DSL Service Providers

What Is DSL, How Does DSL Work?

What Is DSL And How Does DSL Work?

DSL stands for digital subscriber line. In layperson's terms, the DSL is a very high speed Internet line that uses the telephone line to connect with the Internet. The telephone cables we use today have a pair of twisted wires which are capable of carrying the human voice signals. But, in fact, the twisted-pair cable that telephonic networks use can carry a lot more data than mere voice signals. They can be used to carry Internet signals, for example. The DSL Internet service hooks on to the telephone cables and transmits Internet data through this extra space in the cable. That is basically the answer to how does DSL work.

Now that you know what is DSL, it is clear to see the advantages of it. Since DSL hooks up to the telephone line, it is capable of providing a very high speed of Internet connection. The great benefit is that DSL uses the extra space in the cable line, so you are free to make and receive phone calls. This is a marked advantage over the phone modem, where you could not use the phone if you were connected to the Internet. Then there are some more subtle benefits in using a DSL connection. The amount of wiring will be significantly lesser, because you will be using the same wiring that goes for your phone line. That means less cluttering on your workspace. This will also reduce the cost of acquiring the connection (since wiring needs are minimized). Also, the DSL Internet service provider will provide you with the special DSL cable modem that you will need to connect to the Internet with. Again, that translates into cost savings.

There are some cons of a DSL Internet service that you need to know of, though. Keep in mind that a DSL connection travels through phone lines. That means, the farther your computer is located from the telephone central network office, slower the connection will be. However, the cost you pay for getting the connection will remain the same. People who have DSL connections in their homes or offices also claim that sending data speeds are slower than receiving data. So, DSL does provide high speed Internet connectivity, but that is subject to certain conditions.

People who want to know what is DSL will also want to know the difference between DSL and broadband. It is fair to compare the two, because both are different connection modes for getting high speed Internet. While the DSL works on telephone lines, broadband works on cable lines. That means, wherever there is cable television connectivity, you will get broadband Internet too. However, DSL connectivity is distance sensitive. You get good connections only near the central hubs. That does mean broadband has better penetration than a DSL connection, since almost every place has cable connectivity nowadays.

DSL also turns out to be costlier than the broadband Internet. However, this problem is being circumvented by some Internet users nowadays, who are trying to install their own DSL modems.

The basic difference between DSL and broadband is the speed of the connection, and that is what matters most to the hardcore Internet user. DSL provides a marginally better speed, at 1-2 Mbps, than the broadband cable connections, whose speeds are close to 1-1.5 Mbps. But we must note that the speed of the broadband connection is the same throughout the network, but DSL connection speeds will significantly decrease as the connection moves farther from the central telephone office.

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