General discussion related to Cable Modems, DSL, Wireless, Fiber, Mobile Networks, Wireless ISPs, Satellite, or any other type of high-speed Internet connection, general issues and questions here. Review and discuss ISPs as well (AT&T / SBC, BellSouth, Bright House, CableOne, Charter, Comcast, Covad, Cox, Cablevision / Optimum Online, TMobile, Verizon FIOS, Shaw, Telus, Starlink, etc.)
I'm in the midst of having a discussion about the purpose of a modem is in a DSL/Cable situation, one person wrote the following...
They call it a modem. It's NOT REALLY A MODEM. They only call it that because the public is too ****ing stupid to understand that a device they use to connect to the Internet *isn't* really a modem.
So, is a DSL/Cable "modem" really a "modem" and if it isn't really a "modem", then why is it called a modem, what the hell is it, and what is it's purpose?
Um.......i'm not gonna go for that one but, as for what you quoted, the person who wrote that is an ***hole!
Me, i'll tell you the truth, i dunno why they call it a modem, so i would'nt hide it by saying "the public is too ****ing stupid"
If we were stupid ( which i believe includes that moron) why did'nt he answer the question?
Modem: a device that takes a signal and converts it to a broadband signal. Much like an interface card (nic)
And yes there are different types of modems. As to how many, i would say in the figure of 100 or so. More or less.
That's pretty much my definition as i know it. Where exactly the word "modem" came from? I have no idea.
If you're looking for a more detailed discription of a modem, try a google search.
I suppose a modem could be anything that is able to do the above would qualify. A modem will modulate a signal or sound in order to transmit information, then the receiving modem will demodulate it to make it usable by the computer. I think humans were better modems in 110 baud days than computers.
Second...the bone of contention is thus ....if a person has a Digital Subscriber Line internet connection...then the "modem" that they're using in such a situation isn't a modulating/demodulating like it does with an analog connection (dial-up).
My questions are:
A. What does a DSL and/or Cable modem do if it isn't modulating/demodulating the signal.
B. Why call it a modem if it isn't really a modem.
Okay...here's one more interesting tidbit....I have Adelphia Cable (yeah the outfit that's going bankrupt), anyway I have what's known as "Digital Cable", but I have a "Box" on my TV.
When the guy hooked it up (Adelphia installer) he told me (and I'm paraphrasing), "yeah, they call it digital cable, but the signals still analog through the lines, that's why you need this box, to digitize it".
So, does that mean the when a person has DSL, they're still using analog lines and that their modem does modulate/demodulate the signal?
Calling it a modem is perfectly acceptable, as it translates signal.
The internal broadband modems are seen by your machine as Network Adapters, just like a NIC card is, so some folks refuse to acknowledge them as modems, but using either term is perfectly acceptable.
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