New to Hi-Speed cable internet

I will soon be switching from dial-up to cable (up to 3Mbps) for my internet and i'm getting confused with just about everything needed so i'm going to ask you all to please help.(What is Mbps?)

On my computer i have a ethernet card that is 10/100 Mbps. Is this the part that gets connected to the cable modem? (Or do i need to purchase something else?) If it is, will it enable me to receive the fastest download speeds?

It will be wired connection, so do i need Cat5, 5e or 6 cable?

My computer runs XP pro, 1024mb memory, i have zone alarm firewall running with avg for the anti-virus. I also have spybot and AdAware running also. Do i need anything else that i have not mentioned above?

I hope someone can help out with this and i thank you very much.

 

Here is a definition of MBps. The ethernet card you have is all you need for the connection. The cable modem will connect directly to that card. This will allow you to get the maximum speed. As far as cable goes, CAT6 is the best. I personally use CAT5e cable. When I bought my cable CAT6's price was more then I thought the benefits would be. If you are just hooking up one system, the price difference probably won't be that much. I would go with a the 5e or 6 though. The only other thing that I can see that you will definitely want is a good anti-virus program. I currently use Norton products (on one XP system) and AVG free (on my 98 and other XP system). Both work very good.

Hopefully, that helps a little bit. If not, post back with other questions.

Mike

 

ozzydawg--Mbps means million (mega) bits per second. 3Mbps would be slow to medium for cable. I get 5-6Mbps from Comcast where I live. But they offer only one speed.
Isn't the cable company installing the in house cable and connection? If they are, you really should not have to worry about the card and cable. They will give you what is needed.
But if they do not, the ethernet card should be fine. I cannot comment on the cable. I have a feeling that any will work fine.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/cat5_cables_.htm
Your security apps do not need to be any different for cable than they were for DSL. I would add SpywareBlaster. And have you looked into the security settings which IE offers? IE Tools|Internet Options|Security (Custom Level) and Privacy tabs?
Have you purchased the cable service yet? Stores like Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. will give you a free (first quality) cable modem if you sign up for cable activation through them. However, I do not know if the monthly cable charges are any different when you do that vs. going directly to the cable company. And some cable companies may give you a modem or will let you use one free. (Comcast does not. They charge a monthly rental fee.)
Once installed you should look at this site for info on optimizing the speed you can get from your cable.
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

EDIT--I type too slowly and MM beat me. But maybe I offered a little more info.

 

MinnesotaMike-Thank You very much for the info and your time.

Welshjim-Charter is the only one around here and they just started to offer high speed around here a year ago. I have to rent a modem through them ($2 dollars a month) because of the package i purchased. ($65 for internet and digital cable service) And i Thank You for your time and info.

I can not wait to get rid of dial up internet.

 

ozzydawg--You are welcome. Did you check the local Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. for any deals on the modem? (You will not be able to use your DSL modem.)

 

ozzydawg,

You're welcome. I also have Charter service. When they hooked things up, there was nothing I needed to buy for it. They included the network card no charge (you already have that), all cables, and modem (I can't remember what i pay for the rental now). You will definitely love the high speed.

Mike