Monday 9 May 2011

Spam Filters

Leading Spam Filter Software
What is Spam?
Spam is generally defined as unsolicited or junk email. Just like the junk email you get at home advertising everything from credit cards to local restaurants, email spam operates in the same way. Spammers send out hundreds of thousands, and sometimes tens of millions, of emails to unsuspecting email recipients. These spam emails are usually trying to sell you something. While most people delete these spam email messages without even reading them, a small percentage of email recipients open and read the email messages and sometimes even buy the products being sold. This is what makes it profitable for the spammers. It costs very little to send an email message. So only a small percent of the people who receive spam need to make a purchase to make it profitable for the spammers.

If you have an email account, chances are you have received spam in the past, and possibly a lot of it. Before Spam Filters, some people had to change their email addresses as they would receive hundreds of spam emails each day which made it almost impossible to use their email account. If you have received large amounts of spam in the past, you know how aggravating it can be trying to read through all those emails to find the ones you really need.

Spam Filters
Spam filters are email programs that attempt to organize your email according to criteria that you specify. The ultimate goal is to filter out all unwanted email. Spam filters use a variety of techniques to determine which emails are spam. Most spam filters offer you a variety of options of how to handle spam. You can choose to have the emails automatically deleted, or sent to a spam folder or delivered to your normal inbox marked as spam. Most spam filters will turn off all links contained in emails deemed to be spam as a protection. These links can be turned back on however if you determine the email is not spam.

Most email programs come equipped with basic spam filter features. However, if you desire greater protection or control over your spam, you can purchase Spam Filter Software. Several of the leading Spam Filter Software products are listed at the top of this page.

Sunday 8 May 2011

Why Test your Broadband Internet Connection?

Simply put, to see if you are actually getting High Speed Broadband Access. More and more businesses and homes are moving away from dial-up internet access to some form of Broadband Internet access. Broadband Internet access is much faster than dial-up access, but it is also more expensive.

Broadband Internet, generally known simply as Broadband, is the name given to high speed internet access. Standard broadband is 512kb and is 10 times faster than dial-up that is just 56k. In addition, dial-up access requires disrupting your telephone service whereas Broadband does not.

Broadband can be delivered in a number of different ways. The three most popular ways are DSL Broadband, Cable Broadband and Satellite Broadband. DSL is currently the most popular delivery method for Broadband. Cable Broadband is the next most popular method and Satellite Broadband is the least popular method.

DSL and Cable Broadband are generally the least expensive and most effective forms of Broadband. Satellite Broadband is generally the most expensive form due to the equipment needed. It is also the slowest due to the 35,000 miles the signal has to travel to reach the satellite. It is generally used in rural areas where DSL and Cable Broadband are not available.

One of the most important factors when choosing a broadband delivery method is the amount of bandwidth available. Bandwidth is the amount of data that you are allowed to download/upload at any given time. All Broadband ISP providers publish their bandwidth capabilities which aregenerally what people use to determine which plan is best for them. However, the advertised Bandwidth is not always accurate. ISPs often allow a greater number of users to operate on their network than their network can handle at the download speeds published. ISPs assume that not all users will be on the network at once and not using the maximum download capabilities available. Therefore, your Broadband download speed can vary significantlyby time of day and day of the week depending on how busy the network is.

That is why it is important to test your Broadband connection at different times. Your ISP may advertise a high Broadband Bandwidth, but you may only get that advertised Broadband Bandwidth at certain times of the week. That is why we allow you to set up an account with InternetFrogthat saves your Broadband test results so you can compare download speeds at different times. This service is free and only requires you to register with us. To do so, you can register here.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

VoIP, which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, is a general term used to describe different technologies used for the delivery of voice communications over IP networks or other packet-switched networks. Put in simple terms, it is most commonly used for technology which allows users to use a telephone over the internet.

VoIP Phone technology has been around since the early 1990's, but only recently has the service become widely available for commercial and residential use. VoIP relies on high speed Broadband Internet connections to work properly. The widespread increase in the availability of Broadband Internet connections is the reason VoIP phone services has risen dramatically since about 2004. Many Broadband carriers now mass market VoIP services as part of their technology packages and product offerings.

