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EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET |
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EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET |
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To access the Internet your computer needs 32Mb of memory. A typical home computer has up to 128Mb.
The size of the monitor makes a difference as to how you see web pages - the bigger the better - but a 17" is good enough for most people.
A modem connects your computer to the Internet and allows digital data to be sent via telephone lines. Usually a modem is built into the computer but can be bought separately and fitted to your computer. The speed of transferring data from the Internet to your computer is affected by the speed of the modem. The fastest modems transfer data at 56 kilobits a second but 33.6 kilobits is adequate for access to the Internet.
A WEB BROWSER A web browser is the software program used to access websites. There are many browsers but Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the most popular ones. Web browsers work by using a protocol called HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) to request a specially encoded text document from a web server.
Most computers have the necessary E-mail software already installed, e.g. Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook but others can be downloaded free from the Websites of the manufacturers: Incredimail, Yahoo, and MSN Hotmail to name but a few.
An ISP is a company which provides you with a connection to the Internet. They do this by giving you a telephone number which your modem uses to connect to a large computer, owned by the ISP, each time you want to go on-line. When you are connected to this computer you can access the rest of the Internet. This method of connection can be slow.
High speed access is available but it costs more and some areas are unable to get the service. Some of the communications links are:
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
RADSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line)
Cable broadband
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
There are thousands of ISPs to choose from and it is difficult to compare the services they provide and the costs involved. Here is a table to illustrate some of the facts about some of them:
SERVICES |
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| WEBSITE URL | OFF PEAK | SURF ANYTIME | BROADBAND | WEBSPACE | |||||
| AOL | www.aol.co.uk | 1p/min. | �15.99* | �27.99* | 14Mb | ||||
| BRITISH TELECOM | www.btinternet.co.uk | 1p/min. | �15.99* | �29.99* | 20Mb | ||||
| FREESERVE | www.freeserve.com | 1p/min. | �14.99* | �27.99* | 30Mb | ||||
| TISCALI | www.tiscali.co.uk | 1p/min. | �14.99* | �19.99* | 50Mb | ||||
| NTL | www.ntl.co.uk | 1p/min. | �10.00* | �17.99 * | 10Mb | ||||
| YAHOO | www.yahoo.com | 1p/min. | - | - | - | ||||
| * per month | |||||||||
| INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATION | |||||||||
