DSL 101

One of the more popular high-speed Internet choices obtainable in the United States (and through the world), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet supplies millions and countless people with broadband connections to the internet. Significantly faster than dial up (Internet connections that use a telephone modem), DSL is also provided through phone lines - unlike cable or satellite Internet. Speeds on DSL habitually range anywhere between 500 - 6000 kb per second, which is anywhere between 200 and 400 times faster than typical narrowband or modem-based connections. Nearly exclusively provided by telephone companies (both locally owned along with national corporations), DSL lines use the very same telephone lines that have already been installed throughout your home to provide the broadband connection but just after they've been plugged into a DSL modem. This modem converts the Internet connection from the analog signal into a digital one that can subsequently be fed straight into computers or Internet accessible devices, or right back into a DSL wireless router to share the signal with no cables. Of the broadband services available, DSL is generally the most affordable alternative. However, it also is widely regarded as the one of the slower broadband services out there, as cable Internet is generally 3 to 4 times as fast as DSL and fiber-optic can be many multiples of that! You'll want to contact the local Internet providers and phone companies to figure out whether or not DSL service can be found in your location, and also might want to ascertain if it's speed and broadband capabilities will meet your specific needs. See DSL.