DSL - Fat Pipes for Dummies Jul 13 '00    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet I'm rather depressed right now. I've had and enjoyed a DSL hookup for the past year. However, I'm moving in a bit, and will lose it for at least a month, stuck once again in the world of busy signals and modem lights. Sigh. Author’s caveat: I'm going to 'dummy' down this as much as possible, because frankly, some of the information out there most folks don't need to know. So I understand that some of this is an oversimplification. DSL, or ADSL as some folks call it, stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It's a neat name, but doesn't really get to the heart of the matter for the average consumer. Really, it is a broadband connection, granting you a full time, high-speed hook-up to the Internet using nothing more then your phone line. Because DSL operates at a different frequency then normal phone signals, you can be on the internet an still get interrupted by your mother, wondering why haven't you called, when will you bring over the kid, and why won't your brother show more respect?!? Ok, not sure that's a benefit. But as a concept, it's very nice. No more arguments about needing to use the phone while you are deep in a game of Quake, no more having your 5 hour download stopped at 4 hours, 59 minutes because someone tripped over the phone line. That's a benefit! Now, at the very basic level, DSL is much faster then a 56k modem. While a standard modem, if you've been really, really good, can theoretically reach speeds of 56k, in practice that is rare, unlikely and often disappointing. But a DSL line starts at 256k, and works it's way up depending on your ISP, your distance from the router, and just how many people are downloading illicit pictures at the time. That last bit is a personal theory, not proven fact. Yet. For your computer, DSL requires either an internal modem/network card, or an internal network card/external router. You don't need to run out and buy this stuff, most DSL providers include the equipment as part of the package. US West, for example, usually offers it for free (depending of the service purchased), but the initial setup can cost you upwards of 50-150 dollars - watch for deals. DSL speeds depend on a host of factors. Simply put, the further you are away from the host router, the slower your connection speed, as the signal degrades rather quickly. That's why some areas still aren't DSL capable, and also why some folks with a basic 256K package can get even greater speeds. I live all of a block away from the switching office, so my 29.95 a month, basic 256k service usually runs at 400k. Sounds fast, but what does it mean? Well, I once downloaded a 115 meg game on my trusty 56k modem. It took 12 hours, the second time - we don't talk about the first time. That same file with DSL took 45 minutes. That's why I call it the fat pipe. However, speeds of that nature are not a guarantee. The internet suffers from rush hour like any other highway, and if the server you're downloading from is bogged down, download speed drops. If a major router dies in Chicago, if everyone and their dog is trying to access www.victoriasecret.com, well...traffic jam. In rush hour, everyone goes from 0-60 in the same length of time, and that's usually true on the 'net as well. But what about Cable Modems? Cable modems are, in theory, faster. MUCH faster. And overall, the cost is about the same. The major problem with cable, however, is you share the node. Almost like being on a LAN at work. The more people who are on your particular node, the more traffic they create, the slower the speed of downloads. So slow, in fact, it can actually be worse then DSL, dropping right around 56k modem speeds! Will that happen to you? It really depends on the quality of your cable company. As with any technology, as much as we like to think of it as science, it is never that precise at the consumer level, so your mileage may vary. If you have a good cable company, you may never encounter the problem. With DSL, you are all alone. So while you don't cruise along quite as fast as a cable modem, it is easier to maintain a constant speed, and the connection is more reliable, at least in my neck of the woods. But then again, if you aren't terribly happy with the phone service you get from your Telco... Yes, I see the irony of choosing between Ma Bell and Ma Cable. It isn't an easy decision between the two, and generally comes down to the service of the provider. Both will end up costing between $30 and $50 dollars a month for the basic package - a decent price considering you'll be more then doubling your speed, regardless of which way you choose. From personal experience I can tell you one thing – once you have the fat pipe, you don’t want to go back. DSL has been very reliable for me - more so then the old modem ever was - and the speed more then enough for downloads, online gaming, browsing, you name it. Operating at standard modem speeds now feels like driving a Yugo at the Indy 500. It just doesn’t make sense. So if you are tired of being in the pedestrian lane of the information superhighway, then it might be time to consider an upgrade to DSL. You won't regret getting the fat pipe.

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