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Monthly Archives: September 2011
LightSpeed: A Wide Range of Fast Connections for Home or Business
SWCP LightSpeed is a kind of broadband, that is, highspeed, Internet access. Most of these connections rely on a fiber-optic connection to your neighborhood, though some may use another form of DSL. In any case, this makes your LightSpeed connection much faster, more reliable, and easier to use than dial-up or even other DSL. LightSpeed is “always on” — ready for use whenever you are. SWCP LightSpeed is a “standalone” broadband service only. It will require an unused (that is, without active voice service on it) but still serviceable phone line. If there is not one at hand, we may attempt to bring one to your building. Most homes and businesses are wired for multiple lines, so one is usually available. With LightSpeed, you have a choice between a wide variety of speeds and prices for home and small businesses. For most of them, downloading speed is much faster than uploading speed, which works well for most usage patterns. Prequalification is first necessary to check what speeds are available to your address. It’s quick, easy, free and there’s no obligation, and you can do it yourself here. Your LightSpeed Router A DSL router containing a modem must be installed to link your computer to the Net. SWCP provides high speed routers. Our standard model at this time is the Actiontec Q1000, although the specific model many vary depending on availability. The router has a hardware firewall, and with the … Continue reading
Why You Should Care About .XXX Domains
A new domain name extension, .xxx, is about to be unleashed on the world. Unlike the familiar .com, .org, .tv, .mobi, and other extensions, .xxx domains are intended for use by a specific community on the net. The proponents of .xxx have been trying to establish this new Top Level Domain (TLD) for a decade. The process has been bogged down in a political morass over whether .xxx should exist, who should run it if it does, and how it should be run. Fast forward to 2011. ICANN, the international organization which holds sway over all Internet domain registries, has approved a plan for the .xxx TLD. There seems to be concensus among unlikely partners that .xxx domains should exist. Proponents include members of the adult entertainment industry who want to provide a safe environment to sell adult services, as well as religious and parenting groups who want to relegate smut to a red-light district which can be easily blocked. The .xxx TLD, which will be administered by Florida company ICM, is in the “sunrise” period right now (more on that below), and will go live in December 2011. The .xxx TLD has unique features that make it different from all other domains that currently exist. A few of these are: Domains are intended specifically for a certain community (the adult entertainment industry). Sites in the .xxx domain will be malware-scanned daily through a deal with McAfee. They must also … Continue reading
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DSL Basics
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a kind of broadband, that is, a form of highspeed Internet Access that uses a copper telephone connection much like dial-up does. And like dial-up, DSL also uses a modem to convert computer data into tones and send them through the phone line to another modem to be decoded back into digital data. However, unlike a dial-up modem which relies on the analog music-like tones you can sometimes hear when it is connecting, DSL uses a high-frequency, generally inaudible digital tones throughout. This makes it much faster, more reliable, and easier to use than dial-up. The service is “always on” — like the phone line, ready for use whenever you desire. With our service, calls can be made even while you are online once filters are installed. Southwest Cyberport’s DSL service requires both Internet access which SWCP provides and a phone circuit to the desired location through CenturyLink. (Billing is handled separately.) Formerly Qwest, CenturyLink is the main regional telephone company with whom we partner with to furnish DSL services to large areas of New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces. Not every place in these areas, however, can get DSL. But many locations that cannot use the fastest connections may still be able to get a slower speed. However, both speed and the actual availability of your DSL service depends primarily upon the distance from your home or office to … Continue reading