Special Report:Six months with a cable modem
InstallationThe installation was two-part. First, a linesman came to run a cable into my home office. A few days later, a second installer came to install the Ethernet card and configure my computer. The cable modem connects to the computer via Ethernet, and the Ethernet card is part of the installation price. The on-site technician drives up the cost of installation, but it guarantees a working Internet connection. I had told the sales person I would be connecting to a Macintosh, but no one told the installer. As it turned out, it didn't matter. The Mac had a built-in Ethernet port, and I was able to make everything work by entering the correct settings in the TCP/IP control panel. Not all cable companies use Ethernet-based modems. Some use cable modems that attach to a serial port. Having Ethernet-based modem is an advantage if you want to share the cable modem with other computers on your network. I'll write about cable modem sharing in the future. I should mention that my cable company has two-way cable modem service, so it doesn't tie up my phone line. With one-way cable modem service, information downloads through the cable modem, but uploads (including mouse clicks) go through a regular modem and phone line. Next: Performance
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