Understand The Cable Internet Plans For The Subscribers

Alright, so you want to get a good cable Internet deal since you heard it is the most reliable option. You don't know why and you don't know what to choose. As a newbie, it is imperative to know what you actually involve with, otherwise the expectations may be a bit above the reality. Cable high-speed Internet providers come up with a wired connection, which is very stable and at an affordable price. It is by far the most popular option today mostly because cable Internet plans come with the best rapport for price and quality.

When it comes to picking one of the wide variety of cable Internet plans, things get a little complicated. Each of them seems to be the best if you only read the ads and discuss with their customer service representatives, therefore you will need recommendations and opinions from your friends. But this job only steps in later. For now, you need to understand how to "read" the cable Internet plans before getting to know which one is the best for you. First of all, you will be prompted with the speed. Normally, you will be given a maximum speed, but never expect to reach it. Most likely, the speed you will get to is about 7 to 10 times smaller than the maximum one. Therefore, 50 MB/s in the ads and brochures means about 5 MB/s in reality. Is this good? Normally, it is. With 5 MB/s, you can basically download a song in a few seconds. If you found a free movie, you can get it within 5 minutes. It is a good speed, even the advanced users would be happy with.

So now that you got the speed, what is the bandwidth in the cable high-speed Internet plans? Sometimes, the bandwidth is referred to as traffic. That is the maximum amount of data you can download or upload during a month. Keep in mind that even navigating the web "eats" some of your traffic, but in insignificant quantities. A reliable cable Internet provider will give up unlimited bandwidth for any plan. Even when the bandwidth is limited, in most cases you will only lose some of your speed for the remaining days until payment. So you will still be able to use the Internet.

These are the most important aspects you have to check in cable Internet deals. Of course, the price is a very important impediment, but you should be able to understand it without too many problems. Among other offers willing to convince you to sign up, you will be given with a free installation and modem. To make things clear, these aspects are free for almost every cable Internet provider, so don't let them impress you.

As for other cable Internet deals, the features differ from one company to another. Some may give you one free e-mail, while others may prompt you with free access to various games and music. However, don't let yourself convinced by these insignificant features, what really matters for your cable Internet connection is a decent speed and a good bandwidth to cover your needs.

Picking the Right Cable Internet For Subscribers

If the cable internet is your option to get online, then you should know that most companies use the Ethernet products in their cable high-speed internet plans. In this situation, you must identify the type of existing Ethernet network or the type of network you wish to configure. Every type of network you can have uses a particular equipment, such as an Ethernet router to connect the elements of the network. Such a network created through cable Internet is known to be an infrastructural network. It ensures reliability, security and superior performances.

The Ethernet cable high-speed internet networks may or may not be connected. If you place your equipment in a connected network, you are recommended to use a gateway, so the IP address of your extra equipment to be dynamically assigned through the DHCP protocol. A gateway can be a router or a Windows based computer that runs ICS - Internet Connection Sharing. Most cable Internet plans are not so detailed in their descriptions, since a lot of people cannot really understand these aspects, therefore they don't care too much about them. An advanced user can always ask about these details and choose whether to configure everything at home, without help, or just get a professional from the provider to do the whole operation.

There are two types of Ethernet connections with cable Internet. If your network has access through cable Internet or DSL, you can use a router or a computer as an Internet gateway. In both these situations, you have access to all the features of your extra equipment. With a router as a gateway, the router manages the connections and a cable Internet or DSL modem provides access to the Internet. Using this configuration opens more possibilities for other devices.

With a computer as a gateway, the network equipments are connected to a commuting device or a router. A computer in the network has the role of a gateway. It has to use ICS or a similar software to part the connections and provide access to Internet to the other equipments, everything through cable Internet. If the gateway computer is turned off, the other computers lose the access to the Internet, which is a big disadvantage.

Reliable cable Internet deals should be generally able to provide their customers with any of these options, as long as they opt for wired cable Internet plans. Each option brings in both advantages and disadvantages. Is it worth getting a router? Or just maintaining one of the computers open all the time? Most customers would agree that making a small investment in a router is the better option. First of all, you don't really depend on another computer, especially when you encounter small power cuts and second of all, the gateway computer will work faster if there are not as many other computers connected to it. The other cable Internet option is the cheap one and therefore, it is not too popular, although it is a lot more secure and faster than using a router.

The Power of Wi-Fi Phones To The Subscribers

A Wi-Fi phone is not very different from your land line or your cell phone. The only major difference is that it uses a wireless network connection to make phone calls. They can be used at any place where a wireless connection is available like Wi-Fi hot spots in hotels, coffee shops and airports and even in your home if you have a wireless internet connection. This technology has the potential to cut communication costs and drastically alter the way we communicate around the world. It is possible that as this technology catches on, it may give the standard cell phone services a run for their money but the end user will be benefited.

Earlier, Wi-Fi phones were restricted to office buildings and homes which had built-in access points. However, now since hot spots where a wireless connection is usually available for free are mushrooming across entire neighborhoods or even cities, the benefits can be enjoyed by a much wider audience. In terms of appearance and size, you would not be able to identify a Wi-Fi phone from your cell phone. So it is easy to put it in your pocket and take it wherever you go. Once you are on the go, all you need is a hot spot.

Cost-effectiveness: Since the phone uses an internet connection to make calls, the charges and access fees are significantly reduced. For instance, there are no additional charges for long distance calls unlike the conventional system. In fact, when you are making a call using the internet, there is no such thing as long distance. It is as if suddenly the world has started to shrink even further. Using this technology, you can also call your friends on their regular phones at very cheap rates.

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is provided by service providers like Skype for making free computer-to-computer calls over the internet. Now, even if you do not have a computer at hand, you can use a Wi-Fi phone to make a call through Skype at no cost. Of course, a small sized phone fits much more easily into your pocket than your computer and so it is easier to carry around. Get an international number through Skype. This feature is useful if you have lots of friends and family in a different country. Skype offers a facility whereby you can purchase a number of another country and then your friends can call you on that number at their local call rates even when you are still in your home country.

If you are a person who has to often travel internationally, a Wi-Fi phone can prove to be a great option for you. International roaming charges on your cell phones can be very expensive. But in a Wi-Fi phone, there is no concept of roaming. It will work wherever you get connected to a wireless network and the cost will remain the same. Even though international call rates would be different, it would still work out to be much cheaper than the cell phone roaming charges. As the wireless technology keeps advancing, accessibility and choices for the end users will also grow. Presently, the Wi-Fi phone is not as commonly used as the cell phone. However as time goes, it is highly likely that the usage and popularity of Wi-Fi phones will rise exponentially.