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Want DSL? READ THIS!!! (Updated 2/28)Dec 09 '99 (Updated Sep 18 '00) Write an essay on this topic.(See bottom for updated info) I remember when my first 2400 baud modem that I had back in the day. It was fantastic! I used it to dial into bulletin boards of all types since the internet was not really available. Everything was in text and downloads of pictures (all of these pictures were clean mind you) took forever. But you were willing to wait. Today, I have lost my patience with even my 56k modem and I have been looking to upgrade to high bandwidth. Cable or DSL, it doesn’t matter to me. I will leave the discussion between cable and DSL up to other reviews. Instead I want to relate to you what to look out for with DSL service, the levels of service themselves, as well as my own experiences. For you to get DSL (especially the residence level of service) you typically must be within 12,000 to 18,000 feet of your CO (nearest telephone switching office) to even be considered. And to get the higher levels of service (in other words higher bandwidth or pipe to the internet) you have to be even closer. Now you might be saying to yourself that you must be within that many feet of your CO. I thought so too when I first tried to get DSL this past summer. This where buyers need to watch out!!! To get DSL you go to your phone companies site or perspective DSL provider (Covad, Northpoint, etc) and input either your phone number or address. Then the company has an automated system that calculates how far you are from your CO. Then you can order what level of service that you are told is available to you. However this does not mean you will get the service!!! The distance estimates done by DSL companies are all done by road distance, not actual line distance. Each company uses different online mapping sites to get distance estimates. When you talk to a customer service rep they will tell you that their estimates are not 100%. Actually they are way below 100%. I have talked with three different providers who have given me three different distance estimates. They were all close to each other so I figured I was going to get service. WRONG! When the phone company actual came to install the new DSL line they discovered that I was more than 20,000 feet away! So no DSL for me (except for IDSL, which I will get to below). Of course this was after I had already had signed paper work to have the line installed and waited three weeks. As far as for how long it will take for your DSL order to be processed, I have heard everything from three weeks all the way up to three months. Unfortunately you have to wait for your phone company to install your new line and this is the major sources of your delays. After the phone company has come in then your DSL service provider comes in and sets up the line to your computer as well as the DSL modem or router. So what types of DSL are there? It does in fact seem like an alphabet soup with all of the different letters. Most residential users will go for ADSL, or Asymmetric DSL. The is where your download speeds are higher than your upload speeds, typically by three times or more. ADSL will usually allow for you to hook up one computer to your connection. To get more computers using the connection you will have to have additional hardware. Some residential customers will want SDSL, or Synchronous DSL. This where the up and down paths are the same speeds. SDSL is actually more business related and is more expensive. It is usually more expensive because it is designed to be used by multiple users. Instead of a modem you will usually get a router that you hook multiple computers up to. For SDSL the distance limit is around 12,000 feet, but this may vary depending on your provider. If you are really far away from your CO then there is IDSL, or ISDN DSL. This is typically only offered at speeds of either 128k/128k or 144k/144k. It is based on ISDN technology and can sometimes go as far as 25,000 feet from the CO. So which one should you get and who should you buy from? ADSL typically is what you will want, unless you will be running multiple computers at home then you may want SDSL (or if you are a business). IDSL should be your last resort (and most likely it will be mine) if you can’t get the other two. Where should you buy it from? There are tons of reviews of DSL providers here at Epinions, so take a look. Also here is a list of questions to ask when looking for a DSL ISP. -How many IPs do I get and are they statically or dynamically allocated? (Static is usually better) -What kind of bandwidth is guaranteed? (look for better than 80%) -If the price is lowered for new subscribers, are my costs lowered as well? -Am I getting a modem or a router? How many ports are on my side of the router? -How long is the contract for? Good luck and I hope this info helps you all out a bit. If you have questions please go ahead and email me. *Update*: If Bell Atlantic is your phone company and you are farther than 18,000 feet from your phone office then you are out of luck for any kind of DSL (even IDSL). This has been confirmed by several different ISPs.  |
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