Dial-Up

Overview

Dial-up was the only means of accessing Internet before the introduction of broadband and connections. Dial-up services use telephone lines to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for Internet access. Dial-up Internet is a great option for users who lack access to broadband services. Dial-up is also a cost effective option for people with limited budgets. A dial-up connection can cost as little as $7 to $15 per month.

Benefits

The major benefit of using dial-up Internet is that it requires only a phone line and a modem. If you are a frequent traveler, then this feature proves to be a beneficial one, since phone lines are available almost everywhere. You can also connect to the Internet using your cellular phone. The other major benefit is that you can use a dial-up connection to access the Internet in even in rural areas or small towns. It is also cost effective and affordable when compared with other means of accessing Internet.

How It Works

For dial-up Internet access, you need a modem and a telephone line. The modem acts as a bridge between your computer and the Internet. A modem transforms an analog signal, carries digital information, and demodulates a signal carrier to encode the digital data. This process of modulation and demodulation is done through telephone lines. When you connect your telephone line to the modem and dial an ISP's phone number, a connection is established between your computer and the ISP. After the connection is established, data is sent back and forth over the telephone line at a speed that is determined by your hardware and ISP. The average speed of data transfer is around 300 bits per second.

Communication between your computer and ISP is handled by Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Data is sent in packets from the TCP/IP and ISP redirects it from the web host to your computer. Your computer then, sums up data into a packet and sends it back to ISP. Internet Service Providers direct the data to the prescribed destination while the packet returns your system. Compression of data enables faster data transfer between your system and the Internet.

Companies/Brands

Many leading companies offer high speed dial-up services at low costs. Some of the companies that provide this service include EarthLink, NetZero, and Dial-up USA.