Info'Age Technology Sdn Bhd

There are five main things you will need in order to connect to the Internet:

1. A computer
2. A modem
3. Access to a telephone line
4. An Internet Service Provider
5. Some basic Internet software (these generally come with your operating system)

Computer Requirements

For the technically minded, your computer system should at least meet the following requirements:

• 256MB RAM
• 500MHz CPU or higher
• Windows 98 operating system.
• 20GB hard drive

Roughly speaking, anything made after 1998 should suffice for basic dialup use. Broadband users may find that computers made before 2000 may have trouble.

What is a Modem?

Modems allow computers to communicate outside of themselves by translating computer data into audio tones for transmission across telephone lines. Your modem sits between your computer and the telephone line, handling the conversion of data to audio and vice versa. At the receiving end is another modem that sits between InfoAge's computer and the telephone line.

Broadband is slightly different. It still uses your phoneline for connecting to the internet, and you still need a username and password, but it connects using frequencies just inside and above the range of human hearing. This allows faster connection speeds and means you don't need to tie up your phone line for connecting to the Internet.

Broadband modem checklist

Indicators

Broadband modems come with a series of lights. The most important lights are the ADSL synchronisation light (sometimes called ADSL, DSL or WAN), the Network light (sometimes called ETH or USB) and the Online light (sometimes called PPP. Not all modems have this light). A set of easy-to-understand indicators is very useful for seeing specifically what's going on with your modem.

Ethernet or USB?

Generally speaking, a broadband modem will connect to a computer by cable using ethernet, using USB, or using a choice of either.

The main advantage of ethernet is that the computer doesn't need extra software to start networking through it. This means that there is less software involved in handling your Internet connection, and so installation and troubleshooting are made easier. The only drawback with ethernet is that not every computer has an ethernet plug on it - the majority of recent computers have one built in.

USB is a more universal connection type, but it usually needs extra drivers installed to make it network properly.

Software

Most modern broadband modems do not require extra computer software. However if you are connecting via USB you will need to install the driver software that comes with the modem.

Internet software

Some basic Internet software includes:

• A web browser: common browsers include Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Camino and Netscape Navigator
• An email program: common programs include Outlook Express, Mail, and Microsoft Outlook