Services

What you need to know about DSL
A Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) provides instant Internet and network access at speeds up to 25 times faster than a 56 Kbps modem using a standard analog phone line. There are no dial-up delays, no busy signals. What used to take minutes or hours to download will take just seconds or minutes.

DSL technology allows you to surf the Internet, connect to your corporate network, and download files to your computer with amazing speed. You'll be able to play networked computer games faster than before. It's perfect for real-time interactive multimedia, broadcast quality video, distance learning, and video-on-demand. And because DSL sends data and voice over the same line, you can talk on the phone while you connect.

DSL technology brings high-bandwidth connectivity to you over ordinary copper telephone lines. The type of DSL service that TotaLink offers is Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). Asymmetric simply means that the speed of the receiving data (the downstream rate to your computer) is different than the sending speed (the upstream rate from your computer to the Internet). And, although it uses a different technology than traditional analog modems, the ADSL modem plugs into your phone jack in much the same way as an analog modem.

Unlike the dial-up connections required for analog modems, your DSL connection can be turned on almost instantly. Since DSL is always available, there's no more busy signals and no more waiting for the connection to happen - it's there at the click of your mouse. If you do turn your PC off (or terminate your DSL connection), it's quick and easy to log back on -- no more long waits as your analog modem establishes its connection.

What is the difference between DSL and cable modems?
DSL provides always-available high-speed Internet access over a single dedicated telephone line. Cable modems offer high-speed Internet access over a shared cable television line.

While cable modems may have greater theoretical downstream (from the Internet to the home) bandwidth capabilities, that bandwidth is shared among all users in a neighborhood, and will therefore vary, perhaps dramatically, as more users in a neighborhood get online at the same time.

Upstream traffic (from the customer premise to the Internet) over cable modems will in many cases be slower than DSL, either because the particular cable modem is inherently slower, or because too many people in a neighborhood are trying to send or receive data at the same time - causing congestion in the local cable network.

DSL Advantages

• Faster than cable modem service during peak usage periods*
• DSL service is flexible enough to grow with the skills and interests of our users
• Customers can also use dial-up connections, and access services like email remotely
• DSL is as reliable as your phone
• DSL speed stays consistent, as opposed to the shared systems used by cable companies where speed may decrease as more users sign up.

Cable Modem Disadvantages

• Reliability and privacy issues, since bandwidth is shared over the local cable network
• Shared bandwidth can cause slowdowns due to local network congestion
• Cable modem services often do not support a wide variety of Internet applications

* Based on a month-long benchmarking study by Keynote Systems, DSL was found to be 11% faster than cable modems