subject: The Evolution from LAN to Satellite Internet [print this page] It may seem like the Stone Age when you last heard the term dial up for your Internet connection. Crazily, however, it was not too long ago (we are talking early to mid 80s, here) that people just beginning to learn about the Interwebs and connect with the slow snap, crackle and pop on a massive computer to connect to the web. E-mail was an entirely foreign concept and the days of ever connecting to the web with satellite Internet broadband were entirely unheard of. Satellite technology was not even yet on researchers' radars and it is amazing to consider how far we have come in the past 30 years in nearly aspects of technology.
As the Internet began its slow progression, dial up moved faster, but only by a snail's pace thanks to the LAN connection brought to you by special wires that connected your Internet to your home phone lines. It moved slightly faster, but came at the expense of your home phone lines and to check e-mail and browse the few websites available was painfully slow, unlike today's various satellite broadband connections available. The only way to prevent your phone lines from going out while on the Internet was by having a second phone line or advanced call waiting. As connections improved, we went from dial up and LAN to the first types of "wireless Internet" through the use of DSL in the 90s. DSL still worked with telephone wires still, but did not always come at the expense of your phone lines, like Internet used today.
Though most of today's wireless connections like cable and satellite Internet broadband do not use wires of any sort, DSL used a special underground copper wire. The problem with this, however, is that either you had it or you did not. If your home city was not equipped with copper wires, then you were still working with dial up Internet. Similarly, people with few cable options in the neighborhood were either still resigned to dial up or to choose a major cable package that rolled TV, Internet and phone lines all into one expensive package. Satellite Internet broadband is a wonderful modern day alternative to all of these possible means of connectivity, especially for those who live in secluded areas or farms. People who live deep in the mountains or forests, or those who live on sprawling acres of farmlands see a great improvement in their Internet by make the switch to satellite broadband. Because they are so secluded, it is often difficult to find Internet capabilities that are comparable to other wireless Internets out on the market. Satellite gives them the opportunity for painless and efficient web browsing, project making, e-mail checking and shopping without the hassle of lost connections or slow dial up connections from yesteryear. Really, what will they come up with next?
