Internet Service Providers

Learning objectives By the end of these lessons you will be able to: define the terms concerning Internet access explain these terms to a new user explain the criteria for selecting an Internet service provider use the criteria to assess different providers

In mid-2013, 43.6 million adults (86%) in the UK had used the Internet. 7.1 million adults (14%) had never used the Internet. Men (88%) were more likely to be Internet users than women (84%). By region, London and the South East had the highest proportion of Internet users (89%); Northern Ireland the lowest (79%). In mid-2013, 43.6 million adults (86%) in the UK had used the Internet. 7.1 million adults (14%) had never used the Internet. Men (88%) were more likely to be Internet users than women (84%). By region, London and the South East had the highest proportion of Internet users (89%); Northern Ireland the lowest (79%).

Starter On one side of your white board, list as many advantages of having fast internet access as you can think of. On the other, list as many disadvantages of NOT having fast internet access

How do internet services work? Internet services are provided in two ways: broadband narrowband – usually called dial-up. Broadband technologies provide much faster connection to the internet so most people in the UK use broadband. However, broadband is not available in some rural areas and is more expensive. This means some people still use dial-up internet services. The Government has set a target that everyone in the UK will be able to access broadband by Broadband can be delivered to your home via: ADSL - broadband service provided over the telephone network by an internet service provider (ISP). Cable - about half the households in the UK have access to cable broadband. These fibre optic connections provide the fastest broadband. Mobile - where you use broadband through a special mobile device or dongle.

What else do ISP provide? Internet service Providers don’t just provide internet access. They may also provide: Web hosting – so you can have your own website Online / cloud storage

Factors affecting choice of ISP When choosing a broadband package you need to think about: Price – make sure you check all the costs involved Speed – don’t pay for a fast connection speed you won’t need Usage – how much data will you need to use every month: is it enough or too much? Contract – check the length of the contract and the renewal terms.

Price When choosing a internet provider, check all the costs involved: the monthly subscription any one-off connection the costs of any equipment you might need to buy such as a modem/router or dongle what is included in the package and whether you’d use it, e.g. accounts or space for your own website whether there are extra charges for paying by means other than direct-debit the costs of getting technical help – for example whether you have to use a premium rate phone line think about how long the contract is and about whether you want to commit to a provider for a long time.

Connection Speeds The faster the speed of your broadband service the more expensive it will be. What you are going to use the internet for will help you decide how fast you need your service to be: The more you use the internet to download music or films, the faster the speed you’ll probably need. If you use the internet only for light internet surfing and ing, you won’t need a more expensive package with fast download speeds. Y Your broadband package will have a headline speed – for example 8 megabits per second. However, you might not get this speed all the time and there has been some controversy about the advertised speed only rarely being available in some cases where very fast speeds are advertised. Speeds are affected by things like how far you live from your local telephone exchange so check with providers the maximum speed you’re likely to get.

Usage limits Many broadband packages have a fixed amount of data that you can use every month. As with the speed, you need to think about how much you will actually need – don’t pay for more than you need! If you only use the internet for and internet surfing then these limits probably won’t affect you. But if you use the internet to download music or TV programmes then they might. Some providers charge you extra if you go over your monthly usage limit. Think about whether you are likely to go over the usage limit and check what happens if you do.

Other services on offer Bundles A bundle is when you buy a combination of packages from one provider eg internet and phone, or internet, phone and a television package. These can work out cheaper, as you sometimes get a good deal for the bundle compared to buying each separately but it is always worth checking! Again you don’t want to pay for 300 digital TV channels you are never going to watch! Mobile Broadband You could decide to choose mobile broadband instead of a service that’s linked to your home. Mobile broadband connects to the internet using a small dongle which you plug into your computer or a SIM which you insert into your tablet, or your phone becomes your hotspot for internet connection using the phone network. It can be easy to use and allows you to access the internet outside your home, and is widely used by business.

