How do analog modems, cable modems, ISDN, and DSL compare?
A6: Analog modems use a telephone network as is. Analog modems will complete a digital to analog conversion for transmission onto the network and vice versa on the receiving end. Analog modem connection is the most ever-present form of data communications available today since each of the calls has to have a compatible modem. Currently, the fastest speed for analog modem is 56Kbps while the slowest DSL connection is 144Kbps. Cable modems provide high-speed, high-bandwidth Internet access over cable TV (CATV) networks. However, the bandwidth is shared by all users on a particular cable segment. Because cable networks use a bus topology, every cable modem in a neighborhood shares access to a single coaxial cable backbone. The more subscribers in that area, the less bandwidth available to each. Thus the slower the connection rate and the more difficult it may become to establish a connection. Another concern is that if the CATV is damaged, this could bring down all of the users on that li
