DSL Internet Connection
Disconnected again? Tired of missing phone calls because you spend too much time online with a dial up connection that moves slower than that snail crawling on the floor? There are plenty of people who know that feeling, and in a culture that values speed and the ability to get things done quickly, it is no surprise that DSL Internet connections are becoming increasingly popular. DSL Internet connections are much faster and more reliable than basic dial up connections, and are much better than their dial up competitors. In fact, the competition between the two is not even close.
Without you live or work in a very remote and rural area, you should have the option of getting a much faster internet than dial up, especially through DSL Internet connections. If high-speed Internet services are available, your choice will be between DSL or cable modem services. Cable Internet is fairly self-explanatory to a lot of people, but you might be asking yourself, what are DSL Internet connections?
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL uses a specialized technology to cram large amounts of data onto copper wires, which is how the direct Internet line can be opened without having to block off your phone. A DSL Internet connection can also sometimes be called an always on connection because it uses existing 2-wire copper telephone line connected to the promise and will not tie up your phone as a dial-up connection does. Since a DSL Internet connection is always on, you never have to dial up into an ISP or block off the phone line. There is not even a need to get a second phone line. The two main categories of DSL for home subscribers are called ADSL and SDSL.
What are the differences between the two? One is simply location. ADSL is generally the most common form of DSL Internet connection sold by Internet providers in not only the United States, but in most of North America in general. ADSL is a short abbreviation for the longer, more technical term of "asymmetric digital subscriber line." ADSL does require a special type of modem, so if you are looking around at possible DSL Internet connections, be sure that you have the right set up on your computer (or that the right modem can be added) before doing any purchasing.
SDSL is short for "symmetric digital subscriber line," and is much more common in Europe than in North America. This works much the same way as ADSL, but is more technological and does allow more data to be sent and received than an ADSL connection. SDSL is a DSL Internet connection that also requires a special modem.
Cable Internet is the main competitor to DSL. There are still a lot of arguments over which is faster, which is the better deal, which works best. There does not appear to be a clear winner between the two. While Cable Internet offers that are up to twice as fast as any DSL Internet connections, unlike DSL, cable uses a "shared bandwidth" which means that at any given time the actual download speeds can vary quite a bit. At a busy time, DSL might actually be faster because too many users will slow down a cable internet connection, although at a time down, the cable might edge out the DSL.
There are commonly questions about security. While security is always an issue with high speed Internet, there is no way to determine if one is really safer than the other. In this situation, whether you have Cable Internet or a DSL Internet connection, it makes sense to have a proven anti-virus and anti-spy ware package on your computer to deal with any inevitable problems that will occur.
Then there is the bottom line question in almost every argument: which one is the better buy for the price? Which is cheaper? The problem is, there is no standard prices that make comparisons easy. The price of a DSL Internet connection is dependent on several factors, including: competition, level of competition, location, and variety of local choices. The ideal situation is where you have two, or even three, companies in your area vying over the Cable Internet and DSL Internet market. These will be the areas that have the most competitive pricing. Otherwise, you simply need to check your area. There is no point in giving a ball park price if it is not available for that in your area. The best option is the best one available.
Still, there is no question that a DSL Internet connection is far superior to dial up in virtually every way. This is being able to keep a main phone line open, to much faster downloads and surfing, to the constant rate of speed that DSL can offer. This is definitely a smart buy, and it is easy to see why the popularity continues to increase.