In 2016, we are all connected to the internet one way or another. We all have pieces of technology that connect to the internet. What many don’t know are the differences in mobile and home based internets. Our smartphones, for example, are connected to the mobile internet through cell towers. Our laptops, desktops, etc is connected through the traditional Internet.
Typical mobile types of the internet include 3G, 4G, and Long-term Evolution (LTE). These types of technologies connect through waves and establish a connection with the nearest cell tower. The smartphone emits different frequencies that are picked up and connects the mobile device to the internet. Common cellular network providers range from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and others. These companies own parts of a cell tower that smartphones and other mobile devices connect to. The positives of cellular connections are there on the go connectivity with relatively fast data speeds. The drawbacks of cell connections are that the servers can be overwhelmed with users decreasing data speeds and increasing ping times, and the connection is not in every place of the United States. As the years go by, and new evolutions of wireless technology come out, the connections become much more reliable. Wikipedia writes that the next generation (5G) should be out in 2020 with faster speeds, better coverage, and lower latency compared to 4G LTE (1).
At home, and in businesses, connecting to the internet is different. More hardware devices are involved in land based internet. Typically you have a central piece of equipment such as a laptop that connects via WiFi to your router. The router is not the end point. The wireless router connects via a modem that communicates with the main servers. A residential service provider such as Verizon Fios uses a newer technology called fiber optic communication compared to cable internet companies using copper coaxial cables. Fiber optic communication according to Wikipedia is, “a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information.” (2). Using fiber optics from Verizon compared to cable’s coaxial provides a faster, more reliable connection. Comparing both fiber and cable to cellular data is an interesting topic. You can do more with a traditional connection such as setting up an intranet, workgroups, advanced file sharing, and more. The residential internet setup also provides a much more stable connection compared to cellular because the connection is hard wired, and you can use as much data as you want. Cons to a tradition internet connection are that it is stationary, and you can only use the internet in the location that you are subscribed.
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