Broadband Internet Access For Dummies

In recent months, fast Internet access has made major inroads among small-office workers and home computer users. Digital subscriber line (DSL) service in its various forms, cable modems, and small satellite dishes have come down in price sufficiently that it's easier than ever to have an always-on Internet link with which you can download a Napster music file in seconds. Broadband Internet Access for Dummies, unfortunately, doesn't have much to say about the technical aspects of high-speed Internet connectivity for the home or office. It devotes more than half of its space to explanations of how much more enjoyable surfing is with a fast link--duh--and dedicates most of the rest of its pages to discussions of local area network (LAN) subjects that other books cover far better.

It's true that most people who buy a DSL, cable modem, or satellite service don't configure it themselves, and instead rely on technicians from their DSL provider to get it working. But those aren't the people who would buy books about high-speed Internet access. Those who go to the trouble of buying a book want to know how to do the technician's job--so as to deal with technical problems immediately, or wring maximum performance from the broadband connection. This book doesn't have any of that. The best material here is on sharing an Internet connection among several computers, but even that's better covered elsewhere. Read This Wired Home for the straight scoop on that. --David Wall

Topics covered: The pleasures of having access to a high-speed Internet connection, such as might be provided by cable modems, digital subscriber line (DSL) links, and satellite communications. The authors compare various DSL services (ADSL, SDSL, and so on), and show how to share an Internet connection among several computers.