http://articles.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/rss.xml A blog about highspeedbroadbandservice.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/?a=35890 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>How much are you paying for long distance phone calls? What is the latest deal you received in the mailbox? It can get even better. Would you consider paying one cent a minute for long distance phone calls if there were no strings attached? It could get even better than that. Would you believe that you could call out to anyone of your friends with a computer through your computer rather than using the telephone?<br /><br />Did you know it can be done for FREE over the Internet? No kidding. No cost to you or the receiver. It is called Broadband and it is totally awesome. There are several programs available on the Internet to sign up on and it works just like a telephone call. The two computers involved in communication will need to have a microphone and speakers. It is also possible to teleconference while connected via broadband by the integration of a small camera that hooks up to the computer. <br /><br />Get on the bandwagon by looking into some of the different Broadband programs offered. Aside from the obvious question of how does one go about signing up, one might ask how fast is it? Does it take forever to get the vocal message back and forth between parties?Technology has come a long way my friend. The difference in transmissions relay between the telephone to telephone connections versus the computer to computer connection is miniscule. <br /><br />Companies find this particular use very handy because the amount they save in phone charges and traveling to attend meetings is astronomical. This way all of that money can be saved and perhaps even reinvested in the company to increase asset value. As well as serving as a convenience to your company, it just sounds prestigious to say that your company will teleconference via broadband for meetings.<br /><br />For the average Moe, technology can be a scary thing sometimes. Wires and numbers and signals Oh my! If you are too scared to attempt this journey on your own, utilize your resources. For little to nothing a professional from your local internet provider can explain to you step by step instructions to help you hook up onto the broadband service of your choosing but most likely all you would have to do is ask around at school, work, or family gatherings to see who has the technological know how. It is so painless! <br /><br />Just think of all the money you can save. The first step is for some reason always the hardest. Simply get started and once you start to see the amazing savings in long distance telephone bill, you'll be hooked my friend. In addition to all of the fun you will have playing with teleconferencing you get to keep in touch with all of your friends and family.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as high speed broadband at <a href="http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/">http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com</a></p> 2006-09-26T00:59-04:00 http://articles.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/?a=35889 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Are you fed up with traditional telephone service and being at the mercy of the companies who constantly increase the rates on long distance, as well as local phone privileges? It may be time to find a different way to place a call to your family and friends. Broadband phone service is an increasingly appealing concept replacing the common telephone company services of Sprint and AT&amp;T. Also known as VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol, broadband phones are another way of referring to an Internet phone. <br /><br />How an Internet Phone Works<br /><br />When speaking on an Internet phone, your voice is transformed into a digital signal, which travels across the World Wide Web in packets before it reaches whomever you are speaking to. These packets of data are converted into an analog signal before the person on the other end hears what you are saying. A broadband phone isn't much different from a regular phone. You won't be using any exotic, high tech receivers and you don't have to change all of the phone jacks in your home. To place a call over broadband technology, all you have to do is pick up the receiver, dial a number and wait for someone to answer on the other line. You can also benefit from the same services you have grown to love, such as caller ID, call waiting and voicemail options. <br /><br />Long Distance Calls<br /><br />One of the main reasons people are making the switch to broadband telephone services is because the cost to place a long distance call is quite impressive. Most Internet phone services offer a flat rate that allows unlimited calls throughout the month. These calls can be placed to anywhere in the U.S., as well as Canada. Some companies also offer reasonably priced international calling plans. <br /><br />Broadband Phone Service Providers<br /><br />You will find a variety of Internet phone service companies springing up to pick up the pieces of unsatisfied traditional phone company customers. Local cable providers are also taking advantage of this service by offering digital phone access through some of their service packages. <br /><br />Requirements<br /><br />In order to enjoy a broadband phone service, a high speed Internet connection is needed. This can be accomplished through cable or DSL access. <br /><br />A Few Disadvantages<br /><br />Since your phone service will be provided through the Internet, this means that during thunderstorms and power outages, you run the risk of losing your telephone access. When the power gives out, so does your phone service because it is connected through your computer. This also means that if an emergency should arise during this time, you will not have a way to communicate to the outside world, by phone that is. Also, 911 access is not available for all broadband phone users.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as high speed broadband at <a href="http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/">http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com</a></p> 2006-09-26T00:56-04:00 http://articles.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/?a=35254 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>You've finally gone high speed with a cable modem or DSL and you love the speed. However, are you taking the right precautions to keep your computer safe? High speed broadband is a blessing. Remember the days when you could go make yourself a snack and go to the bathroom while you're computer downloaded one page? That is no longer true when you have broadband service. Dial-up is limited by the bandwidth of phone lines and web content is getting larger and larger. The bandwidth for dial-up is not usually large enough to send large content file pages in a timely manner. There is new technology that allows you to speed up your dial-up connection. Both NetZero and EarthLink offer high-speed dial-up that are said to be five times faster than traditional service. <br /><br />You will also see advertised on the Internet, special programs to boost speed. As always with any program that you download from the Internet, you need to know the site you are on is secure. You don't want to add Spyware or adware while adding the program to speed up your connection.<br /><br />I found as an early user of new cable Internet service that it was so much faster I was amazed at how fast my pages loaded. I was one of the first in the city to receive this new service. As more and more users jumped on the high-speed bandwagon, I noticed a slow down to my Internet service. The cable company has fixed that performance issue by adding new channels and splitting the users. This allows the speed, which we can easily get used to and like.<br /><br />How secure is broadband service? Broadband does have its advantages but there are also some dangers involved as well. First, when you are using dial-up, you are more than likely shutting your computer down when you are done surfing or working on the Internet. With your computer shut down, it won't allow hackers or Spyware to get into your system. With broadband, their boast is &quot;you are always connected.&quot; I know this to be true; because when I turn my computer on in the morning, it stays on until I shut it down for the night.<br /><br />While this is convenient, it also poses a danger by leaving your computer exposed to the work of hackers and Spyware all that time. With your computer &quot;always on&quot;, an important fact to remember is the road to the Internet is a two-way road and Spyware and hackers can be having a field day with your computer. <br /><br />One such attack is called &quot;denial of service&quot; and has hit prominent sites like Excite at Home, eBay, and Yahoo. The Undernet, which supports the IRC chat network, has also been hit with this attack. Many experts warn that a particular worm can potentially cripple the Internet and could already have the worms seeded into many computers. They are afraid that these worms will be activated all at once and cause a massive failure of many Internet sites.<br /><br />Hackers can get into computers that are serviced by these high-speed DSL and cable modem connections and are able to get personal information like credit card and bank account details. Many companies provide the first step in stopping these intruders by disabling the file-sharing program that is on the Windows operating system of their customer's computers. This help prevents other users from seeing inside your computer.<br /><br />Installing a firewall is another simple and inexpensive precaution. A firewall is just what it says. It builds a wall around your computer to keep hackers and Spyware from getting your personal information. Experts say that once your computer is compromised, sometimes the only cure is to reformat the hard drive. This is something that is time-consuming and frustrating and should be done only as a last resort.<br /><br />Security issues with broadband connection will continue to grow as many more households start connecting with high-speed connectors. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, broadband users increased by 134 percent in the past year. They report that nearly 29 million users are connected to a broadband connection in the year 2004. It's mind boggling to think how many more have been added since then. <br /><br />Enjoy your broadband speed and convenience, but prepare to take the right precautions to keep your computer safe.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For high-speed broadband check out <a href="http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com/">http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T23:43-04:00