Comparison between Broadband Internet Connections Vs Analog Modems (PSTN) Connection For Your Home Networking Environment
Commonly there are two types of Internet connections available to public that are offered by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), broadband connections (xDSL or Cable) and analog modems (PSTN).
Broadband Connections
Broadband connections (xDSL and Cable Modem) offer a new form of service connection using the Internet. These new age services offer high speed (relative to an analogue modem) bandwidth connections to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In a large network environment, any Internet connection must be secured via an encrypted tunnel and any internal hosts protected with a firewall and strong security policy.
Broadband solutions offer high speed Internet connections that can be used to connect to the corporate WAN core via an encrypted tunnel (iVPN). Connection speeds, availability and communication costs will most likely vary based on service provider and contract plans. Because data is being sent over a public network (Internet) it must be encrypted. Internal hosts must be protected from the Internet connections through a suitable firewall and security policy. For home environment, a powerful protection against the threats should be deployed such as BitDefender Internet security 2009 that works proactively against viruses, malware, and other threats.
DSL or xDSL, is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop, although in recent years, the term digital subscriber line has been widely adopted as a more marketing-friendly term for ADSL, which is the most popular version of consumer-ready DSL. DSL can be used at the same time and on the same telephone line with regular telephone, as it uses high frequency, while regular telephone uses low frequency.
Typically, the download speed of consumer DSL services ranges from 256 kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 24,000 kbit/s, depending on DSL technology, line conditions and service level implemented. Typically, upload speed is lower than download speed for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and equal to download speed for the rarer Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL). See also Cable wireless router Surfboard SB9000.
The minimum requirement with regards to Broadband Connections, if deployed within a corporate network is:
- The broadband technologies, xDSL and Cable Modem can be used for WAN interconnection via the Internet. Typical connection speeds may be as high as 256/512 Kbps. Connections speeds (some may be shared) may not be reliable due to the inherent public nature of the Internet.
- Encryption using iVPN must be used to protect network data.
- A firewall with a strong security policy must be used to protect any internal hosts or private networks.
As broadband is now widely deployed in the household, the wireless router products are widely used for network protection and for internet sharing among the computers in the household wirelessly. The speed, the coverage, and the wireless network performance offered by the router appliances are now getting better and better using the fastest wireless network available at the market today – draft 802.11n standard, such as WNR854T NETGEAR RangeMax Gigabit Router (which adopts the wireless-N standards).
Analog Modems (PSTN)
Analogue modems or PSTN (Public Switched Telephony Network) uses the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) to connect remote sites using standard telephone dialup connections and analogue modems. PSTN with analogue modems offers connection speeds of up to 28.8 Kbps. Higher bandwidth can be achieved by using compression technologies that offer asymmetric connection speeds as high as 56 Kbps.
PSTN uses analogue modems to provide a connection between remote sites. Newer compression methods offer the ability to transmit data at 56 Kbps over standard telephony networks. It should be noted that due to the analogue nature of PSTN networks, data services at 56 Kbps can never be guaranteed. In some locations where line noise is significant, data speed less than 28.8 Kbps may be experienced. 56 Kbps PSTN uses an asymmetric data compression technology that may permit 56 Kbps compression downloads. However uploads are normally limited to 28.8 Kbps or 38.0 Kbps connection speeds. PSTN uses SS7 (Signalling System 7) which is an ITU-T standards protocol.
PSTN is a low bandwidth analogue service. 56 Kbps compression should never be relied upon for inter-site connectivity
The minimum requirement with regards to Analogue Modems (PSTN) is:
- Analogue Modems (PSTN) is a suitable WAN standard offering an analogue low bandwidth connections speed of up to 28.8 Kbps (up to 56 Kbps with compression).
- PSTN is a low bandwidth service and is not suitable for deploying high speed or low latency network services.
- ISDN is a preferred service over PSTN for multi-user connections
Since broadband connections are now getting more popular (with the availability of low priced wireless router products), the analog modems are beginning to be forgotten for home Internet connections.
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Broadband internet these days are getting much faster and cheaper too. ,;-