What Is the Technology Behind Cable Company Internet Options?

The principle technology that makes Internet via your cable company possible is the cable itself. Coaxial cables are used by cable TV companies because it can transmit many digital signals at a time. Coaxial cables are constructed with layers of insulated metal wires. This allows coaxial cables to send television and Internet signals in both directions -- to and from the home -- through a single cable with high thresholds of bandwidth.

The data traveling through coaxial cable need a device to convert digital signals into information that people can read, such as pictures and sound. This is the purpose of your cable converter box. Likewise, the cable modem is necessary to filter out non-Internet information and convert the digital signals into useful data, such as emails and Web content. When you subscribe to cable Internet, the company supplies a cable modem and a single coaxial cable that plugs directly into the rear of the modem.

Another type of cable is involved in delivering high speed Internet from the cable company, and this is called Ethernet. After a coaxial cable is plugged into the cable modem, Ethernet cables carry the Internet signal from the modem to your computing devices and plug directly into an Ethernet port. Ethernet cables are designed to transfer up to 100 megabits of data, more than enough bandwidth to carry cable company Internet.

TCP/IP is the protocol that describes how devices connected to the Internet communicate. IP addressing is the technology behind all Internet connections, whether they are supplied by a cable, phone or wireless Internet company. Think of an IP address as a mailing address that is temporary and based on your location. Likewise, when a computer joins a network, it is assigned an IP address, allowing other devices on the Internet to send data directly to it. The cable modem assigns your computer an IP address. If routers are used along with cable modems, the router creates additional IP addresses to allow more devices to connect to the Internet.