Broadband security

Install and regularly update an Anti-Virus package

Many Anti-virus programs will block any attempts made by websites, online programs or other computers to connect with your computer - a message window will pop up asking you to either permit the connection or block it. If you know that the connection is safe (if you are talking to a friend on MSN, AIM, Skype, etc) then you can approve it.
If you are browsing an unfamiliar website and an attempt at a connection is made, it is best to deny it if you are unsure; if in doubt it is not worth the risk of compromising your computer's safety.
New virus codes are conceivably written every day - anti-virus programs will need to regularly download updates from to ensure that their libraries are constantly renewed and revised so that your anti-virus package can deal with new and emerging types of virus.
Usually, when new updates are made available, your anti-virus program will begin downloading them the next time that your computer is switched on - you will probably experience a bit of slowdown while this is happening. It is a good idea not to use the Internet whilst updates are being installed - wait for the updating process to be finished before doing anything else.

Install a Firewall

Firewalls can protect from internal and external threats. It is essentially a computer system that sits between the Internet and a computer or network, and regulates traffic between the two. As the term suggests, a firewall is an extra wall of security built into computers on a network, which restricts access to systems from the outside world. Firewalls protect against hackers and malicious intruders.
Most operating systems, including Windows XP and OS X will come with their own built-in firewalls. Some popular firewalls software includes Norton Personal Firewall, ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall and Sygate Personal Firewall - some ISPs included these programs as standard with their Internet service packages, and some companies will have their own brand of security software which will include a personal firewall program.
Whichever firewall you chose, you must install and configure it correctly before connecting to the net for the first time.

Safeguard your wireless connection

With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and many other wireless-enabled devices becoming more and more commonplace in homes, and with many mobile phone handsets capable of making calls over a home network and the public mobile networks simultaneously, it is just as important that you secure your wireless connections from external intrusions which are just as likely to come from the 'real' outside world as well as the online world. It is possible for users to poach, or 'leech' off of your internet connection and use services that you are paying for. Your connection could potentially be used for illegal means, for which you could be prosecuted. When setting up a wireless connection that will be accessed by multiple users in your household or office, there are a number of things you should consider:

- The position of your wireless hub -

Place your wireless base unit as close to the centre of your home or workspace as possible; not only does this mean that coverage is evenly spread out around the building, meaning that connection speeds should be fairly equal, but is also means that there will be less exterior leaking of the signal.
Of course, when setting up your hub you will also want to position it so that distance between peripheral machines and the hub itself is minimal. As masonry and in particular metal affects the signal, you will want to position everything so that the signals travel through as few walls as possible. You should ideally strike a balance between the usability and security of your network.
Careful positioning of your hub will limit the chances of somebody leeching your connection in the first place, so this is an important first step to take.

- Make sure your network is encrypted -

Probably the most effective way of safeguarding your wireless network is to ensure that some form encryption is running. Encryption simply means that any information relayed between systems - in this case, your hub and the machines connected to it - will be automatically encoded so that it cannot be understood or used by anybody outside the network.
All devices which are Wi-Fi enabled and carry the trademarked Wi-Fi logo come with the WPA2 encryption protocol installed as standard - WPA2 is considered to be the most secure form of encryption available.
Some older wireless routers come with the older WEP and WPA encryption standard installed - these offer you a measure of protection, with WPA being the better of the two.

- Securing your SSID -

An SSID, short for Service Set Identifier, is a code similar to a PIN number in terms of its function. As with encryption, when you set up a network, there will be a section in the instructions which come with your wireless device, which will allow you to create a password to be used for your SSID. It is important to ensure that your SSID is 'hidden' and only available to those in your home/office; anyone wanting access to your network would be required to enter the SSID first, which would prevent people outside from gaining access.
As with all passwords, be sure to choose an SSID which doesn't contain any obvious information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, etc. Choose something which is a mixture of numbers and different cases. This is what you should also consider as a golden rule of internet use; be aware of phishing and pharming.

