Cable Modem

Cable Modem is designed to regulate a data signal over cable television infrastructure. It works more like a Local Area Network (LAN) interface than a modem. Cable Modems are chiefly used to give broadband internet access via unused bandwidth on a television cable network. In the beginning of 2005, United States comprised of almost 22.5 million cable modem users, a significant growing from 17.4 million in 2004. Unlike many other forms of internet access, cable modems do not block the telephone line, using a separate line instead. With the growing popularity of Voice over IP (VoIP) and high internet speeds that cable provides, people are now opting for cable connections rather than DSL. Cables used in cable internet transmit date over a 6-megahertz channel, enough for as many as 1,000 users to connect to the internet simultaneously. Cable modems could be either internal or external to the computer, or a part of the set-top cable box. An external cable modem is a small external box connected to the computer through an Ethernet connection, while internal cable modems use a PCI bus add-in card. Interactive Set-Top Boxes are modems in disguise, providing more TV channels on the same number of frequencies. Its many advantages added with the low cost, makes cable internet one of the most popular modes of internet access, prompting several networking hardware giants like 3com, D-Link, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, and Motorola to enter the cable modem market.