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ACRONYM for modulator-demodulator, a device that
translates a stream of digital data created by a computer into the curious
squeaking and hissing sounds that can be transmitted across phone lines.
Most Subscribers to internet services use modems to connect to their isps
across the public telephone network, and nearly all pcs are now
equipped with modems as standard. Ordinary modem-based connections have
maximum speeds of 56kbps, once considered almost embarrassingly fast
but now hobbled by the increasing complexity of modern websites. Faster
connections, such as adsl and cable, use special "modems"- not,
technically, quite the same thing that can handle transmission at megabit
speed and higher. |
