What is Bandwidth?
- A wire's capacity for information is called bandwidth.
- More bandwidth = more information passing through the wire - Similar to plumbing, a bigger wire (pipe) can more bandwidth (water).
- The amount of bandwidth is critical for current and future information services.

What is Bell Wire?
- One pair of copper wires
- Designed for voice conversations only
- Subject to noise and interference
- Used in the majority of homes until recently
- Relative capacity: A squirt gun

What is Category 5 (CAT 5) Wire?
- 4 twisted pairs of high quality copper wire enclosed in an outer jacket
- Used for phone, fax, modem and high-speed digital computer transmissions
- Supports four phone lines with one cable
- High immunity to interference
- Relative capacity: A garden hose

What is RG6 Quad Shield?
- Coaxial cable with insulated center wire and four layers of shielding
- Supports hundreds of channels and digital data
- Used for cable TV, digital satellite, cable modem and high-speed interactive video services
- High immunity to interference
- Relative capacity: A fire hose

What is a Modem?
- Used to transmit computer data over standard phone lines
- Typically packaged in a new home computer
- Today's standard computer modems transmit up to 56,000 bits per second

What is ISDN?
- ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network
- Digital equivalent of a standard computer modem transmission
- Transmits high-speed data three times faster than today's standard modems (128,000 bits per second)
- Service provided by the telephone company over high-quality copper phone wire

What is DSL?
- DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line service
- Transmits high-speed data anywhere from 50 to 270 times as fast as today's standard modems (1.5 million to 9 million bits per second)
- Service provided by the telephone company over high-quality copper phone wire.

What is Cable Modem Service?
- Cable modems transmit high-speed data up to 900 times faster than today's analog computer modems (30 million bits per second)
- Since neighborhood users "share" available bandwidth, actual data throughput speed will be slower.
- Provided by the cable company over high-quality coaxial cable.

What is Ethernet?
- Commercial networking standard for transmitting data between computers
- Computers typically connected via cables to an Ethernet hub
- Each computer must have an Ethernet network interface card
- 10BaseT means the computers are connected with twisted pair cable (CAT5) at 10 million bits per second throughput

What is DBS?
- With Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS), video programs are received by a small (18") satellite dish
- Signals are decoded at the TV with a set-top receiver
- Users need a tradtional TV antenna for local broadcasts such as local news

What is Whole-House Video?
- Any video source can be seen on a specific channel on every TV in the home
- VCR or DVD programs can be viewed on any TV
- Room cameras allows infants and toddlers to be watched over from any room.
- Front door camera enables screening for possible intruders