The internet has not aged in the same way most technologies do. Just ask
AT&T internet users. We cannot imagine a world without the internet. Think about how slow our lives would become if the internet were to suddenly disappear. We can see new apps and devices constantly being connected to the internet every day. This giant network of computers and devices works round the clock all over the world. What makes the internet, “the internet” we know and how does it move our data so fast? If you are scared to ask your friends these questions, don’t be. We all like to keep things abstract so that we can have fun doing all sorts of things from playing video games to mountaineering to even inventing the internet. We’ll try to learn enough about the internet so that we don’t get bullied by geeks anymore.
Internet 101
In order to keep things simple, we are going to divide the internet into various components. The first component we are going to talk about is cables - huge wires that carry data all the way from your home to another computer and from that computer to another computer. There are literally gigabytes of information travelling through these cables every second. There are other types of hardware as well that help make the phenomenon of the internet happen. Servers, cell phone towers, satellites, smartphones, radios and routers among other things empower the internet.
When all these devices connect with one another, they form the internet. The internet is not a constant entity. It is always changing.
Charter Spectrum internet subscribers rose from 23.9 million to 25.26 million in 2018 according to Statista. This proves that devices join the internet every day and likewise, leave. The kind of devices that we use to read information are called clients. Clients get their information from powerful stores known as servers. In between the clients and the servers are nodes which act as points along a path for data to travel.
Internet Types
To send signals, you need a mechanism. These include satellite internet, internet through cable TV, DSL and fiber optic. The ones we just mentioned here are not the only ways to connect your device to the internet, they are most the common ways people around the world use to do their daily googles. Satellite internet as the name suggests, sends and receives packets of data through satellite communication. Simply put, there are no wires necessary to move all the pieces of information on the web with satellite internet. The most famous satellite internet service is HughesNet internet. DSL and cable TV make use of cables. So does fiber optic technology but, instead of the usual digital signals moving within the cables, in fiber optics light pulses are used. There are multiple benefits of it which we are not going to get into right now. The only thing you should know is that fiber optics are the best ongoing technology in the world right now. How you can get your hands on fiber optic or any other internet technology is exactly what we are going to talk about next.
Role of Internet Service Providers
Let’s just say internet service providers have the power to connect you to the internet. When your data travels, it goes through a certain number of protocols. Some of these protocols are handled by internet service providers. They control how much data you can send or receive per second while you are on the web. Every country has these service providers. Here in the US, some of the famous service providers are AT&T, Spectrum, Frontier, Centurylink and many more. They offer amazing bundles that you can find out about on IRG Digital. These service providers combine digital services in bundles. For instance, Spectrum Triple Play offers TV, home phone and internet in one package. There are many other bundles you can see for yourself on IRG Digital.