Key words ISP Broadband Fibre Optic ASDL Bandwidth Kb or kbps Download Upload Firewall Spam Spyware

What to do now Log into Moodle>ICT>GCSE>Unit 1>Home Networks ISP and internet key words: Use the Edexcel resources glossary (use the link on the desktop to get to this) or another reliable source to find a good definition of each term – one that you understand and will remember! Choosing an ISP: Complete the table with an explanation of each factor that may affect your choice of ISP

Learning objectives By the end of these lessons you will be able to: apply the criteria for selecting an Internet service provider use the criteria to assess different providers and make a recommendation for your family

The Internet has changed the way people go about their daily lives. Almost three quarters of adults in Great Britain used the Internet everyday (73%) in 2013, with 6 out of every 10 adults (61%) using a mobile phone or portable computer to access the Internet 'on the go'. In 2013, more people than ever before used the Internet for reading newspapers or magazines (55%), to access their bank accounts (50%), to seek health information (43%) or to buy groceries (21%). The Internet has changed the way people go about their daily lives. Almost three quarters of adults in Great Britain used the Internet everyday (73%) in 2013, with 6 out of every 10 adults (61%) using a mobile phone or portable computer to access the Internet 'on the go'. In 2013, more people than ever before used the Internet for reading newspapers or magazines (55%), to access their bank accounts (50%), to seek health information (43%) or to buy groceries (21%).

Starter Key words recap On your white board, write a definition of: ISP Broadband Bandwidth IP address

Compare what’s on offer You may already have internet at home, and it may be part of a “bundle” with other services such as TV and phone. Imagine your parents are at the end of their current contract and want to find out what else is available. Do some research to find out what is available at your postcode with different providers such as Virgin Media, BT, Sky, TalkTalk, PlusNet. Get some prices for internet only, and then bundled packages. You can either go onto the ISP websites or compare easily using sites such as: Put your information into a fact sheet for your parents giving prices, what they get for their money, contract terms, usage limits, and finally your recommendation based on your family’s use of the internet.

Learning objectives By the end of these lessons you will be able to: define and explain the terms concerning Internet access explain the criteria for selecting an Internet service provider explain how use will determine the most appropriate ISP

A sizable increase in daily computer use, by age, in the past seven years has been for adults aged 65 and over. In 2006, just 9% reported that they used a computer every day, this compares to 37% in In 2013, 21 million households in Great Britain had an Internet connection. This represented 83% of households, up from 80% in 2012 and 57% in There were 4 million households in Great Britain without Internet access in 2013, compared with 10 million in A sizable increase in daily computer use, by age, in the past seven years has been for adults aged 65 and over. In 2006, just 9% reported that they used a computer every day, this compares to 37% in In 2013, 21 million households in Great Britain had an Internet connection. This represented 83% of households, up from 80% in 2012 and 57% in There were 4 million households in Great Britain without Internet access in 2013, compared with 10 million in 2006.

IP addresses An IP address – the Internet Protocol address – is the personal address of your computer, a bit like your home address. This enables the data you have requested (eg when you type in a web address or do a search) to be sent to the correct address Your ISP will issue you/your family with an IP address which is used externally on their internet. Each computer/device within your home will also need an internal IP address so they can communicate with each other and with the router in your house. The router assigns each computer with an internal IP address so it knows where to send the web pages/content being looked at.

IP Filtering So, we know that every computer which is connected to the Internet is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is more or less a unique identity of the computer (or the computer network). The IP address is a combination of numbers and the numbers are assigned in blocks of numbers per country. Through the IP address it is therefore possible to determine the country (and other location data) of web visitors. By using an IP filtering service you can allow or block visitors based on several methods - Country filtering, custom IP filtering. For instance if you want - for some reason - that only UK based visitors can reach your website (eg BBC iPlayer, National Lottery), then you have to check the IP address of each visitor and lookup their country in the IP - Country database, and if their country is on your filter list, you block this visitor.

Filtering and Parental Controls Filtering can also be used to keep users off certain websites! For example: Games sites and social networking in schools and offices – to avoid time wasting by both pupils, teachers and employees in businesses Restrict children to age appropriate websites in the home: ISP have “parental controls” built into their security so that you can filter and block millions of websites based on how suitable they are to your child, and it constantly updates to stop any unsuitable sites slipping through the net. You will need to create a create a Windows User Account for each person in your home and then configure the ISP security settings to fit the age of your children eg a more relaxed profile for an older child, stop kids using the web at certain times (perhaps when it’s past their bedtime) or specific sites (like Facebook and YouTube) when they’re meant to be doing their homework!

ISP Tasks 1.Complete e-task 3.8 – ISP terminology 2.Complete e-plenary 3.3 – which type of ISP is most suitable for the different users? 3.Open the leaflet you have been working on about home networking. Add into this information for someone who knows little about choosing an Internet Service Provider to cover the following topics: – What an ISP is and what it does, what other services might be on offer – Factors affecting choice of provider with explanation – Examples and explanation of different packages available from different providers – could use a specific postcode to illustrate – Examples of what different types of users would need in terms of speed etc – How internet filtering works and how it can be used 4.Make sure your booklet is now fully complete and print it so you have it for reference and revision.