About Internet Service Providers

Series Summary

The computer was first Introduced in the 1940s and is now the foremost electronic device to come out of the field of technology. Computers assist people in home, business and government arenas in performing a variety of tasks, such as financial planning and word processing. People are now able to accomplish many computer functions more easily by enlisting the vast number of services provided by the Internet. Online shopping, paying bills, e-mailing friends and family, and watching television shows and movies are just some of the many features that the Internet now provides. In this free video series, a computer specialist provides information and tips for connecting to the Internet through a variety of methods. First, discover how DSL, dial-up and cable modems work. Continue on to find out how to hook up a DSL modem, how to hook up a cable modem and a router, and how to connect two computers to a wireless connection. Learn about different Internet connection options in these free videos.

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Mike Rickert, I'm here at PC Magic in North Hollywood, California and today we're going to be exploring many different technical topics ranging from the Internet to laptops and how to get on the Internet and many different things that might be helpful to the average computer user in their homes. One thing I wanted to distinguish first is between online service like AOL and an Internet service provider. There is a difference, an online company like AOL gives you a lot of their own content, a lot of their own material but you're not getting a direct connection to the Internet so sometimes information or websites will be restricted and sometimes it's a little slower. But you do have a lot of their extra content. With an Internet service provider, you get a direct connection so there's really no way they can stop you, you can go to any site and it's usually faster but you don't get a lot of the extra content that you would with an online service so it really depends on what you're looking for."