One of the most popular pitches you hear either on the radio or on television is the offer to “upgrade” your current Internet service from whatever you’re currently using to DSL – but what exactly IS DSL and is it a good choice for your needs?
First, how do you connect to the Internet right now? Odds are that you’re using either a modem of some sort, either a cable modem (using the same television cable that runs into your television set) or a regular dial-up modem (which uses the telephone line that you also chat to your friends on). But there are other options that you can explore and DSL is one option.
DSL stands for digital subscriber line and uses the same telephone line as a regular dial-up modem. But wait, you say – what’s the difference and why doesn’t everyone have one?
As with all types of technology DSL has both advantages and disadvantages and it’s up to you to decide if it’s the service for you and if it’s worth the expense.
Advantages: DSL does mean that you can talk on the phone while someone is online, something that you couldn’t try with a regular modem. The speed is amazingly faster, with an average modem running at 56 Kbps (or less, possibly) while a DSL line runs at 1.5 Mbps – more than double and then some! As well, there is no extra wiring needed for a DSL connection while a cable modem requires extra lines to be run from your cable box to the computer, often needing some slight renovations to your home. Most companies will supply the modem when you sign up for the service, giving you less worry about picking the right product for the job.
Disadvantages: Unfortunately the quality can diminish the further you are from the main office of your DSL provider – if their head office is in the center of the city and you’re on the outskirts or in even another town, you may find a definite slowdown. Second, DSL also will deliver data to your computer faster than you can send your data out. True, this may not seem like much of a problem for the average computer user, but if you’re involved in online gaming or other areas where immediate or near-immediate responses are vital you may find DSL lacking. And last but not least, DSL may not be offered in every area due to the first and second problems listed above. You may want it, but you may not be able to get it.
But wait – how does DSL work and why haven’t we been using it all along if it’s just another use for the telephone wire?
First you have to understand that the wire that provides your telephone service isn’t new technology and in fact hasn’t changed over decades. Your phone service travels over copper wires that are twisted around each other to carry an analog signal, which is another name for an acoustic signal. Your phone takes the signal and converts it into the words and sounds that you hear when you talk to a friend. The first modems (and some are still in service today) use the same idea, converting the computer analog information into digital information and sending it over the wire to another computer that downloads the digital and converts it back into analog. But if you pick up the receiver you introduce another sound into the system and your transmission will be disrupted. And let’s not forget the extra work and time that it takes the computer to translate the data from analog to digital and back – there must be a faster way!
DSL does just this – using the same copper wires that you currently talk on can be used to send digital data straight to your computer and back again, without any translation or change to analog. And because there’s no alteration from analog to digital and back again you can use a wider bandwidth. Your speed is raised dramatically and you can also use the telephone for its original purpose: to talk to your friends and family. Of course, you will have to give up a bit of bandwidth to have this double feature available, but most people think it’s worth it to have the phone open for its original purpose.
There are a variety of DSL options open to you depending on the company offering it in your area, so be sure to research all your options before signing up. But for a lot of people it’s a valuable upgrade where they can surf the Net while not having to worry about waiting for that important phone call!
