Digital Subscriber Lines

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Digital Subscriber Lines

Fast and affordable Internet access has become a big issue for private users and small businesses. Today users have many different options concerning Internet access. One can use a 56k/28k modem, cable modem, wireless, Ethernet, an ISDN connection, a T1 or T3 connection, or a DSL connection. Each method of connection has advantages and disadvantages concerning security, cost, and speed. A newer technology for users is DSL or a Digital Subscriber Line. DSL uses existing phone lines to send info. Unlike a dial up analog modem, a DSL connection allows voice and data to be sent at the same time on the same phone line, the bit rate is faster and the connection is continuous (no need to dial up).

DSL Technology

DSL is a technology for pushing high bit rates through "last mile" telephone connections (small gage copper less that 18,000 ft.). For most people, point A will be their home and point B will be the substation of the local phone company.

DSL modems, unlike conventional modems, establish a connection from one end of a copper wire to the other end of that copper wire: the signal does not pass into the telephone switching system. DSL modems are not limited to using only the voice frequencies passed by the standard telephone system (usually 0-4kHz), DSL modems typically use more than 100kHhz. (Day 1999)

When the local loop carrying the voice/data reaches the local phone company the loop first goes to a splitter which separates the voice from the data. The voice frequencies are sent to the traditional telephone switching network used for voice transfer. The data frequencies are wired into a DSL modem at the central office (CO) end. The resulting high-speed digital data stream coming from (or going to) the consumer is handled as digital data (not analog voice) and may be hooked into a number of networks connection to the data's destination. The data never enters the standard telephone switching system. (Day 1999)

When you connect to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) you are not connecting to the ISP over its standard modem bank, instead you are coming in over some sort of LAN/WAN (Local/Wide Area Network) data connection that the ISP has arranged with your local phone company. This is the only way an ISP can provide DSL-connected ISP service for customers. Because of the connection to the area network the DSL connection is always on, there is no need to dial up and connect to a modem.

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