What’s a Broadband Cable Modem?

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A broadband cable modem connects computers to the internet via a cable TV company’s service. It allows for fast internet browsing and can be used for a single computer or network. The modem receives signals from a cable line and translates them for the computer. Cable internet is compared to DSL service, with cable often offering faster speeds.

A broadband cable modem is digital equipment used to connect computers to Internet service provided by a cable television company. Often a person gets a broadband cable modem from the company through which they purchase their Internet service. In some cases, however, an individual may need or want to purchase one of their own. A broadband cable modem can be used to provide Internet service for a single computer or an entire network within a person’s home or business.

In the past, people connected to the internet through telephone wires. Today, however, they have more choices for establishing an Internet connection. Now, a person can use a broadband cable modem, connected to a coaxial cable, to connect to the Internet. This type of modem allows a person to surf the Internet, chat online, and send emails without using a phone line. This means that a person can use the Internet and the telephone at the same time, without worrying about callers getting a busy signal while they are on the Internet.

Broadband cable modems provide a very fast way to connect and browse the Internet, using the same lines that send cable television service to a person’s home. Essentially, cable signals condense data and send it down a cable line. These electronic streams of data take up very little space, allowing a multitude of signals to move through a cable line at the same time. The signals are sent to a broadband cable modem and are decoded. The computer connected to the modem receives an electronic signal which it can translate to the computer user’s benefit.

There are some basic parts that broadband cable modems have. Each has a tuner that makes sure the modem only gets a signal from a particular part of a cable line. This prevents the interception of unwanted data streams. A cable modem also has a demodulator, which receives the signal from the tuner and converts it for recognition by the modem’s analog-to-digital (A/D) converter. It is this part, also called an A/D converter, that translates the signal data into a form that a person’s computer can understand.

Often people compare cable broadband to DSL service, which requires a DSL modem. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service, provided by many telephone companies, also offers high-speed Internet connections. There are pros and cons to both types of service, and both allow a consumer to make phone calls and use the internet at the same time. In many cases, however, cable Internet service offers faster connection speeds.




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