- Phishing -

All users of email will be familiar with spam, the junk mail of the Internet. It is possible that spam emails from an unknown address could contain an attachment with a virus. Spam is usually just an annoyance and doesn't affect the security of your system. However, attachments from unknown senders can contain viruses that can attack your systems and try to steal your data.
A relatively new email security threat to look out for is 'phishing', which involves the acquisition of valuable personal data, such as bank details or passwords via a fake email, posing as a legitimate company or bank, sent to a user. These emails are designed to look like an email from a genuine company, and will contain logos taken directly from legitimate sites.
However, any email that asks you to enter your personal account information or access your account is probably fraudulent; most banks will contact clients via the post, as a signed letter is the official recognised form of correspondence.

- Pharming -

You should also be wary of emails supposedly sent from companies which ask you to click on a link to confirm your security details as you could end up unwittingly supplying a hacker with everything
Advanced forms of phishing include a technique which is also referred to as 'pharming', where hackers use JavaScript to write codes which hide in the background of certain websites. When a host site is visited by a user, the code will then attempt to gain access to the router, in order to reconfigure its server settings.
Once this is done, it will then point the user in the direction of hoax websites that are designed to mirror legitimate ones, such as PayPal, Nochex, eBay, etc. Users thinking they are accessing a secure site will then enter security information such as passwords and credit card numbers which are then sent back to the author of the code.

How to check for secure websites

When entering your credit card details to pay for an Internet purchase, or when checking your Internet banking online, always make sure that you check that the following are present:

• The text prefix 'http' in the address/title of the web browser is present.
• An icon in the bottom right of the Internet Browser - usually a small padlock - which signifies that transmissions of data are encrypted. However, this is not necessarily indicative of a website's legitimacy, although if your browser does not display a padlock, this means that the site you are currently viewing is unsecured.
• Read the privacy policy of retail sites regarding their use of third party information - be suspicious of any site which does not explicitly say how they manage cookies or browser information, or does not even have a privacy policy at all.
• Many online retailers run Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which automatically protects any registered information. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express all endorse SSL for commerce over the Internet. Network infrastructure companies such as VeriSign and GeoTrust who sell .com and .net domain names provide SSL encryption to several commercial websites; look for their logos for proof of online retailers' credentials.

Broadband Security Overview

• Install an effective anti-virus package including anti-spyware and ensure updates are carried out regularly.
• Install and configure a suitable Firewall.
• Use common sense – it is risky to download dubious programs from the internet and do not respond to pop-up windows offering you free software. Installing a pop-up blocker, or using a browser such as Mozilla Firefox should minimize the number of pop-ups.
• Be suspicious of emails from established companies that ask you to confirm your security details, and never send out sensitive information such as passwords over email at all.
• Ensure that online retailers operate a strict privacy policy and make sure that the site secures any personal details with SSL.
• If you are running a wireless network, ensure that it is fully encrypted - aim for WPA2 - and that your router is optimally placed around your household/office to minimise the possibility of leeching.

Source from : broadband finder

Broadband buying guide

These terms are the certain condition that must be considered when buying a broadband :

• Availability
• Speed, performance, and your browsing habits
• Bandwidth, Download Limits, and Fair Usage Policies

Availability

The first thing you should do before searching for a broadband package is perform a local availability test to see whose services you can sign up for, as there's little point in comparing prices and services of all the available packages if you can't actually receive all of them.
The majority of broadband connections in the UK are made through copper wire phone lines, and so the availability of an ISP's broadband services will depend on if they have installed their equipment in your local telephone exchange. Broadband services provided over a phoneline are generally referred to as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) services. The service is 'asymmetric' because the achievable download speeds over the phoneline are generally faster than the upload speeds; most home internet users download rather than upload files, which is why ADSL is marketed towards home customers.
Most other broadband services are delivered to households through a fibre optic cable line - again, availability will depend on if you live in an area where a cable network has been installed.
You can perform an availability test by typing your postcode into the appropriate window on our main page, which will then provide you with a list of the ISPs who are operating in your postcode area.

