Introduction

The Internet is now available on a vast range of technologies. Some of the latest devices which offer connectivity to the Internet are mobile phones and PDA's. As technology advances at a rapid pace, it's become difficult to define all of the options available to get 'started on the Internet'.

However, the personal computer is still the most common access point to the Internet. Which is no doubt, in part, due to it's advantages over most other connection devices. The visual display of a PC monitor can not be matched by a mobile phone. And broadband speeds across landlines are still superior to that offered by wireless broadband, such as 3G. A computer's keyboard and mouse is usually more comfortable and quicker for entering in data, compared to the touch screen of mobile devices. And finally, a personal computer offers more online services, such as advanced online gaming.

The one disadvantage to connection through a personal computer, compared to a mobile phone, is it's complexity. With a mobile device, all you need is one piece of equipment (ie the phone) and an access package to mobile broadband. With a computer, you have more equipment and software to deal with, which can be daunting to a technological novice.

Connecting with a Personal Computer

For the vast majority of people, they will want to connect to the Internet from a personal computer. Which will probably run either Windows, Linux or Apple's OS. Provided below, is a list of the requirements for a home personal computer to access the Internet.

• For a broadband account, a stationary UK address.
• Access to a phone line or digital phone line.
• A computer with an operating system that supports networking software.
• A modem, router, network card, or any device which can accept an analog data stream from a phone line and decipher it into digital data for a computer to understand.
• Cables to connect the modem to the phone line and the computer.
• A networking or web browser application to access Internet protocols and services.
• An account on a Internet Service Provider such as Aol and BT.

Types of Connection to the Internet

When an attempt to connect to the Internet is made, there are various connection technologies to choose from, such as,

• Dial-Up
  
• Broadband/DSL/Cable/Wireless
  
• Satellite Broadband
  
• ISDN and T-Line
  
• Wi-fi Hotspot, wireless.

The cheapest and most common type of connection in the UK was dialup. However, broadband has now become the most popular technology. Broadband cannot be accessed from every address in the UK. Many rural areas are still not connected. But, once a set number of people, usually in the region of three hundred, sign a local petition, then BT should consider the installation process.

The UK broadband infrastructure is set to be upgraded to a 'super fast' network. It will begin with major cities, such as Manchester, which will beable to access speeds of up to 60 megabits a second. The UK government has also set out some guidelines, which they hope will provide at least a speed of 2 megabits for any home in the UK.

The technology you choose to connect with will have a large impact upon the quality of your connection. It will also impact upon the services you can use and the viable applications on offer. Without a good connection speed it is impossible to access popular applications such as BBC's iPlayer, large updates to Windows and other important programmes will take days rather than hours to download. However, where you live plays as important a role as the technology you have access to. The further away from a telephone exchange you live, the slower your connection speed will be.

Further reading

Security, the options availables for safely using the Internet.