RJ-45 cable, but some use USB. When a cable provider also provides a telephone service, a special modem is used that also includes a backup battery. A cable Internet connection can be configured through the standard Network properties sheet in the operating system. DSL DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) was originally designed to work on the same telephone line used by a telephone (and a fax machine, if the telephone line can carry a digital signal). For home use, DSL is designed strictly for Internet access. For business use, DSL can be used for additional services and in site-to-site scenarios between organizations. Although telephone line–based DSL is still available, it is much slower than cable Internet. Newer types of DSL use the same signaling methods but use fiber to provide speed comparable to that of high-performance cable. Two major types of DSL use telephone lines: ADSL (Asynchronous DSL) and SDSL (Synchronous DSL). Two newer types of DSL—VDSL (Very High Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Line) and VDSL2—use fiber for at least part of the signal path.
Table: Common DSL Services Compared
Downstream refers to download speed; upstream refers to upload speed. SDSL gets its name from providing the same speed in both directions. ADSL is always faster downstream than upstream. Both VDSL and VDSL2 use fiber for most of the distance from the telephone company’s central office (where all DSL services connect to the Internet). A device known as a DSL modem is used to connect a computer to a DSL service. A DSL modem connects to a PC through the RJ-45 (Ethernet) port or the USB port. Many companies that offer ADSL, VDSL, and VDSL2 services now provide a wireless router with DSL support and an integrated Gigabit Ethernet switch. Some of these devices also support HPNA, which was developed by the Home Phone Networking Alliance and uses either coaxial wiring in the home as a network or connections to a cable modem.
As the figure below indicates, DSL uses the same telephone lines as ordinary telephone equipment. However, a telephone on the same wire can interfere with the DSL connection. To prevent this, in some cases, a separate DSL line is run from the outside service box to the computer with the DSL modem. However, if the DSL provider supports the self-installation option, small devices called microfilters are installed between telephones, answering machines, fax machines, and other devices on the same circuit with the DSL modem. Microfilters can be built into special wall plates but more often are external devices that plug into existing phone jacks, as shown below. A Typical Self-Installed DSL Setup
A DSL connection can be configured as an always-on connection, similar to a network connection to the Internet. However, many vendors now configure DSL connections as PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) connections instead. A PPPoE connection requires the user to make a connection with a username and password. PPPoE connections are supported in Windows, macOS, and Linux. Fiber Instead of using a copper connection to a home or business the way dial-up, ADSL/SDSL, or cable Internet do, many companies offer fiber (fiber-optic cable) connections to the home (FTTH, also known as fiber to the premises, or FTTP) at their highest service levels. Fiber network download speeds can reach up to 2Gbps, and some vendors provide the same upload speed. DSL vendors such as Verizon, AT&T, and CenturyLink offer fiber connections in some service areas, as does Google Fiber. Contact your ISP to determine whether fiber connections are available in your area now or will be available in the near future. The conversion between the fiber connection entering a home and the Ethernet or coaxial WAN connection used to connect a router or gateway is performed by an optical network terminal (ONT), which is supplied by the fiber provider and installed in the home. Fiber users rent the router or gateway, which resembles the router or gateway included with cable or DSL Internet service, from the fiber provider. The fiber router or gateway connects to the ONT. Some vendors offer a network box that incorporates a wireless router as an alternative to a separate ONT and router or gateway. Fiber has the highest speeds and the longest distances of any network connection type. It is more expensive to install than other types of cable and wire, and it is more fragile as well. A key advantage of fiber is that, because data is carried in light, it is not subject to data interruptions from electrical interference, as the other media can be. Satellite Satellite Internet providers, such as HughesNet, Starlink, StarBand, and WildBlue, use dish antennas similar to satellite TV antennas to receive and transmit signals between geosynchronous satellites and computers. Separate antennas are needed for satellite Internet and TV services. Satellite is ideal for areas where cable infrastructure is unavailable and for ships at sea. Weather such as rain, snow, and fog can impact satellite speeds. Geosynchronous satellites orbit Earth’s equator at a distance of more than 22,000 miles (approximately 35,000km). Because of their orbits and altitudes, they remain in the same location in the sky at all times. In the Northern Hemisphere, you need an unobstructed view of the southern sky to make a connection. In the Southern Hemisphere, you need an unobstructed view of the northern sky to make a connection. Satellite Internet services use external devices that are often called satellite modems to connect computers to satellite dishes. A satellite modem connects to the USB or Ethernet (RJ-45) port in much the same way DSL or cable modems do. The FCC requires professional installation for satellite Internet service because an incorrectly aligned satellite dish with uplink capabilities could cause a service outage on the satellite it is aimed at. Setup software supplied by the satellite vendor completes the process. Satellite connections can also be made between buildings to allow for high-speed exchange of data. In this scenario, a satellite dish needs to be installed on each building, and the dishes need to be in direct line of sight of each other. Internet access can also be offered in this manner. Cellular Mobile devices offer many ways to connect to other devices, including sharing their Wi-Fi or cellular connections with one or more computers. The following sections discuss these approaches.
