What is broadband internet and what does this concept mean? Why has it become so popular? That's what you'll understand in this article.
Broadband is the internet connection that allows the user to “surf” at high speed. The difference between dial-up and broadband is connection speed. Dial-up access has a speed of up to 56 Kbps while broadband has a minimum speed of 128 Kbps.
The arrival of broadband internet is revolutionizing online activities everywhere: at home, in business, in entertainment and in services.
But what is broadband internet and what does this concept mean? Why has it become the most popular connection? This is what you will understand during our article.=
Broadband Internet: What Does This Concept Mean?
After all, what does Broadband Internet mean? This is the name given to any fast, permanent Internet connection. It can be delivered via cable, satellite, cellular, fiber optic and ADSL (the most popular way).
It allows users to download files online, watch videos on streaming platforms, listen to music or radio online, make calls, send emails, upload files to the cloud, among other things, more quickly and effectively.
Before broadband internet, internet access was achieved through narrowband dial-up connections, which are very slow by today's standards.
Dial-up connections were able to deliver a speed of only 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) over an analog signal, which limited file transfer.
This is because in the dial-up connection, data was transported by a single band, which was in charge of downloading and uploading files to the network, in addition to making calls. In broadband internet, each band has a specific function.
The difference between dial-up and broadband is similar to the difference between a rural lane and a highway. Replace one band with separate bands for upload, download and voice - and you accelerate traffic multiple times. Instead of narrow band, you get wider band - hence broadband.
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So how does broadband internet work?
Whenever we think about what broadband internet means, the question arises about how it works.
Broadband service does not always require a landline and is not phone-line dependent. You only need a connection to the transmission network, made through the coaxial cable that transports the data from the provider to your home or business.
Instead of treating your phone line as a single, narrow channel between your computer and server like a dial-up connection, broadband internet splits the line into many different channels. Information can travel in parallel streams through these channels.
That's why broadband is much faster than dial-up. Even a slow broadband line, running at 512 Kbps, is about nine times faster than the best dial-up connection. While a moderately fast broadband line, running around 8 Mbps (megabits per second), can be 100 times faster!
There are also mobile broadbands, which are connected by digital radio waves, giving rise to the 3G and 4G internet we know today.
And satellite internet, which connects to orbiting points and wireless broadband providers using long-range Wi-Fi transmissions.
What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted through an Internet provider during a certain period of time.
While bandwidth is traditionally measured in bits per second (bps), innovations in networking hardware mean that capacity is now recorded in millions or even billions of bits per second.
Networks with higher bandwidth are capable of transferring a greater number of data packets than those with lower bandwidth.
What is narrowband and broadband?
The difference between narrowband and broadband is that narrowband communications use a smaller bandwidth range than broadband communications.
In terms of Internet access, narrowband connections provide data at a slower rate, while broadband connections provide a higher data rate.
Dial-up Internet connections are an example of a narrowband connection, as data is transferred at less than 56 kilobits per second.
Broadband internet connections, on the other hand, can accommodate bandwidth in excess of 50 megabits per second
Understand the concepts of fixed and mobile broadband
Desktop computers often use what's called "landline" broadband, which runs over cables, while cell phones "roam" between different wireless Internet connections.
In other words, there are really two different types of broadband: fixed and mobile. We're going to take them one at a time.
Fixed broadband
Fixed broadband is that familiar to those who have a computer at home or at work. A wire connected to the distribution network or receiving antenna connects to a modem router, which decodes and spreads the signal to other computers or devices on the network.
A common system is broadband internet connected to the telephone network. Once installed, the network is divided into two ways: one for the modem and one for the telephone.
The connection can be made through the ADSL network (coaxial cable) or optical fiber. The maximum data traffic speed will depend on the contracted plan.
In fixed broadband internet, the subscriber pays monthly for a specific data traffic speed, which remains in operation 24 hours a day.
Mobile broadband
Mobile broadband is a very simple idea and comes in two different varieties: it's delivered over a cellular network or via Wi-Fi, from what is essentially just a landline or cable broadband link to the Internet .
Cell network
Cell phones were largely inspired by landlines and functioned very similarly - until recently. Until recently, using the internet on cell phones also meant having no signal for calls.
With the advancement of technology, cell phones also started to divide the received signal into two lines: one started to be dedicated to the telephone line and the other started to receive only digital packets.
This technology was called 2G (second generation) and allowed for much faster connections. Today, we have much more advanced technologies, such as 3G, 4G ang 5G which can reach speeds similar to fixed broadband.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is nothing more than a wireless network, developed for the creation of local area networks.
Although the term Wi-Fi belongs to a single type of wireless technology, the term is widely used to define any type of WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) network. Wi-Fi networks use common radio waves to transmit information.
The waves are transmitted through a router, which receives the signals and transmits them through an antenna. Radio signals are received in devices that support this technology and transformed into data.
Conclusion
Broadband internet revolutionized the world and made our lives easier and people more and more connected.
It is because of this that it is now possible for you to talk in real time with people on the other side of the world or control your home's security system.
The cables made with dedicated bands for downloading, uploading and telephone, allowed data transport up to 160 times faster than short band dial-up internet.
With broadband internet, you can watch movies, download files and connect all the equipment in your home and business, in a simpler and cheaper way.
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