At present, we enjoy soaring Internet speeds. We
can download videos, photos, documents and software at the speed of lightening,
and pages load within seconds. Gamers also enjoy a positive playing experience,
as technology is designed to allow users to use a large amount of bandwidth.
The Internet as we know it today has not always been this great. As a matter of
fact, some will be surprised to know how the speed of the Internet has evolved.
In the Beginning
When Internet made its first appearance in some homes and businesses in the early 1990's, access was provided primarily via dialup connections. These connections were immensely slow, and gaming was practically impossible. Sure, games could be played, however, they were not elaborate in the way that games are today because such connections would never be able to support them. Dialup connections allowed for web browsing, instant messaging, chatting in chat rooms and file sharing.
The Introduction of Broadband
In the early 2000s, broadband connections began to surface. First, we saw connections being made to the Internet through the use of digital subscriber lines (DSL). DSL allowed connections to be made using the phone lines. DSL enabled digital data to be transmitted over a phone line that had a much wider bandwidth than the traditional phone lines. Individuals who wanted to use the phone and the Internet on the same line were required to use adapters to split the signal. With a DSL Internet connection, subscribers could enjoy speeds up to 128KBS.
Soon after DSL was introduced, cable and satellite connections made their appearance. Cable and satellite connections afforded users much faster speeds than DSL. Users with cable and satellite connections were able to stream videos without interruption, and gamers were able to play a variety of complex games. Cable and satellite were all the rage until fiber-optics became big.
Then Comes Fiber-Optics
While fiber-optics has been around since the late 70s, the technology has only really grown in popularity in the 21st century. As fiber-optics have become available, more and more people are choosing this technology to connect to the Internet over cable. Fiber-optics allows data to be transmitted at the speed of light, facilitating a much better streaming and gaming experience.
The method that someone will use to connect to the Internet all depends on what is available in his or her area. Many rural areas still rely solely on the use of dialup or satellite connections, though, fiber-optic technologies are beginning to show up in remote places. When fiber-optic technologies become even more popular, a growing number of people will enjoy ultra-fast Internet speed.
Author Bio:
Jason
Kane writes about internet technology and fiber-optic internet equipment from
places like FluxLight.