DSL is a high-speed internet service that uses copper phone lines to provide online access. It requires a DSL modem and coexists with telephone service. The service lane is divided into downstream and upstream signals, with ADSL being asynchronous and SDSL being synchronous. FiOS offers greater bandwidth than copper lines. Plans are based on speed, and the distance to the nearest DSLAM affects actual speeds achieved. A DSL modem is commonly included in the service, but an upgrade may be required for wireless capabilities.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a high-speed Internet service that competes with cable Internet to provide online access to local customers. It works over standard copper phone lines like dial-up service, but is many times faster than dial-up. Also, unlike dial-up networking, DSL doesn’t hog the phone line. Coexistence with telephone service thus allows users to surf the web and use the telephone at the same time.
The service requires a DSL modem, which connects to the telephone wall jack and computer. The device acts as a modulator, translating digital computer signals into voltage sent across telephone lines to a central hub known as a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplier (DSLAM, or dee-slam). Simply put, the DSLAM acts as a switchboard for local DSL clients, routing requests and responses between each client’s computer address and the Internet.
Voice calls and DSL can coexist over copper lines because each service uses its own frequency band. The gangs could be thought of as lanes on a highway. Voice signals are sent in a relatively low bandwidth, while Internet signals occupy a much higher bandwidth. To keep the voice band free from signal bleeding noise, a small filter is commonly installed on all phone lines in the house, blocking higher frequencies.
The DSL “service lane” is divided by two-way traffic, i.e. downstream and upstream signals. When you click on a link, you are requesting something from the internet, kickstarting traffic upstream. The returned web page arrives as downstream traffic. Since the requests require only small bits of data, the upstream lane can be quite narrow (low bandwidth), but the downstream lane needs to be much wider (high bandwidth) to send web pages, media, graphics , files and programs. Therefore, standard DSL is called asynchronous DSL or ADSL, because the download speed is much faster than the upload speed.
Businesses, however, may require large files, data and programs to be sent between non-local networked offices, in which case a different type may be preferred. Synchronous DSL or SDSL offers the same high speed for both download and upload. Hard core fanatics may also appreciate SDSL for file sharing, gaming and other multimedia content. The downside is that it is more expensive than ADSL.
With the ubiquitous use of cell phone service, millions of people have given up on landline service. In this case a service known as “naked DSL” may be offered in an area that provides Internet services without telephone service.
In many areas, fiber optic cable service (FiOS) is replacing standard telephone lines. FiOS offers much greater bandwidth than copper lines with the ability to deliver true high-speed Internet that is many times faster than DSL or standard cable service. While availability differs between regions, FiOS services typically offer bundled options for television, digital telephone, and the Internet.
Among the various DSL packages, the plans are based on speed, with lower speeds costing less than plans offering higher speeds. The distance to the nearest DSLAM will largely determine the actual speeds the service achieves. The closer to the DSLAM, the better, as the signal degrades with distance, causing latency issues. If a user is on the outskirts of the service area, he may not see the maximum speed of the subscribed plan.
A DSL modem is commonly included in the service as a “lease” item to be returned at the end of the contract, but this is typically a standard modem with no router or wireless capabilities. If a person wants to wirelessly share their Internet connection with another computer in their home or office, they will likely require an upgrade. In some cases, the cost of this upgrade in your DSL contract is equal to the purchase of a wireless router with a built-in modem. Subscribers should the fine print; if they need to return the device at the end of the contract period, they may want to choose to supply their own equipment.
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