March 2020
Updated April 2024
Internet Access Explained
The “Internet” can mean different things to different people but the Internet is actually an infrastructure (see below) that provides a vehicle for the many “Internet Services” such as the World Wide Web (WWW), Email, FTP and Cloud Storage.
To access the Internet (infrastructure) you will need to use the services of an ISP (Internet Service Provider). In the UK this will be Virgin Media* or BT* (British Telecom) or one of the Mobile Operators e.g O2*, Vodafone etc. You will also need a suitable device such as a Desktop PC /Laptop or “mobile device”. Think of the Internet as being a motorway with a toll. To use the motorway, you pay the toll charge and you are then given access to the the motorway.
An ISP can be seen as a “Toll Booth”, you pay the fee and you are then given access to the Internet!
BT own most of the Telecoms (land line) infrastructure in the UK and they also now own EE, so BT have a very customer base.
Virgin Media have a lot of their own infrastructure, with regards to optical fibre cables but they still have to use the BT infrastructure at some point for Internet Access and landline phones. Virgin Media and 02 (mobile network) have now merged (under the Liberty Group). Virgin media is now known as VMO2 so between them, they also have a very large customer base.
Your choice of ISP is now very limited (in the UK), its either BT or Virgin for “landline” connections but for “mobile” connections you still have Vodafone and Three, along with O2 and EE. Here’s a good read about Internet connections using the mobile networks.
The “Internet” is actually an “Infrastructure” consisting of cables, switches and routers which “transport”, relay and “route” electronic signals (data) to the intended location(s). Unlike “motorways”, which are “speed limited”, the “Internet” allows “Electronic signals” to travel at breakneck speeds, which means that computers at the other side of the world can communicate with each other in seconds. That is awesome!
This “Infrastructure” is very robust and normally very reliable in the UK, (I can’t comment about the Infrastructure in other countries) It now mostly uses “Optical Fibre cables” to provide a “mesh type system” that gives “alternative routing” to ensure that any sections that have problems are “by passed” – Think “spiders web”. Some might say that the “Internet” is “self Healing” but I don’t think we are quite there yet, it still needs a lot of brilliant engineers and network specialists to keep it up and running.
Note the Infrastructure also includes “under sea” cables and these maybe “owned” on a “Joint venture base”.
Lets not forget satellite communications, which are all part of the “Infrastructure”.
In a nutshell, the Internet (an infrastructure) is basically a vehicle that allows you to use the many “Internet services”; which in the the modern day are called “Cloud Services” and / or “Cloud Computing” and this includes access to the WWW (World Wide Web).
To access the “Internet”, you need to use an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Lets look at how you are going to access the Internet and the services it provides.
Internet Connection Options:-
1.Home and business users (basically anyone) are provided with an electronic box and this if often referred to as a MODEM, the box is correctly known as a ROUTER and this will be one of 2 types. If you use Virgin Cable services, it will be a “Cable” Router. If you use the BT* phone line it will be an “ADSL” Router.
Note. ADSL is being phased out and is being replaced by fibre and BT are now offering FTTP (Fibre To The Premises), this is in addition to FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet). In principle the router will be the same but will include a port / socket to plug in your existing telephone (instrument). This means that voice calls will be routed via the “Internet” via the router. In principle, voice calls will use VOIP (Voice Over IP) / VOB (Voice Over Broadband).
The downside to this is when you have a power cut. If your router loses power, You can’t access the Internet and you can’t make or recieve voice calls. If you have a Mobile / Cell phone, this could be used to make voice calls. However, if the power cut is “district wide”, the Mobile masts don’t get power so in principle we have a “Communications black out”.
There doesn’t seem to be anything in place to cater for “District wide” power cuts so this needs a bit of joined up thinking.
In the UK, BT own most of the telephone infrastructure (cables) and telephone lines but the lines are used by other ISPs such as Talk Talk, Plusnet, Sky etc and at some point the Virgin infrastructure has to connect to the BT infrastructure. Currently “Openreach” (a subsidiary of BT) maintain the BT infrastructure.
Connecting your PC to the router was done using Ethernet cables and this is still the most reliable method but for the past few years ISPs have been providing Routers with a built-in Wireless Access Point (WAP) so that laptops, tablets and even mobile phones can connect to the Router using WiFi.
Cable routers connect to the Virgin network using a coax cable and then copper cables and ultimately to Fibre Optic cables. You can only use the router provided by Virgin. The (supplied) router will be an “Internet Gateway” and will include a 2 or 4 port switch, a WAP (Wireless Access Point) and telephone “sockets” (to provide VOB / VoIP). Your PC / laptop / Tablet can connect to the router using Ethernet or WiFi. Your phone will only use WiFi to connect to the router (WAP).
ADSL routers connect to the phone (land) line using a standard phone cable and generally you can use any router you like but the router is now normally provided by your ISP e.g. Sky or Talk Talk etc and it will include a WAP for WiFi connections.
Note, the (BT) “land line” needs to be “adapted” to allow the use of data. You then use a “filter” to separate voice calls from data.This “adaption” allows your phone line to be used for data and voice. it now becomes an ADSL (phone) line
2.Mobile / Cell phone users (home and /or business users). In this case, your mobile phone or other device with cellular connection capabilities doesn’t need an additional electronic box / router because it uses the Mobile phone network. All Internet access goes via the mobile phone operators equipment and routers to enable access to the Internet. In this case your Mobile network operators act as an ISP.
Note. The mobile phone network has (technically) 2 paths / circuits / routes. One for Voice calls and text messaging, which uses the GSM technology, and the other for high speed Internet data access but these are transparent! The data will use a 3G or maybe 4G or something in between, if it’s available. 5G is coming on-line in many places but it isn’t yet “main stream”. 5G will be a game changer and will likely reduce the need for WiFi but it’s early days 🙂
Mobile phones have the benefit of being able to use the “Mobile phone Network” when out and about and then swap to WiFi when within range of a WAP (WiFi Router). Most Mobile phone users have an agreed “Data Allowance” (usually something like 500Mb to several Gb per month). Even when connected to WiFi, voice calls and texts still use the GSM / Phone network (but this may change)
When using WiFi to access the Internet it does not use the Data Allowance of your mobile phone.
In some cases voice calls can be routed through the WiFi but this does still use the allocated voice “minutes” (but that may change) unless you use something like Facebook Messenger or Skype etc.
Cable and ADSL routers, are known as an “Internet Gateway” (I.G) because they basically provide a gateway to (using) the Internet! Most Internet Gateways have some built-in “security protection” built-in such as a “Firewall”! They all have a basic firewall that users NAT (Network Address Translation) and this means that the I.G. / Router has an “External IP Address” but all devices connected to the router (either by Ethernet or WiFi) are assigned a (non routable) “Internal (private) IP Address”. The “Internal IP Addresses” will be in the 192.168.0.0 or 172.16.00 or maybe 10.0.0.0 ranges.
More info about IP addresses, networking and firewalls can be found on this site, check out the “Security” and “At Home” tabs.
The Internet is an “infrastructure” that initially starts out in the country of your residence but ultimately becomes part of / joined to the “infrastructure” of all other countries. This “linking” of “infrastructures” using undersea cables and satellite is an awesome feat of engineering and is maintained by awesome engineers. Overall, the “Internet” is very robust and reliable and provides us with the means to communicate (electronically) on a global scale. The robustness of this “Global” infrastructure makes it virtually impossible to break due to the “Mesh style” of construction but occasionally there will be some “outages” that sometimes take a little longer to repair but there will usually be an alternative
© Jeff DVOIT