connecting to the internet
What Do You Need?
There are 5 main things you will need in order to connect to the Internet:
- A computer
- A modem
- Access to a telephone line
- An Internet Service Provider (such as iiNet)
- Some basic Internet software (these generally come with your operating system)
Computer Requirements
Any computer that was made since 1996 would have sufficient hardware requirements to handle the workload induced by the Internet.
For the technically minded, you would want your computer system to have the following minimum requirements:
- 64 Mb RAM
- 133Mhz CPU
- 3 Gb hard drive
- Windows 95 operating system
- Or the Macintosh equivalent
For broadband, computers made in and after 1999 are the best. Computers made before 2000 may have trouble dealing with broadband connections.
What is a Modem?
A modem is a piece of hardware that gets attached to a computer. It can come in two forms - Internal or External. An internal modem looks like a computer chip attached to a card that slots inside your actual computer. An external modem looks like a rectangular device with light diodes on it that sits on your computer desk - it connects to your computer via a cable. A phone line cable needs to be plugged into the modem to allow it to function.
Modems allow computers to communicate outside of themselves by translating computer data into audio tones for transmission across telephone lines. Your modem sits between your computer and the telephone line, handling the conversion of data to audio and vice versa. At the receiving end is another modem that sits between iiNet's computer and the telephone line.
For dialup when you connect to the Internet, your computer sends a connection request to your modem by providing the phone number to connect to, the username to connect with, and the password for authentication. The modem dials the phone number you provided (which in this case is your local iiNet dial-up number) and communicates with the iiNet modem. The iiNet modem in turn asks for the username and password of your account, which your modem provides, and if the data is correct, you are connected to the Internet via iiNet.
Broadband is slightly different. It still uses your phoneline for connecting to the internet, and you still need a username and password, but it connects using frequencies just inside and above the range of human hearing. This allows faster connection speeds and means you don't need to tie up your phone line for connecting to the Internet.
Dialup Modem Checklist
Speed:
The modem should have a speed of at least 33.6Kbps, although 56Kbps modems are now the standard. The "bps" rating indicates how much information the modem can send or receive per second. So obviously, the higher the number, the faster your connection speed.
Software: When you purchase the modem, it should come with driver software - which are the files used to install and run the modem correctly so that it can be utilised to its full potential.
Internal or External?: The choice here is really quite based on user preference. Some users prefer internal modems as they are tucked into the computer and do not take up desk space. Other users prefer external modems because they can get some indication of how the modem is performing by looking at the various light diodes on the modem. In terms of connection quality, typically external modems produce a better quality connection, however this is very much dependant on good brands.
For a good quality modem consult your local computer supplier - insist on quality as the effectiveness of your Internet connection relies heavily on your modem. For further assistance iiNet can provide you with a list of modems that we find reliable and least troublesome when connecting to our rotaries.
Broadband Modem Checklist
Lights:
Broadband modems come with a series of lights. The most important lights are the ADSL Synchronisation light (sometimes called ADSL, DSL or WAN), the Network light (sometimes called ETH or USB) and the Online light (sometimes called PPP. Not all modems have this light)
Cables: Depending on how you are connecting your computer to your modem will depend on the cables you have. For best performance iiNet recomends connection via Ethernet cabling, though USB can be used with certain types of modems.
Software:
Most modern broadband modems do not require extra computer software. However if you are connecting via USB you will need to install the driver software that comes with the modem.
Internet Software
Some basic Internet software includes:
- A web browser - These are usually bundled with your Operating System. More common browsers include Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Camino and Netscape Navigator.
- An email program - These are usually bundled with your Operating System. Common programs include Outlook Express, Mail, and Microsoft Outlook.
- An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program - Your operating system may provide one, if it does not there are numerous freeware ftp programs available to download from the Internet. For some more information on FTP programs see our information on uploading homepages.
