The word “modem” is an acronym for a modulator demodulator. It modulates an analog signal in order to encode digital information and is also capable of demodulating a signal to decode the information. In simpler terms, it’s the device most commonly used in order to access the Internet or to transmit data from one place to another.
There are many types of modems available, but the voiceband modem is the most popular. This is capable of taking the digital data emitted by a computer and translating it into sounds which can be sent over telephone lines. Within the POTS or the Plain Old Telephone Lines, a phone at one end starts transmitting this translated message which a phone at the other accepts. The receiving phone translates this message back into digital data that can be understood by a computer at that end. The end result of this activity is that your PC can access the Internet using a dial-up connection, which was the primary method of accessing the net before broadband and Wi-Fi.
Modems differ according to the quantity of data they can transmit per second and this is measured in bits per second (bps). With the arrival of newer methods of accessing the Internet, modems have become much faster and more efficient at transmitting data. The voiceband modem has been replaced by cable modems and ADSL modems. There are also radio modems which use microwave radio links to send data quickly, sometimes at the rate of more than hundred million bps. Optical modems use fibres placed on the sea bed to transmit data from one continent to another or over long distances at rates of more than a billion bps.
Modern modems can also function as a fax machine. These send and accept digitalised fax-formatted versions of a document or an image over modems at speeds of 1,200 bps or more. Most modern technology, including Wi-Fi, mobile phones, radios and direct satellite broadcasts use the modem in some way or another. In areas where fibres cannot be laid and a high speed computer network is essential, then radio modems are used as part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Even if a cable is installed, better speeds can be achieved with the use of radio modems and frequencies. Cable internet and cable TV also use radio frequency for higher band widths.
Wireless smart modems are also known as transparent modems and are used extensively in order to allow many simultaneous wireless links to work together on separate frequencies. When used for Wi-Fi or Wi-Max purposes, the smart modems need to use microwave frequencies. Wi-Fi is primarily used for connecting laptops, mobile phones, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to the Internet through Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
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