What is High-Speed Cable Internet Access?

High-Speed Cable Internet technology utilizes the existing coaxial cable and fiber optic lines that currently bring television into your home. One important difference between analog modem technology and High-Speed Internet Cable is bandwidth capacity, which provides a highly increased speed for its users.

How does High-Speed Cable Internet access work?

High-Speed Cable Internet Access utilizes and shares the existing coaxial and fiber cable lines that currently bring television signals into your home. High-Speed Cable Internet Access is designed to transmit Internet information (packets) to your computer at incredibly high rates of speed. In fact, customers receive information at speeds of up to 100 times faster than an ordinary 28.8 modem! Additionally, it's important to realize that the television signals and the Internet information travel through the cable at different frequencies, enabling you to watch cable television while accessing the Internet at the same time with no impact on television reception. Did we mention the importance of an Ethernet card? Well, for "Two-Way" service, an Ethernet card is equipped to receive the bursts of high-speed information from the cable line and translate the data in a way that your computer system can understand. In areas of "One-Way" service, the internal Cable Modem is designed to translate high-speed information in the same manner.

Cable Modems are very different from standard analog modems; they operate, as their name suggests, by MOdulating and DEModulating Cable transmission signals. However, they are much more complex than a standard analog modem in that they are part router, part bridge and part tuner. Cable Modems also act as an Ethernet hub. Many cable providers have state-of-the-art equipment that is specially equipped with servers, monitors and transmitters.  This equipment can receive the transmission of high-bandwidth data from the Internet through a network provider (e.g. earthlink.net or att.net). The data packets flow into providers' servers, and are then transferred through Cable to the customer's home. The customer's cable modem receives the high-speed transmission, and the Ethernet card translates the data to your computer.

What's the difference between the "One- Way" and "Two-Way" Cable systems?

Depending upon the methods in which the cable lines were initially installed in your area by the cable companies, and the status of cable upgrades in your area, you will have the choice of either "One-Way" or "Two-Way" cable service. "One-Way" (or "Hybrid" example: Riverside, Ca) allows for the users to dial with their existing analog modem, to send or "upload" information to the Internet, and to receive "downloaded" information travels through a designated Internet Service Provider routers which burst it back to the user through their cable line. "Two-Way" service (example: Pasadena, Ca.) utilizes the Cable Modem and cable lines for both sending and receiving information. There is no need for an analog modem in the "Two-Way" service, as packets are transmitted both up and down through the cable line.

Do I still use my analog modem to connect to the Internet?

There are two parts to this answer because with High-Speed Cable Internet service, there are two distinct ways that customers will connect. The method of connection depends on the type of cable in your area. If you reside in a neighborhood designated as "One-Way" serviceable, you will continue to dial into the Internet with your existing modem (14.4, 28.8, 56k or ISDN modem). Once connected, your "uploading" is performed through the analog line, and all high-speed information from the Internet will be received, or "downloaded" via your cable line. If you are located in a neighborhood designated as "Two-Way" serviceable, analog use is no longer required. All high-speed Internet information is sent and and received entirely via your cable line, with the help of your Cable Modem.

Which broadband do I choose?

Whichever you choose, you'll find accessing the Internet via broadband (hi-speed Internet access) a great deal more enjoyable than via an analog modem.