DSL Technology Comparison

 

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DSL is only one of several choices for Internet access. Access technologies range in price, speed and availability. The bottom line, though, is the higher the speed, the higher the cost. The trick is in selecting the access solution that fits both your needs and your budget. Below is a list of available technologies, and how they work, and why DSL is different.

Dialup Access:

Dialup access operate using modems to dial out on a phone line and make a connection to another modem. The basic speeds are 28.8k and 56K, and will vary depending on phone line quality, and routing of each call. Attitude Online's DSL does not require waiting for the connection to be established.

ISDN:

ISDN is also a dialup technology. However, it is a digital connection at both ends, which gives a better connect speed. ISDN can handle up to 2 connections at once allowing for either a 64k or 128k connection speed. However, ISDN is considered by the telephone company to be a measured rate service, meaning the phone company likes to bill the user by the minute to make the call. This could lead to some expensive phone bills. Attitude Online's DSL does not require waiting for the connection to be established, and is not a measured rate service, which means you pay the same rate for the service no matter how much you are using the Internet.

Cable: 

Cable is a large local area network, just like you find in an office. The problem with this arrangement is that the more people that are on your network segment (your neighborhood), the slower you connection. In addition, your upload speed is generally limited to 128Kbps, and the cable companies will not usually allow you to run web servers or game servers on the connection. Cable is generally not available to businesses due to lack of cable infrastructure in those areas since its primary use is to provide television feed to homes. Attitude Online's DSL is a dedicated service using a telephone line to your location, and as such, will not be subject to congestion caused by your neighbors. Attitude Online allows for servers to be connected to our SDSL or IDSL service.

T1 and DS3: 

T1's are designed for high speed Internet access up to 1.5Mbps and 45Mbps using DS3 connections. T1's are designed for connecting larger businesses that need multiple users and secure connections to the Internet. These connections range in price of up to $2000 a month for a T1 and $16000 a month for a DS3. DSL is a much more cost effective solution for small to medium businesses and residential users.