For the 220-1101 exam, you should know the following:
Wi-Fi connectivity is enabled the same way on a smartphone or tablet as with laptops or other types of computers. In addition, smartphones or tablets with cellular radios can share their connections with others. To enable mobile device use on airplanes, where electronic communications are usually not permitted, Airplane mode is used to turn off Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth signals. Tethering To use USB tethering on an Android, follow these steps: Step 1. Connect a USB cable from your computer to the data port on your device. Step 2. Select the USB tethering option on your device. Step 3. If you are connecting a Windows computer, select the network type (Home) on the computer when prompted. Step 4. Use your computer’s web browser and other network features as usual. Step 5. When you are finished, disable USB tethering.
In Windows Device Manager, the tethered USB connection is listed as Remote NDIS-based Internet Sharing Device in the Network Adapters category.
Hotspots To use the mobile hotspot feature on an Android, follow these steps: Step 1. Enable the mobile hotspot feature in the device’s setup. Step 2. Select how you want to share the connection wirelessly. Provide the SSID and password listed to any devices that will share the connection
Step 3. If you decide to permit only allowed devices to connect, you must provide a name for each device and its MAC address. The MAC address is listed on a label attached to an external adapter. To find the MAC (physical) address for an internal network adapter, see the sidebar “Finding the Network Adapter’s MAC (Physical) Address,” in “Mobile Devices.” Step 4. Open the Allowed Devices menu (see Figure ). Click Add, enter the device name and address, and click OK. Entering the MAC Address of the Device That Shares a Hotspot’s Internet Connection
Step 5. Make the connection from your device just as you would with any other wireless Internet router or hotspot. Enter the password when prompted. Some cellular providers charge an additional fee if you turn your cellular device into a hotspot or if you use tethering. Check with your mobile service provider for details. Also keep in mind that the data usage of every device connected to a mobile hotspot counts toward your total data allocation. If you’re not careful, using a mobile hotspot could cost you extra money in overages. If you prefer to use a standalone mobile hotspot for your home, business, or vehicle, check with your wireless provider. Wireless Internet Service Provider A wireless Internet service provider (WISP) is an Internet service provider that offers Internet access through a wireless connection to customers in areas where other options are unavailable. WISP involves installing small receiver antennas to connect users to Internet service that is transmitted from fixed wireless transmission towers. A clear line of sight must be available from the transmission tower to the customer site. In some cases, this means that the customer antenna must be placed on the roof or on its own stand, and trees might need to be trimmed to provide adequate signal quality. To bring the network signal into the premises, coaxial cable connects from the antenna to a wireless modem, which is similar to a cable modem. To provide Internet access to multiple devices, connect the modem to a router. Typical download speeds range from 10Mbps up to 100Mbps. Network Types A network is a group of computers, peripherals, and software that are connected to each other and can be used together. Special software and hardware are required to make networks work. LAN A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and other devices that are usually located in a small area, such as a house, a small office, or a single building. The computers all connect to one or more switches, and a router grants the computers access to the Internet. A LAN is defined as a group of connected computers under one administrative organization. LANs can contain a wide variety of connected devices, such as computers, servers, routers, switches, printers, intrusion detection appliances, and firewalls. LANs can be wired or wireless LANS (WLANs). Wired LANs can have high-speed connections with Ethernet unshielded twisted pair cable (UTP), shielded twisted pair cable (STP), or fiber. Legacy LANs were often connected by coax cables. WAN A wide area network (WAN) is a group of one or more LANs over a large geographic area. Imagine that a company has two LANs, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. Connecting the two would result in a WAN. However, doing this requires the help of a telecommunications company to create the high-speed connection required for the two LANs to quickly communicate with each other. Each LAN requires a router to connect to the other. WANs are administered by several different Internet service providers (ISPs), and the links are usually slower than with LAN connections. PAN A personal area network (PAN) is larger than a LAN and smaller than a WAN. This type of computer network is used for communication by smartphones, tablets, and other small personal computing devices, typically using Bluetooth, IrDA (an infrared technology), wireless USB, Zigbee, or Z-Wave protocols. A PAN can be wired or wireless. Additional examples of devices in a PAN are wireless headsets, keyboards, mouse devices, printers, and bar code readers. MAN A smaller version of a WAN is a metropolitan area network (MAN). This type of network results when a company has two offices in the same city and makes a high-speed connection between them. A telecommunications company or ISP is needed for the high-speed links. MANs often consist of fiber networks around a city, and each one is administered by a single organization. SAN A storage area network (SAN) is a special network that consists of computers that store vast amounts of information in blocks of data. The SAN storage servers reside in data centers both near and far, but to the users, it can appear to be attached to their local computer. Several SAN protocols and designs have been implemented. The amount of data is growing rapidly, and data storage is now a major business for cloud-based storage providers such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. WLAN A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a network made up of wireless computers and other devices that communicate via wireless transmissions, not cables and wires. A common type of WLAN is a Wi-Fi network in a home or office. A group of network access points that make up the WLAN can be configured to work together and can be managed with a specialized device called a WLAN controller.
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