Elaine

Many internet users today plug into the internet with a dial-up modem. We connect our PC to a telephone jack and wait for the computer and server to shake hands. If there is a successful connection, were ready to surf the internet. Otherwise, we need to dial up the model and connect to another server.

Sounds frustrating? For a lot of users, dial up isnt offering what they need. However, theres an option that is available for almost all households: Cable Broadband.

What is cable broadband? Cable broadband is a higher speed internet that could transmit data 400 times faster than dial-up. With coaxial cables, the bandwidth is broader so that the download and upload speed is unsurpassed by any conventional phone modems.

As one can see, cable broadband offers faster speeds. But how can this benefit the average user? The benefits for individuals are tremendous.

Broadband is allowing new media to be available for the consumer. For example, who wouldve thought watching television programs or music videos would be readily available with a simple url search? The convenience of the broadband gave license to webmasters and corporations to play music and videos online.

If youre still using dial-up, access to videos and streaming music may not be ideal. Its slower which could mean that the movie or streaming music will break up during the transfer of data. Loss of data could make the experience unpleasant.

What happens if your connection for your dial-up drops? In this case, youd have to start up the dial-up again and wait for your pc to connect. Unfortunately, dropped connections happensometimes too frequently. With cable broadband, there are no interruptions. The connection is constantly on and it doesnt have to reconnect if the pc remains idle.

Online games are becoming mainstream. Games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life are best played when theres a broadband connection. With cable internet access, a person can play a game without interruptions. However, dial-up users have to worry about lag during play. This could mean the frame rate becomes too slow that the game wont respond well. Or, it could mean constant connection dropping because the game thinks the PC is idle.

For home stock day traders or commodity traders, real time connections are crucial. A delayed execution of a trade could cost a person thousands of dollars in lost opportunities. Cable internet allows instant transmission of data so that the trader gets the trade executed on time. Moreover, connection with cable is more reliable so that youll know you wont have to reconnect during bad connections.

Cable internet services also allow users to add a wireless router. A wireless router lets people with laptops to roam around the house without a cable connection to the internet. Since the data is transmitted through the, this allows ease and portability for anyone with a wireless pc card.

Theres good reason why cable broadband is becoming a good alternative for internet access. Individuals who have cable TV are now offered cable internet access. Consider cable internet if its right for you.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Broadband