To use the Internet we basically need a computer, connection software and a modem to connect your computer to a telephone line and then access your ISP (Internet Service Provider). We also need an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The modem (modulator-demodulator) converts digital signals stored in the computer to analogue signals so that data can be transmitted across the phone or cable network.
Today ISP offer a broadband, high-speed connection.
Other methods of Internet access include Wi-Fi, satellite, mobile phones and TV sets equipped with a modem.
Broadband access is also allowed by some electricity networks. This competing technology known as power-line Internet, provides low-cost access via the power plug, but is still in development.
Wi-Fi- enabled laptops and PDAs allow you to connect to the net if you are near a wireless access point, in locations called hotspots (for example a Wi-Fi café or a campus). Satellite services are used in places where terrestrial access is not available (for example at sea).
© Střední průmyslová škola elektrotechniky a informatiky, Ostrava, příspěvková organizace