DSL has its roots in telephone lines
To understand how DSL works, you need to have a general understanding of how telephone lines work. Telephone lines work by sending signals through copper wires. These wires run from your home to the road. There, they are packed into a thick cable and bundled with over 100 other wires. The cable either runs directly to the phone company’s switch board or to a box on the side of the road which acts as a digital concentrator. From there, the signal can be directed anywhere in the world.
So what does this have to do with DSL?
Telephones only transmit voice signals over the copper wires. Voice frequencies typically range from 0 to 3,400 Hertz (cycles per second), however the copper wires are capable of handling much more bandwidth then is used by regular telephone lines.
This is where DSL comes in. DSL takes advantage of the extra space available on these wires. By using different frequencies (high frequency for DSL and low frequency for normal telephone) DSL is able to transmit data through the phone lines without interrupting your regular telephone service. This is achieved using a device called a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) splitter. Telephone frequencies are routed one way while the DSL frequencies are routed the other way.
Of course, historically, it makes sense for phone companies not to use this extra space because it allows them to have a higher capacity of phone lines in a smaller space. However, modern technology uses digital signals instead of analog signals so DSL can safely use much more of the telephone line’s capacity without interrupting the signal.
Advantages of DSL
Because of these advancements in technology, DSL comes with many advantages. First of all, it allows you to keep your internet connection open and talk on the phone at the same time. Before DSL, unless you had a separate phone line for the internet, you couldn’t talk on the phone at the same time you were on the internet. Additionally, the connection speed is much greater than a regular modem which allows pages to load faster and for faster download speeds.
Since DSL works directly with your existing phone lines, it doesn’t require any new wiring. Unless your house hasn’t been renovated since 1875, you can use your existing phone line to connect to the internet. Also companies that provide DSL also usually provide a modem to go with your connection as part of the installation. DSL is so easy to install that some companies will simply send you the hardware and you can install it yourself. This saves you both time and money.
By: Saleh Tousi
Posts Tagged ‘Telephone Line’
DSL – How it Works
February 6th, 2010Broadband Providers – The Able Providers of High-Speed Internet Connectivity
December 14th, 2009
With the arrival of Broadband, the access to internet has become easier and faster. This way, it has added colours to the lives of millions of those who are using features of the internet. Briefly speaking, Broadband is an excellent medium for internet connection and gives features like high speed access and efficient downloading.
Globalisation has been one of the major reasons behind the increase in the competition among Broadband ’service-givers’. Broadband providers are, therefore, forced to provide competitive and cheap services. This is why broadband is quite an affordable option for the users nowadays. It works faster than the normal mediums for connection. Hence, one can quickly do downloading of emails, files and movies.
The word Broadband is very common nowadays, but an average person may not be aware of it. Actually, there are different methods of accessing the internet while using a Broadband connection. You can avail the services using a connection via existing telephone line or cable TV line. You can also have Broadband access through time-tested wireless technologies.
Nowadays, there are lots of all over the world and they give various affordable and marvellous Broadband services. Some of these providers are also giving special offers, this season. These offers have features like free calls, free Wi-Fi, modem etc. So this is a ‘win-win’ situation for both the users and the Broadband providers. Both these parities benefit from each other.
This year, some new schemes have already hit the market along with some special offers. Many Broadband providers like Reliance Broadband, British Telecom, 3 mobile Broadband, Orange,Talk talk, Toucan, Demon, Tesco, AOL, PlusNet, Direct save telcom, Namesco, Sky,Vodafone, BSNL,T-mobile phone etc. are offering Broadband services. These services are also backed by alluring offers. The user just needs to choose any one of the providers according to his usefulness and his requirements.
The Broadband services are available at very competitive prices. There are various leading players who are offering some of the best broadband deals. In order to be able to choose the best Broadband provider, guides are available online where you can find all the useful information about broadband. Information in terms of being both basic and advanced in nature, is present on these online guides.
One can compare the services of different companies who are dealing in the business of giving Broadband services. Hence, the user is able to have the opportunity of choosing some of the best Broadband providers.
So if you are looking to avail some of the unique Broadband services along with some very attractive offers this year then this is the right time for you when different companies are competing against each other to give some of the best services.
Before going for these services, one needs to understand their features and benefits. You should,therefore, cheap Broadband providers, features, and benefits of each and every brand. One also needs to understand the terms and conditions of the given deal.
By: Issac Brandon
How to Choose an Internet Service Provider
November 11th, 2009
An Internet Service Provider, ISP, is a company that provides a gateway to the Internet for individuals and companies. In its simplest form, connecting to the Internet requires a telephone line to dial up an ISP using a computer and modem. The ISP then provides the route onto the Internet.
Choosing an Internet Service Provider requires a simple first step. Ask yourself: “What do I want to use the Internet for?” If you can answer this, you can then start to work out your requirements.
Answers to the question “What do I want to use the Internet for?” can include:
- How much will I use the Internet each month?
- What time of day will I use it?
- Do I need web space?
- Is customer support important to me?
- How many e-mail addresses will I need?
- Can the ISP support online payments?
- How much does it cost?
Another question to ask is “How long has the ISP been in business?” This might not seem important but in this industry ISP’s come and go quite regularly. Running an ISP requires extensive computer knowledge, experience and quality hardware, not to mention a reliable line into the Internet, plenty of good modems and adequate customer support.
Different types of Internet service
Dial-up: connects to the ISP using a modem. This is the most basic, slowest and cheapest option.
DSL: popular high speed internet service. It uses a regular telephone line to connect to the Internet, however it is faster that dial-up and allows you to access the Internet and use the phone at the same time.
Cable: high speed Internet service that uses your TV cable.
Satellite: It connects to the Internet using a satellite dish. It is more expensive than other options but allows people leaving in isolated areas to access the Internet.
Wireless: Connect to the Internet while you are away from home. Allows people to travel with their laptops and access the Internet from hot spots worldwide.
The next step should be to start calling the Internet Service Providers in your area or visiting their websites for more information. A good way to find out about a particular ISP in your area is to ask people who use it or try it yourself. On the Internet there are good ISP’s directories that you may want to visit as well.
By: Ronald Vyhmeister