Wireless+Internet+Access

====Wireless Internet Access is a giant leap forward from the first computer I remember my family buying. The computer had a massive box for the screen and a massive computer tower; together the screen and the tower took up an entire desk. When we wanted to connect to the internet we would have to unplug the landline (phone) and plug in the internet cable from the back of the computer tower. The phone didn't work when the internet was plugged in and in order to connect to the internet we had to endure a painstakingly high-pitched noise that was the indicator for the Internet connection status. Now my laptop has an automatic connection to my wireless router without cables and annoying high-pitched noises, it's a miracle!====

====**Definition:** "Wireless Internet refers to use of the World Wide Web through a wireless device, such as a laptop computer, cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Wireless Web connection provides anytime / anywhere connection to e-mail, mobile banking, instant messaging, weather and travel information and other services." (Mill Creek Wireless, 2011). Instead of using cables and wires to connect to the World Wide Web, wireless internet connections use radio frequencies to connect.====

**Standard Specifications:** There are four main types of Wireless Internet Connections.

 * ====**T-1 Lines:**popular leased lines for businesses wanting to connect to the internet and Internet Service Providers wanting to connect to the internet backbone; dedicated phone connection that supports data rates of 1.544Mbps; T-1 lines are made up of 24 different channels and each has a supporting capacity of 64Kbits per second; each channel has the capacity to carry voice and data; a company can purchase one of more of these channels and this is known as a fractional T-1 access.====
 * ====**Bonded T-1 Lines:** two or more T-1 Lines that have been bonded together or joined in order to increase bandwidth; two T-1 Lines bonded together would provide 46 channels for voice and data and a carrying capacity of 3Mbps.====
 * ====**T-3 Lines:** leased line option and dedicated phone connections that have a carrying capacity of 43-45Mbps; consists of 672 individual channels and each supports 64Kbps; used mainly by ISPs for connecting to the backbone and for the backbone itself.====
 * ====**OC3:** Optical Carrier level 3 - used to, "specify the speed of fiber optic networks conforming to the SONET standard" (Beal, 2010); used as a fiber optic backbone for large networks with large voice, data, video and other traffic needs; carrying capacity of the OC3 is 155.52Mbps or the equivalent of 100 T-1 Lines.====
 * ====**Satellite:** IoS (Internet over Satellite); internet access is obtained using a satellite orbiting the Earth; because of the distance the signal has to travel IoS is slightly slower than high speed connections; speeds average around 492 - 512 Kbps.====

(Beal, 2010).
====**Function:** The self-explanatory function of Wireless Internet Access is a device used to connect you to the internet without the hassle of long phone cables and high-pitched noises. Right now, as I type this wikipage up, I'm using my Wireless Internet Access to find information on the function of Wireless Internet Access. There are several different parts and devices that all work together to create a Wireless Internet Access and it is important to understand the function of all of these devices in order to understand how Wireless Internet Access works. The Internet Router in your home or office chooses the best link or path to send packets on and these routers connect a LAN (local area network) to a WAN (wide area network). A Wireless LAN router allows the internet user to access the internet without connecting directly, using cables, to the router while an access point is the point where the internet user is directly connected to a router or telephone line. A Wireless LAN router has a built-in access point function that is additional to the multi-port Ethernet router. Having this multi-port Ethernet router and an access point function allows the Internet user to send and receive packets over multiple networks. It is important to note the difference between an access point and a Wireless LAN router. Access points allow internet users access to a single network while Wireless LAN routers allow internet users to browse a number of networks. The Wireless Internet router looks at the IP address to make decisions on how to send packets whereas access points generally disregard IP addresses and send all packets. The Wireless Internet router also provides port-based control, firewall management, and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and because of all these functions the Wireless Internet router is generally a more versatile choice than the access point. (Geier, 2003). To sum up, the function of the Wireless Internet Access is to connect the internet user to the World Wide Web without the hassle of cables and high-pitched noises!====

====**How it Affects the End User:** The introduction of the Wireless Internet Access has revolutionized the Internet, its function and the demographic of users. The internet is no longer a device used strictly for business in the privacy of your own home because now anyone can use it. The internet can be accessed anywhere using a computer, laptop, cellphone, iPad, and a number of other technological devices that I am unaware of because of my complete lack of interest. I have an iPhone and I can check my banking, update my Facebook status, check my emails, browse google pages and even Tweet whenever and wherever I am and it's all because of the Wireless Internet Access. If I try to search google or check my RDC account using my iPhone, my phone will actually begin to search for the strongest and closest network that I could connect to. Wireless Internet Access has become so popular that the majority of laptops and cellphones sold come equipt with a device that allows for Wireless Internet Access.====

The video below demonstrates a simple way to install a Wireless Internet Connection:
media type="youtube" key="ZmaszWffSds" height="349" width="560"

(eHowTech, 2010).
//**Resources Utilized for this page:**//  iCoreComputing. (2011). //The Advantages of Wireless Internet// [image]. Retrieved from []  Mill Creek Wireless. (2011). //Definition of a Wireless Internet.// Retrieved from [] Beal, V. (2010). //Types of Internet Connections.// Retrieved from [] Geier, J. (2003). //Understanding Wireless LAN routers.// Retrieved from [] Heather. (2010). //6 Things you didn’t know about Wireless Internet.// Retrieved from [] eHowTech. (2010, March 23). Internet Basics: How to Set up Wireless Internet [Video File]. Retrieved from []