Internet access refers to the means by which users connect to the Internet.

History and Types of Connections

Common methods of internet access include dial-up, landline (over coaxial cable, fiber optic or copper wires), T- lines, Wi-Fi, satellite and cell phones. Dial-up connections are the most common type of internet connection available from ISPs, they are also the slowest and (usually) the least expensive. A dial-up connection allows users to connect to the internet via a local server using a standard 56k modem, your PC literally dials (hence the name) a phone number (provided by your ISP) and connects to the server and therefore the internet. Once connected users are free to search the web as you please, however, compared to modern speeds of broadband internet, dial-up is very slow and can only transfer at 56 Kilobits of data a second, this means that it is possible to transfer up to 7 Kilobytes a second (although to get a full 7k is nearly impossible due to compression overhead). ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscribers Line) connections are a form of broadband internet and are becoming more and more widely available and can provide an excellent internet connection. The connections work by splitting the function of a phone line into two separate channels, one for data (internet) and one for voice (phone calls) which means you can talk on the phone and be connected to the internet at the same time. ADSL connection services are often advertised as having different speed specifications, below are some common configurations:

Wireless connections

Wi-Fi provides wireless access to computer networks, and therefore can do so to the Internet itself. Hotspots providing such access include Wi-Fi-cafes, where a would-be user needs to bring their own wireless-enabled devices such as a laptop or PDA. These services may be free to all, free to customers only, or fee-based. A hotspot need not be limited to a confined location. The whole campus or park, or even the entire city can be enabled. Grassroots efforts have led to wireless community networks.

Apart from Wi-Fi, there have been experiments with proprietary mobile wireless networks like Ricochet, various high-speed data services over cellular or mobile phone networks, and fixed wireless services. These services have not enjoyed widespread success due to their high cost of deployment, which is passed on to users in high usage fees. New wireless technologies such as WiMAX have the potential to alleviate these concerns and enable simple and cost effective deployment of metropolitan area networks covering large, urban areas. There is a growing trend towards wireless mesh networks, which offer a decentralized and redundant infrastructure and are often considered the future of the Internet.

Latest developments

Broadband access over power lines was approved in 2004 in the United States in the face of stiff resistance from the amateur radio community. The problem with modulating a carrier signal below 100 MHz onto power lines is that an above-ground power line can act as a giant antenna and jam long-distance radio frequencies used by amateurs, seafarers and others. A recent discovery, called "E-Line" allows propagating much higher frequency carriers, from 100 MHz through at least 10 GHz, onto a single conductor of a power line and offers the possibility of very high speed fixed and mobile information services at very low cost without the problems associated with the lower frequency signals.