Speed, performance, and your browsing habits

Once you know which services are available in your area, you should then consider what you use the internet for, and how important a fast connection is. Ideally, you will want the fastest connection possible, regardless of your browsing habits, but a fast connection speed is especially important if you intend on playing either PC or console games online, or downloading music and movies.
Broadband speeds are measured in Mbps, a rate of data transfer equal to how many megabits per second can be transferred to your computer from a website or another user's computer - for example, a three and a half minute long music file in MP3 format is roughly equivalent to 3MB, therefore you would in theory be able to download one song every 4 seconds if you had a connection speed of 6Mbps or above.

ADSL and Cable

Several factors affect the performance and speed of your connection. A good rule of thumb for calculating your connection speed if you are signing up for ADSL broadband is to find out how far away from the nearest telephone exchange your house is - the closer you are to the exchange, the faster the speed will be.
Cable broadband networks are not affected by proximity to an exchange in this way: cable connection speeds are more dependent with the amount of user traffic in your local area, so if you live in a street where several people are accessing the internet via cable, then your net performance can be affected by this.

Bandwidth, Download Limits, and Fair Usage Policies

Bandwidth is a term used to apply to may things, usually to measure the capacity of a communications channel - in relation to broadband services, the 'channel' will either be an ADSL or cable phoneline. The majority of broadband packages will have a set monthly limit on how much bandwidth you can use, usually measured in gigabytes (GB).
The monthly limit, often called a download cap or usage limit, reflects how much information you can download in one month, including music and video files, updates and new patches for your programs. Using the above example, downloading a 3MB MP3 music file will count against your usage cap, so in theory, a broadband service with an 8GB usage limit would allow you to download over 2700 MP3s a month.
However, usage limits do not apply to just file downloads. Visiting websites which have large animated frames and numerous links, retrieving attachments and sending/receiving emails, making VoIP calls, and using chat/IM services all count towards your monthly limit - because of this, it is more accurate to refer to a monthly cap as a usage limit. Usage limits can vary from sizes as small as 1GB to 10GB to 50GB, or more.

Unlimited Downloading and Fair Usage Policies

Many ISPs provide an unlimited monthly usage cap with their products, theoretically allowing you to download as much as you like. However, any 'unlimited' usage limit will be governed by a fair usage policy. A fair usage policy is in place to ensure that the internet service is not compromised by the heavier users. As stated above, this can be a particular problem on cable connections, as cable performance is dependent with the amount of traffic in your local area, so if you live in an area with several cable users, then your net performance can be affected by this.
With an unlimited broadband package, there will typically be an unspecified 'ceiling' limit, and once you exceed this then your connection may be temporarily slowed down or even cut for the remainder of the month; some ISPs have a policy where you will be charged an additional fee should you go beyond such a limit. Most users will rarely excessively use an unlimited usage allowance, but be sure to read through the terms and conditions of each ISP's fair usage policies before signing up.

Your browsing habits

As with connection speeds, the size of a download limit is worth considering in relation to your browsing habits. If you are planning on downloading lots of music or having multiple users sharing the same broadband connection, you will want to sign up for a package with a sizeable bandwidth allowance so you can use the net for whatever reason without any restrictions or slowdown. Casual and infrequent internet users find 2GB per month more than sufficient for emailing and messaging, although you may want something a bit bigger should you want to occasionally download or watch video clips online.

Source from : broadband finder

Advantages of Broadband

The Internet has gained prominence in every computer user's life. Its applications are found in nearly every field, ranging from communication, information, entertainment, education to e-commerce. Easy and fast Internet access is the most important part of the Internet. Broadband Internet access or simply broadband, is the technology that makes faster Internet access possible. Dial-up Internet is the traditionally used Internet connectivity via telephone lines. Broadband Internet is preferable to the dial-up in many ways. Let us look at the advantages of broadband in contrast with the traditional dial-up.

