Choose the printer model. Check the documentation with your print server to decide

Chapter 16 ✦ Accessing the Internet The only analog modem speed you can buy these days is the 56 kilobits per second Kbps. The speeds are not, however, truly 56 Kbps, because the FCC regulations prevent 56 Kbps support in the United States. Downloading speeds for a 56 Kbps modem are 53 Kbps, and uploading speeds are only 33 Kbps. Also, the actual speed depends on the phone line condi- tions and the current connection. A storm, for example, or interference from other sources, can slow connections through a phone line. Using digital modems A digital modem is a piece of hardware that transmits data in both directions, usually simulta- neously, at high speeds. You use certain types of digital modems for the connection types you’ve got. If you have a DSL, for example, you use a DSL modem, which is a modem built specifically for use with that type of line. Sometimes a digital modem is called a terminal adapter TA or router, but the process is still the same. A piece of hardware located at the end of the line — DSL, TV cable, ISDN, and such — transmits and translates the signal to and from the computer or server. When there’s a digital modem on one end of the line, there must be a digital modem on the other end of the line for the two to communicate. Integrated Services Digital Network ISDN is a telecommunications network that enables digital voice, video, and data transmission. ISDN was quite popular among small businesses until cable modems and DSL became more common and available. ISDN only offers 128 Kbps speeds for data transfer. Figure 16-7 shows a cable modem connection between a home user, the ISP in this case, the cable company, and the Internet. The cable modem in the home is connected, by coaxial cable, to the cable modem at the cable company’s building. Note that multiple lines feed from the ISP to a larger Internet provider. Note Modem Standards The ITU International Telecommunications Union defines standards for telecommunications that govern, in part, the definition of modem speeds and operations. The ITU also governs fax and digital modems. For example, V-standards define speed, wiring, and error correction in modems and other telecommunications devices. V.32 bis is an ITU standard for 14,400 bps modems. V.33 is an ITU standard for 12,000 and 14,400 bps modems used over four-wire, leased circuits. V.34 defines a 28,800 bps modem over a dial-up line, with error correction and data compression techniques included. The V.90 standard used for 56 Kbps modems is now the most common standard.