Modems Overview

In today’s world many people go online everyday. Millions of emails are being read and sent everyday across the country and across the world. Browsers are constantly showing Web sites of one thing or another. How are they able to read their email or cruise the Internet? Unless they have cable (although that is also a modem as you will soon see), they are more than likely logging on with a modem. Many people don’t even know that they have a modem. They simply turn their computer on, click on a link to bring up America Online, or whatever online service they use, and log in. The only thing they may hear is a strange sound coming from their PC. What if the situation is different? What if you know a little about modems and you are just in the market to buy an upgrade. Either way, it would be conducive of you to learn what a modem is and how it works so you have a better understand of its use. First, you’ll have to learn some basic terminology regarding modems:

 

·        Modulator: This is the process where a device in the sending computer takes information and converts it to analog before sending it over phone lines. It needs to do this because phone lines are not able to send data since the wires are not constructed to handle that type of electrical power.  

·        Demodulator: This is the process of where a device on the receiving computer takes the signal and converts it back to digital that the PC can understand.

·        Wireless: This is the process of taking radio signals and converting them to digital, and then back again.   

·        Bits per Second: This is the speed at which a signal would travel from one modem to another. The first modem had data go through at 300 bps. As time went on, the speed changed to 1200, followed by 2400, until it reached where it is today. Depending on the type of modem you have the speed could be as high as 450 mbps.  

·        Full-duplex: Modems that can send and receive at the same time. Most modems operate in this mode.