VoIP Configurations
There are three common methods of connecting to VoIP service providers:


















(typical analog telephone adapter (ATA) for connecting an analog phone to a VoIP provider)

An Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) which is connected between a broadband network and an existing telephone line. This type of service is usually offered by broadband Internet providers. It is generally less expensive than traditional phone service from the phone company and provides a connection of similar quality.
Dedicated VoIP phones are phones that allow VoIP calls without the use of a computer. Instead they connect directly to the IP network (using technologies such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
A softphone (also known as an Internet phone or Digital phone) is a piece of software that can be installed on a computerthat allows VoIP calling without dedicated hardware. The greatest advantage of using a softphone is the ability to use the same phone number anywhere in the world. If you have a laptop that has the softphone software, your phone can literally travel where ever you can take your laptop.
VoIP Benefits and Restrictions
A huge benefit to VoIP is reduced cost. VoIP services can cost up to three timesless than traditional phone service. In addition, more than one call at a time can be transmitted over a VoIP connection allowing usersto forego adding additional telephone lines when multiple lines are needed. And finally, most additional fee services such as call waiting, conference calling, and call forwarding are included free of charge with most VoIP plans.

VoIPdoes have it limitations though. First and foremost, VoIP call quality is only as good as the broadband network on which it is carried. So during peak internet usage periods, VoIP call quality can suffer and broadband connection become overloaded and therefore slow. In addition, if your power or internet connection is down, your VoIP service will be down as well unlike traditional phone lines. And finally, because of the difficulty in locating specific IP addresses, it is much more difficult to track a 911 or other emergency call than with traditional phone service.

Overall
Overall, VoIP phone service can provide a reliableand much less expensive option to traditional phone service. The reliability and quality of VoIP phone service continues to improve as new software and hardware technologies are added and as broadband networks become more widespread and faster.

If you are considering VoIP, please visit one of the quality VoIP providers listed on this page. In addition, you may want to first test the quality of your potential broadband VoIP connection using our free VoIP Connection Speed Test.

Spyware Software

What is a Computer Virus?
A computer virus is a type of computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. A virus can literally take control of your computer to perform whatever actions it is programmed to do. Virus can be very dangerous as they can erase information on your hard drive or send personal information stored on your computer to an outside source.

Viruses can be downloaded onto a computer by downloading files from the internet or from USB devices, floppy discs, CDS or any other type of storage device. You should not download files onto your computer unless you are certain of their origin and comfortable with the validity of the source.

Once a computer has been infected with a virus, it is generally recommended that the operating system be completely reinstalled to remove any remaining vestiges of the virus.

Protecting your Computer from Viruses
In order to protect your computer from Viruses and related programs such as Spyware, Adware and Malware, you should install some sort of Virus Protection Software on your computer. There are free Virus Software available, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. It is recommended that you purchase and install one of the leading Virus Software protection programs as these programs are continually updated to combat new viruses as they are discovered. You can find a list of leading virus software protection companies at the top of this page.

Most of the leading virus protection software companies charge a monthly or annual fee for their software. As mentioned, the services continually update their product to combat new threats. If you are connected to the internet, you can choose to have these updates automatically installed as they are made available.

The Internet Frog

The InternetFrog offers free computer tools and computer resources allowing users to increase their computer performance and increase their internet speed. Over the years we have steadily added more free tools and resources. In addition to our Internet Speed Test tool which is our most popular feature, we also offer free computer tools which allow users to perform WHOIS Searches, IP Searches, Trace Routes, VOIP Tests, and more. We also offer advice and information on computer tools which allow you to increase the speed and effectiveness of your computer and your internet connection.

The InternetFrog offers free computer tools and computer

The InternetFrog offers free computer tools and computer resources allowing users to increase their computer performance and increase their internet speed. Over the years we have steadily added more free tools and resources. In addition to our Internet Speed Test tool which is our most popular feature, we also offer free computer tools which allow users to perform WHOIS Searches, IP Searches, Trace Routes, VOIP Tests, and more. We also offer advice and information on computer tools which allow you to increase the speed and effectiveness of your computer and your internet connection.