What Is DSL?
What is DSL, and why is it important? First, when using the Internet for browsing and checking mails we are concerned with one thing, and that is the speed of the Internet. There are various types of Internet connections that are available depending upon your country or location. The Internet was introduced with a low 128 Kbps speed of dial-up which was slow, unstable, and had a lot of issues. That made way for the DSL connections later. But what is DSL connection and how has it changed the way we surf the Internet?
To answer the question, “What is DSL,” lets first define the term. DSL is an acronym that means Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a faster more stable connection that is made available over the same copper telephone lines that are used for transferring voice and data signals. Traditional wired telephone connections turn the voice into acoustics and converts that into an electrical signal that is transferred to the telephone company and then to the subscriber at the other end. Our wired telephone systems use copper lines which are twisted together in a pair and connected to each subscribers telephone at one end and the switching mechanism at the other end at the telephone exchange. It uses an analog system to convert voice signals into an electrical signal and then transfer that back and forth. Traditional phones do not utilize the full amount of the signals that are available, As a result. the maximum speed that you can get using a dial-up connection is only 128 Kbps. A DSL modem takes the analog signals and converts them into digital signals or bits. Thus, they can transfer higher bandwidth of data using the modulation and demodulation processes.
What is DSL connection speed and how does it matter?
A basic difference of DSL connection over normal dial-up lines is that they are faster and much more stable. While a dial-up connection offers about 128 Kbps, a DSL connection ranges between 128 Kbps to 3 Mbps. Comparatively, the DSL connection is a lightning fast connection. Another big advantage is that DSL connections do not block your voice calls when you are using the Internet. When using a dial-up connection you cannot use your telephone line for making calls.
What is DSL connectivity and the main disadvantages of it?
A disadvantage of using a DSL connection is the upload speeds. The download speeds are usually pretty fast, however the same speed is never offered while uploading. Also, the speed tends to vary with the volume of users. Some ISPs offers lesser speeds in the name of DSL. Before buying a connection, it is better to test the speed on a trial connection. Another disadvantage is that the farther your location is from the ISP, the slower the speed of the connection. As per US and European standards, the range for a DSL connection is a maximum of 5.5 KM without the use of any repeater. For all connections beyond the range of 5.5 KM, most ISP or telephone companies use a fiber optic cable to extend the reach of the local loop and thereby maintain the speed and the quality of the service.
Which DSL provider to use?
Depending upon your location, you will have a lot of DSL providers of Internet connections to choose from. Verizon offers a lightning fast DSL based on its fiber optic connection. Compared to a standard DSL connection, which offers a maximum connection speed of 3 to 7 Mbps, Verizon offers a connection speed ranging from 15 Mbps to 50 Mbps of download. Verizon’s services are great for business DSL requirements where the connections speeds required are fast, stable, and both download and upload speeds are great. When choosing a DSL provider it is pertinent to ensure that the download speeds and upload speeds are equally great. Otherwise, the browsing experience will be bad, especially if you are sharing the connection over a network, in which case the overall experience will be really unsatisfactory.
If you are in an area served by AT&T, it is one of the best service providers in terms of DSL connections. The company has an entry level speed of only 768 Kbps of download, but that is still significantly faster than the normal download speeds that you will get. Moreover, the connection is far more stable than average.
What is DSL wireless modem?
The final piece of the puzzle in answering the question, “What is DSL?” is to learn about wireless modems. A DSL wireless modem is a modem that enables you to share a connection across a network using wireless technology. If you are looking for a DSL wireless modem, start your search on the Internet reading user reviews. They are often a good reference point for the DSL wireless modem experience. The Belkin 802.11g Wireless DSL/Cable Gateway Router is a Wireless router that offers Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g connections protocols on a frequency band of 2.4 GHz. Hopefully this article has answered, in detail, “What is DSL?”