Advantages of Broadband Internet Access

1. The speed is the highlighting factor of broadband Internet. It has a higher speed of data transmission. The data transmission speed of broadband is more than 200 Kbps (200,000 bps) while that of dial-up is 56 Kbps.
2. High quality Internet services require huge amount of data transmission. For eg, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), streaming or Internet games, etc. As the speed of broadband is higher, data can be transmitted much faster. This is not possible with a dial-up service. One of the broadband advantages is that because the speed is higher, you do not have to wait for connectivity or downloading.
3. As speed is the prominent feature of broadband, there is quicker loading of pages and also easier downloading of music and movies and other files. Chatting through web-cam or video conferencing in real time mode is possible due to the high speed broadband Internet access. There are no barriers if you wish to download e-mail attachments.
4. Another significant feature is that broadband does not make use of telephone lines like the dial-up access. Therefore, there is no blocking of the telephone lines and you can use the Internet and telephone simultaneously. This is not possible with the dial-up as it connects to the Internet via the telephone line.
5. Broadband is always 'on', therefore, you remain connected for 24/7. It means you can communicate and surf as soon as you switch on your computer. Also, there is no need to reconnect after logging off.
6. As the broadband has wired as well as wireless technology, it is useful for every user. The wireless technology is a boon to travelers as well as to laptop, palmtop and cellphone users.
7. Broadband service is billed according to its usage or plan, and not the time factor. The payment is also mostly on per a monthly basis, and according to schemes offered by various service providers. Hence, you do not have to keep a check on the usage time to prevent huge bills, as is the case while using a dial-up service.

The high speed transmission technologies of broadband internet include:

ADSL
SDSL
Wireless Broadband Internet Connection
Satellite Broadband Internet Connection
Cable Broadband Internet Connection
Fiber Optic Broadband Internet Connection

Broadband Internet access is used by all business organizations. It is also useful for homes with several computers. It is even helpful for those who work from home or freelance. Broadband makes it possible for various people to access the Internet using the same connection. Those who have used dial-up previously will immediately feel the difference between the two. Watching television, playing games, downloading and uploading information has become easier and also very feasible. Besides, communication has also become faster and more comfortable, thanks to broadband Internet access.

Due to its greater advantages, broadband is already the most used service. It is also the future of telecommunication. It will keep on advancing according to the growing demands and needs of the users. It can be rightly said that broadband Internet access is a boon to the world of computers and Internet.

Source from : Buzzle

Broadband Phone

Broadband phone/voip phone adapters enable users to use their standard telephones with their broadband phone/voip services. broadband phone/voip is Voice over Internet Protocol. It is the technology of transmitting audio as data packets over the Internet to a receiving computer, broadband phone/voip enabled phone, or a standard telephone. The standard telephone system is known as the PSTN or Public Switched Telephone Network. The very infrastructure of broadband phone/voip and PSTN are completely different networks. People have experienced broadband phone/voip technology by using a microphone and speakers connected to their computers, but thanks to phone adapters, users can put away the microphones and speak over broadband phone/voip with standard telephones.

A simple form of broadband phone/voip is used with many Instant Messaging programs. For free, a computer user can download an Instant Messaging program, connect their computer speakers and a microphone, and make a free long distance (or international) call to another pc user. Many Instant Messaging programs are incorporating broadband phone/voip services. You can use Yahoo Messenger, AOL, Skype, ICQ, MSN, and Google to make pc-to-pc free phone calls.

Another more advanced form of broadband phone/voip is to use a monthly service provider for the handling of all of your telephone needs. A broadband phone/voip provider will work much like your traditional telephone service yet you will not need to have your house wired or have phone jacks installed. With a phone adapter you will be able to transform your household phone into a phone that will work with your broadband phone/voip service. You can also connect a portable phone to the adapter and have a portable phone that operates on your broadband phone/voip service. Your service provider will provide you with the telephony adapter.

