DSL Service

If you’re ready to surf the Web at speeds far greater than dial-up, then DSL may be the right choice for you. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line and allows you to achieve broadband speeds over an ordinary phone line. With DSL, you get an “always on” High Speed connection, and you won’t need new wiring or expensive equipment.

How DSL Works

With traditional telephone service, voice signals from your home travel over copper wires to your local telephone company’s central office. During this process, your spoken words are converted into an electrical equivalent of voice and pitch. This is known as analog data. Because the human ear can only pick up low frequencies, your telephone company filters out high frequencies, leaving vast amounts of space - known as bandwidth - available on the copper lines. DSL takes advantage of this extra bandwidth, allowing you to connect to the Internet.

DSL works in a similar fashion. With DSL, a modem converts typed data into digital signals that travel to the telephone company over the same copper wires used with your telephone service. Since voice and typed data are converted into different signals (analog and digital) they do not interfere with each other as they make their way to the phone company. What does this mean? You can enjoy a blazing fast High Speed Internet connection and talk on the phone - simultaneously!

However, it’s important to remember that DSL is a distance-sensitive technology. This means that homes close to the telephone company’s central office receive better quality and faster speeds than homes further away from the central office. In most cases, DSL works best within three miles of the central office.

Types of DSL Access

There are many different types of DSL connections. The most common DSL type used for residential service is known as Asymmetrical DSL or ADSL. With ADSL, you view or download Web information faster than you upload materials on to the Internet. This makes ADSL the right choice if you primarily use the Internet to access Web pages or download pictures, videos, music, games, and more. Other types of DSL connections include:

• VDSL or Very High Bit Rate DSL – allows for very high speeds over a short distance.
• SDSL or Symmetrical DSL – both upload and download speeds are the same. SDSL is most often used with small businesses and does not allow you to use your telephone at the same time.
• RDSL or Rate Adaptive DSL – works similar to ADSL; however, it gives you the ability to control your speed with your modem depending on the length and quality of your line.

Other Benefits of DSL

In addition to blazing speeds that allow you to download extra large files, such as photos, music, games and videos, most DSL providers give you a host of extra features to help you make the most out of your time online. Some extra features include: multiple e-mail accounts, Web pages, technical support, storage, home networking, security software and more.

Click on the links below to learn more about what your DSL provider can do for you.

Verizon Online

AT&T DSL

BellSouth DSL Service

Qwest DSL Service

Earthlink DSL