Practical PC, 3e

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Chapter 7 Connecting to the Internet
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Connecting to the Internet

• In this Chapter, you will learn
• What an Internet connection is
• Why you might want to connect to the Internet
• What you need for the connection
• How to connect to your ISP
• What World Wide Wait means
• About modems

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An Internet Connection

• The Internet is a communications network that
  spans the entire globe.
• The Internet gives you access to services and a
  variety of computer data.
• The World Wide Web (WWW) is one of the Internet
  services available.
• An Internet connection is the way that your
  computer accesses the Internet.

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An Internet Connection

• When your PC is connected to the Internet, it is
  called a client computer.
• Your client computer sends out requests for
  information and processes the answer when it is
  received back.
• You can connect to the Internet through a dial-up
  connection or through a network (like in an
  office environment).

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An Internet Connection

• From a home computer, you connect to the Internet
  through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which
  is a company who sells access time.
• AOL, Comcast and ATT Worldnet are ISPs.
• Your ISP connects to the Internet through a
  Network Service Provider (NSP).
• An Internet server contains the information you
  are looking for and is normally connected full
  time to the Internet.

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An Internet Connection
An Internet connection
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Why connect to the Internet?

• There are a tremendous amount of information and
  services available. For instance, you can
• Get the latest news and weather
• Read the days newspaper
• Communicate in minutes with friends and business
  associates through email
• Make travel reservations
• Buy all of your Christmas presents
• Run a meeting through a video conference

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Why connect to the Internet?

• For instance, you can (cont)
• Pay your bills
• Take a college course
• Do the research for a homework paper and then
  send the paper to your professor
• Play games
• Join an on-line chat group

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What you need to Connect

• There are many ways to connect to the Internet.
• The usual connection requires a computer, a
  modem, a phone line, an ISP, and communications
  software.
• Any computer can be used to connect, but the
  computer must be connected to a device that
  converts computer data to be sent over a phone
  line to the ISP. This device is called a modem.

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What you need to Connect

• Your modem will connect you to your ISP which
  will provide you with a user-id and password for
  security and identification.
• Your ISP will also provide you with your unique
  email address and various tools for managing your
  mail.

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What you need to Connect

• Things to consider when selecting an ISP
• Do they provide a local phone number for access?
• Does it offer high speed connections and one that
  is compatible with your modem?
• Does it provide software for connecting to and
  surfing the Internet as well as managing your
  email?
• Can you have multiple email accounts and
  unlimited access time?
• Do they have remote access and 24 hour technical
  support?

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What you need to Connect
Communications software
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Connecting to your ISP

• Steps to connect to your ISP include
• Install the communications software
• Set up the software for your user-id/password and
  local telephone number
• Use the software to dial the ISP
• Some software (like a word processor) is Internet
  smart and will also dial your ISP when you use
  the send option.

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Connecting to your ISP
Using Network Connections to connect to your ISP
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What is the World Wide Wait?

• The Internet is growing rapidly, and accessing
  data on it can sometimes be slow.
• High volume transfers and technical problems can
  cause traffic jams.
• The World Wide Web (WWW) has been nicknamed
  World Wide Wait.
• Traffic jams are often caused by insufficient
  bandwidth - a measure of the transmission
  capacity.

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What is the World Wide Wait?

• There are several things you can do to avoid the
  World Wide wait
• Get a high speed modem to provide the highest
  possible bandwidth.
• Avoid peak hours of usage
• If your ISPs lines are always busy, look at
  other ISPs
• Disconnect when you are complete so that others
  can connect

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What is the World Wide Wait?
Typical wait reasons and solutions
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Hardware Modems

• A modem converts digital computer signals to
  analog signals that travel over telephone lines.
• Computers and the Internet use digital signals in
  the form of 0s and 1s.
• Data is transferred between them using analog
  signals in the form of sound waves.

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Hardware Modems

• There are three types of modems for your
  computer
• Internal installed inside the computer and
  hooked into the main circuit board. A phone line
  cable connects to the back of the computer.
• External hooks by serial cable to the computer
  and by phone cable to the telephone jack.
• PCMCIA modem housed on a credit card sized
  card, it is handy for use on notebook computers.

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Hardware Modems
Three types of modems
Internal
External
PCMCIA card
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Hardware Modems

• Modem speed is measured in thousands of bits per
  second (Kbps)
• Modems typically operate in ranges of 14.4 (very
  slow) to 56 kbps
• V.92 modems allow digital data transfers without
  converting to analog
• Data/fax modems communicate with fax machines
• Data/voice modems can function as answering
  machines

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Hardware Modems

• Modems occasionally need troubleshooting some
  areas to try
• Check both ends of the phone cord connection to
  be sure they are firmly plugged in and in the
  correct jack.
• Make sure external modems are plugged in.
• Make sure you have a dial tone on the phone line.
• Dial your ISP using a regular phone to check the
  number.
• Use Windows control panel to help troubleshoot.

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Hardware Modems
Troubleshooting your modem
You can initiate a modem test by clicking this
button
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Using Windows Internet Connection Wizard
The Internet Connection Wizard
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What do you think?
Do we need anonymous digital cash?

• Have you ever made a purchase from the Internet
  using a credit card?
• Do you think that most people believe that using
  a credit card in a restaurant is safer than using
  a credit card on the Internet?
• 3. Do you think that anonymous digital cash is a
  good idea?

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Chapter Summary

• You should now be able to
• Connect to the Internet.
• Select an Internet Service Provider
• Install communications software and connect to
  your ISP
• Troubleshoot various causes of slow response time
  on the Internet
• Select, install and troubleshoot a modem