 

As broadband phone/voip products and services continue to evolve, we can expect more broadband phone/voip phones will hit the market. There are currently a few models on the market as well as VoWiFi phones- broadband phone/voip’S answer to cellular.

People prefer broadband phone/voip to standard PSTN networks. For many it is the cost savings that are making this the telephony method of choice. You can find unlimited local and long distance calling plans for as little as $20.00 a month. broadband phone/voip providers are creeping up everywhere. From major telephone companies like Verizon to Cellular giants such as Cingular everyone is eyeing broadband phone/voip.

broadband phone/voip offers tremendous benefits. For instance, many of the calling features that are available on a pay basis with standard telephone networks are typically included free of charge with broadband phone/voip service providers. These features include but are not limited to: Voice Mail, Caller Id, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, and *69.

Residential customers are pleased with the freedom that the phone adapter offers them. Though many would still use broadband phone/voip if they were confined to a microphone and speakers, the ability to speak freely on your telephone or cordless handset has even greater appeal for those who are considering broadband phone/voip services.

Businesses are also taking advantage of the amazing saving opportunities that come with broadband phone/voip. Small businesses like the ability to integrate features such as voice, fax, and web-based applications that are provided with broadband phone/voip. broadband phone/voip has great audio quality and offers employers and employees flexibility. Many businesses have noticed a significant increase in productivity and employer/employee relations since switching to broadband phone/voip.

Phone adapters give mobile employees the ability to take their phone number with them, anywhere they have a High Speed Internet connection. This has revolutionized the concept of customer service, and brought an increase of services provided by those in sales and other occupations where travel is a frequent requirement. Now, if a worker is away from the desk, traveling, or about mobile business, there needs to be no hesitant for customers or clients to stay connected. There is no need to transfer calls through secretaries stationed at desks. Thanks to broadband phone/voip, employees can receive their important business calls unhindered.

 

Call centers have also adopted broadband phone/voip as their method of communications. broadband phone/voip integrates so many features that are vital to the success of a prosperous business that it is any wonder that not every company has made the switch to broadband phone/voip.

Though the future will unveil many other new products and features, phone adapters continue to bridge the distance between PSTN and broadband phone/voip. The ability to bring your phone number with you has positively revolutionized the way people communicate.

Source from : broadband and VoIP services

Satellite broadband

Satellites in geostationary orbits are able to relay broadband data from the satellite company to each customer. Satellite Internet is usually among the most expensive ways of gaining broadband Internet access, but in rural areas it may be the only choice other than cellular broadband. However, costs have been coming down in recent years to the point that it is becoming more competitive with other broadband options.

Broadband satellite Internet also has a high latency problem is due to the signal having to travel to an altitude of 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above sea level (from the equator) out into space to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again. The signal delay can be as much as 500 milliseconds to 900 milliseconds, which makes this service unsuitable for applications requiring real-time user input such as certain multiplayerfirst-person shooters played over the connection. Despite this, it is still possible for many games to be played, but the scope is limited to real-time strategy or turn-based games. The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer can also be subject to the problems caused by high latency. Additionally, some satellite Internet providers do not support VPN due to latency issues^[6]. These problems are more than tolerable for just basic email access and web browsing and in most cases are barely noticeable. Internet games and

For geostationary satellites there is no way to eliminate this problem. The delay is primarily due to the great distances travelled which, even at the speed of light (about 300,000 km/s or 186,000 miles per second), can be significant. Even if all other signalling delays could be eliminated it still takes electromagnetic radio waves about 500 milliseconds, or half a second, to travel from ground level to the satellite and back to the ground, a total of over 71,400 km (44,366 mi) to travel from the source to the destination, and over 143,000 km (88,856 mi) for a round trip (user to ISP, and then back to user—with zero network delays). Factoring in other normal delays from network sources gives a typical one-way connection latency of 500–700 ms from the user to the ISP, or about 1,000–1,400 milliseconds latency for the total Round Trip Time (RTT) back to the user. This is far worse than most dial-up modem users' experience, at typically only 150–200 ms total latency.

Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites however do not have such great delays. The current LEO constellations of Globalstar and Iridium satellites have delays of less than 40 ms round trip, but their throughput is less than broadband at 64 kbit/s per channel. The Globalstar constellation orbits 1,420 km above the earth and Iridium orbits at 670 km altitude. The proposed O3b Networks MEO constellation scheduled for deployment in 2010 would orbit at 8,062 km, with RTT latency of approximately 125 ms. The proposed new network is also designed for much higher throughput with links well in excess of 1 Gbps (Giga bits per second).

Most satellite Internet providers also have a FAP (Fair Access Policy). Perhaps one of the largest disadvantages of satellite Internet, these FAPs usually throttle a user's throughput to dial-up data rates after a certain "invisible wall" is hit (usually around 200 MB a day). This FAP usually lasts for 24 hours after the wall is hit, and a user's throughput is restored to whatever tier they paid for. This makes bandwidth-intensive activities nearly impossible to complete in a reasonable amount of time (examples include P2P and newsgroup binary downloading).

The European ASTRA2Connect system has a FAP based on a monthly limit of 2Gbyte of data downloaded, with download data rates reduced for the remainder of the month if the limit is exceeded. Other Satellite Internet offers have advanced FAP mechanisms based on sliding time windows. It is the case for instance for the Tooway service that verifies download quotas during the last hours, days and weeks. The purpose is to allow temporary excessive downloads when needed while saving volume for the end of the month.

Advantages

1. True global broadband Internet access availability
2. Mobile connection to the Internet (with some providers)

Disadvantages

1. High latency compared to other broadband services, especially 2-way satellite service
2. Unreliable: drop-outs are common during travel, inclement weather, and during sunspot activity
3. The narrow-beam highly directional antenna must be accurately pointed to the satellite orbiting overhead
4. The Fair Access Policy limits heavy usage, if applied by the service provider
5. VPN use is discouraged, problematic, and/or restricted with satellite broadband, although available at a price
6. One-way satellite service requires the use of a modem or other data uplink connection
7. Satellite dishes are very large. Although most of them employ plastic to reduce weight, they are typically between 80 and 120 cm (30 to 48 inches) in diameter.

Source from : Wikipedia

What Is Broadband????

So, what is broadband? Broadband, also sometimes referred to as high-speed internet, is a connection from the user's computer to the network service provider that is always on and that has a high capacity for sending and receiving data. Broadband connections are very fast, with speeds up to 1.5Mbps or higher. The speeds depend on the type of broadband being used and the service provider.

What Is a Broadband Connection?
A broadband connection is the link between your computer and a broadband Internet service provider (ISP). Cable and DSL broadband are routed to your computer with physical cables, either telephone lines for DSL or coaxial cable. The cable plugs directly into a modem that connects to your computer with an Ethernet cable. You can also connect DSL and cable modems to a wireless router, allowing you to share a single connection with several different computers.
When learning about what is broadband, it is important to know that mobile and satellite broadband are sent to your computer through radio waves. You might not need a modem to get these signals, but you will need an antenna. For mobile broadband, this is a network card with a tiny built-in antenna. For satellite broadband, you need a satellite dish.
Your broadband connection is always available as long as the modem (if any) and your computer are turned on. You don't need to activate the connection each time you want to browse the Web.

What Is Broadband Internet Access?
There are two types of broadband connections. One is a simple broadband network that connects individual computers to each other. If all the computers are in the same physical location, it's known as a LAN, or local area network. If the computers are in different cities or states, but they're still sealed off from the outside world, it's called a wide area network, or WAN.
Once you connect a computer to the Internet, it's no longer a protected network. You can access the Internet, and the Internet can access your computer to send data and files. This is a broadband Internet connection.
What is broadband technology? It uses wider frequencies and more robust cables than basic dial-up connections. This allows data to move faster to and from your computer. With broadband, you can can upload and download large files much more quickly.

Broadband Router

Source from : Life123