High Speed Internet Providers & Online Tools

Is your head spinning over all of the DSL jargon used by internet providers and what it means in order for you to select the right DSL service for your home? Let’s take a look at what’s available and what it all means!

First of all, DSL is an acronym for Digital Subscriber Line. This refers to a group of technologies that provide high speed internet service through existing telephone infrastructure. Unlike dial-up service, DSL does not interfere with your ability to use your landline for telephone calls because it runs on high frequency bands. Your analog phone uses low frequency bands. Thus, you are able to have both a home telephone plus high speed internet with “always on” capability on one telephone line if you have what is referred to by DSL providers as ADSL.

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. When you think of home internet usage, ADSL is what most homes will subscribe to. It is set up for the majority of data flow to go one-way, or asymmetrically. It is generally used by people who are more passive in their internet usage, such as downloading files or streaming media to their computer for viewing or listening to. It generally will not work for a business environment which requires a two-way transmission of data.

SDSL means Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It allows for two way data flow, but it requires a dedicated phone line because it cannot share a line with an analog phone. It is a viable choice for business use.

HDSL refers to High Bit Rate Digital Subscriber Line. HDSL allows for large volumes of data to flow two ways. It’s generally used by large networked groups such as businesses, campuses, as well as by local phone companies to connect and communicate with each other.

In general, DSL technology has been considered a more consistent technology in terms of speed than cable internet because bandwidth is dedicated, not shared like it is in cable. In other words, a group of subscribers sharing a cable bandwidth can impact internet speeds if usage is high at a given time. Many people also feel that there are security issues in sharing a bandwidth with your neighbors, but most providers offer security features and firewalls in their packages. DSL’s “always on” feature has also been considered a security risk because hackers can drive by and log into a home’s system. Again, high speed internet providers and hardware such as routers have greatly reduced any security issues with high speed internet service.

Whether your internet usage is required for home or business use, high speed internet providers can assist you in purchasing the right DSL technology to suit your needs.